Mason looked downright murderous. He hadn't expected a troublemaker to destroy his meticulous scheme to gift me those watches. Yet, he was now entrusted with the task of keeping my low profile while dealing with Ryan. He seemed extremely angry. "Where did you come from? Who do you think you are to speak here?"

Ryan hadn't picked up on Mason's fury. He simpered, "Mr. Connaught, I came invited. My name is Ryan Hudson. My dad owns Northeastern Waste Management."

Ryan's self-introduction was clearly an attempt to make a name for himself. It was a pity that no one paid him any attention. No one even bothered to clap.

He continued, "Mr. Connaught, as well as all the esteemed guests, I know this man! He's a man with a horrible reputation in school. His family sells fruit for a living..."

Mason looked as though he was seconds away from beating Ryan to a pulp. I shot him a glance, imploring him to calm down. Let Ryan put on his show. I'd like to see how far he would go.

"You'd never bestow your grand prize upon a fruit seller, right? In addition to his poor family, he has a rotten personality. He stole the funds allocated for scholarships for underprivileged students, which were valued at one million, but still hasn't returned them. Do you guys think a man like this deserves such a prize?"

Everyone had been jealous of me for winning the prize in the first place. After all, many of them coveted these watches. Following the taunts of someone in the crowd, a group shouted, "He doesn't deserve it!"

Another screamed, "Mr. Connaught, strip him of his right to participate in this lucky draw and pick someone else!"

"Yeah, redo it. Kick him out!"

When Lina saw this, she pointed at Felicia. Ryan immediately picked up on it and said, "Mr. Connaught, banish this evil couple from the hall now!"

"That's enough!" roared Mason. His tolerance had reached a breaking point.

"All my guests are welcome. Anyone who entered this hall today is an esteemed guest of mine. How dare you insult my guests in front of me? I think you've got a death wish. Guards..."

Just as Mason was about to call security to drag Ryan out, one of his men whispered into his ear.

Upon hearing that, Mason froze. He approached me and passed the information on.

I smiled. "Wow. There's something like that? That's great. Have them come in."

He nodded and gave the go-ahead to the guards.

Ryan stared at Mason, dumbfounded. He couldn't wrap his head around why Mason started whispering to me, nor why he scolded Ryan.

"Mr. Connaught, you shouldn't be taking action against me. It should be this asshole!"

Mason glared at him. If not for me holding him back, Ryan would've lost at least two limbs at this point.

Lina was just as confused. She had no idea why Mason still hadn't chased us out when they had made things so clear.

At that moment, a horde of uniformed policemen barged into the hall.

They pulled out their licenses as they advanced and said, "We're on duty. Please cooperate. We're here to apprehend a thief accused of stealing one million dollars!"

Lina's eyes were shining when she heard that. She screamed, "Here! Here's the thief."

She pointed at me. The policemen headed in my direction.