The Man They Tried to Erase

Chapter 004

The low, melodic timbre of Allen Morgan's voice wasn't particularly loud, yet in the sudden, expectant hush of the grand ballroom, it resonated with the clarity of a bell. It was a statement that challenged the very fabric of the reality the Hobbs family had constructed for him over the last four years.

For a heartbeat, there was a vacuum of sound. Then, Jane Hobbs let out a sharp, jagged peal of laughter that grated against the sophisticated atmosphere of The Gilded Resort. She clutched her champagne flute, her knuckles white, as she shook her head in mock disbelief.

"Allen, oh Allen," she sneered, her voice dripping with a toxic blend of pity and malice. "I must admit, I didn't think it was possible for your skin to get any thicker. Look at you. You’re wearing a suit that probably costs less than the napkins on these tables. Do you honestly expect anyone in this room—anyone with a shred of sanity—to believe that you were invited to a Vita Coperation gala? Who exactly would be blind enough to send a formal summons to a disgraced vagrant?"

"Mother, that's enough!"

The intervention came from Christian Hobbs. Her voice was like cool silk, cutting through her mother's hysteria with an effortless, practiced elegance. She stood there, a vision in pale blue, her brow furrowed in a mixture of irritation and a strange, buried discomfort. Despite the divorce, despite the scandal, seeing Allen—the man who had shared her home for three years—being dismantled in public like a common thief felt like a stain on her own dignity.

"Christian, stay out of this!" Jane snapped, her eyes never leaving Allen's face. "You’re too soft-hearted. This parasite still has his hooks in your memory. He’s here because he’s desperate. He thinks he can crawl back into our lives and resume his position as our personal footman. He misses the free meals and the warm bed, don't you, Allen?"

The socialites nearby began to titter and whisper behind their manicured hands. In the high-society circles of Novus City, there was no sin greater than being a "leech." A man who lived off his wife’s family was considered a biological curiosity, something to be studied with disgust rather than empathy.

Allen didn't look at the crowd. He didn't even look at Jane. His gaze was fixed on Christian, searching for a flicker of something—recognition, perhaps, or even a hint of the woman he thought he knew. When he found only a wall of icy reserve, he withdrew his gaze.

"You’re overcomplicating things, Jane," Allen said, his tone as flat and unbothered as the surface of a frozen pond. "I’m not here for a handout, and I’m certainly not here for you. I was invited. Period."

Jane blinked, then laughed even harder. "Invited? By whom? The janitorial staff? The dishwashers? Go ahead, tell us. Give us a name. If you can name a single person on the board who knows your face, I’ll stop 'harassing' you."

"Are you sure you want to know?" Allen asked, tilting his head slightly, a dangerous glint appearing in his dark eyes.

"I think you’re stalling because you’ve got nothing!" Jane's face darkened, her patience evaporating. She turned toward the grand entrance and signaled frantically. "Security! Where are the guards? I want this man removed immediately! Who allowed this 'gentleman' to sneak in and harass the prestigious guests? Throw him out into the street where he belongs!"

"There’s no need for that," Allen said, standing up with a fluid grace that seemed at odds with the "parasite" persona Jane was projecting. He looked around the room, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. "You really want me to leave that badly?"

"I want you erased from this city!" Jane hissed. "Before the CEO of Vita Coperation arrives and sees what kind of trash we let drift through the doors. You’re a liability to the reputation of everyone in this room."

"Fine," Allen nodded, his expression turning solemn. "But remember this moment, Jane. I gave you a chance to handle this with a modicum of grace. Don't regret it later."

"Regret? The only thing I regret is not throwing you out of the house three years ago!" Jane crowed, watching with triumph as Allen turned his back and began to walk toward the exit. To her, this was a total victory. She had defended her family's "honor" and purged the room of its only blemish.

Allen didn't look back. He walked toward the massive mahogany doors, his pace steady and deliberate. He had given them the opportunity to see him as a human being; they had chosen to see a shadow.

Just as his hand reached for the brass handle, the doors swung inward with a heavy, authoritative thud.

The ballroom fell into an expectant silence. Philip Keen, the Vice President of Vita Coperation, stepped into the room. Beside him was Sean Harris, the Govener of Novus City. The two men represented the absolute pinnacle of power in the region—one held the purse strings of a global empire, the other held the keys to the city’s future.

Govener Harris was mid-sentence, his face alight with the kind of sycophantic grin he reserved for billionaires. But the moment his eyes landed on Allen standing at the threshold, his expression didn't just change—it shattered.

Only ten minutes ago, in the private suite upstairs, Philip Keen had dropped a bombshell that had nearly caused the Governor’s heart to stop: The mysterious, trillion-dollar visionary behind Vita Coperation wasn't Philip Keen. It was Allen Morgan.

The man the city had whispered about as a "useless son-in-law" was, in reality, the man who now held the economic destiny of Novus City in the palm of his hand.

"What is the meaning of this?" Govener Harris barked, his voice echoing through the hall. His eyes darted from Allen's calm face to the approaching, self-satisfied figure of Jane Hobbs.

Jane, completely oblivious to the tectonic shift in the room's power dynamic, rushed forward. She plastered a fake, subservient smile on her face, her eyes twinkling with what she thought was shared indignation.

"Govener Harris, Mr. Keen! I am so incredibly sorry you had to witness this," she said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "This... person... somehow managed to infiltrate your prestigious event. I was just in the process of having him removed. I didn't want him to offend your eyes for a second longer."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Govener Harris felt his blood pressure skyrocket. His face turned a deep, alarming shade of crimson, and his hands began to tremble with a mixture of rage and sheer, unadulterated terror.

"You..." the Governor choked out, his voice strangled. "You were having him removed?"

Jane, sensing she had hit a nerve but misinterpreting which one, nodded vigorously. "Allen! Did you hear the Governor? Get out! Now! You’ve embarrassed us enough for one lifetime!"

Govener Harris looked like he was about to have a stroke. If Allen Morgan walked out that door in a fit of pique, the billions in investment, the harbor projects, and the Governor’s own political career would vanish before the sun came up.

"Shut your mouth!" the Governor roared, the sound like a thunderclap.

The room jumped. Jane froze, her mouth still half-open, her eyes wide with confusion. She looked at the Governor, then at Philip Keen, expecting them to turn their wrath on Allen.

Instead, Philip Keen stepped forward. His expression was cold, his eyes as sharp as surgical steel. He looked at the Governor, then at the stunned crowd, and finally at Allen.

"Mr. Harris," Philip said, his voice smooth but carrying a lethal edge. "It appears that Novus City does not, in fact, welcome the presence of Vita Coperation. If this is how our primary investor is treated by your 'prestigious' guests, then perhaps our previous discussions were merely a waste of my time."

He turned to Allen, his voice dropping into a tone of absolute, deferential respect. "Sir, shall we call the private jet? There are several other cities in the state that would be more than happy to accommodate our $500 million Phase One budget."

The words "Vita Coperation" and "primary investor" hit the crowd like a physical shockwave. The ballroom, which had been buzzing with gossip seconds ago, became as silent as a tomb.

The "waste" of a man? The "parasite"? He was the architect of the deal everyone in the room was begging to be a part of.

Govener Harris didn't waste another second. He stepped between Allen and the exit, his posture one of desperate, frantic supplication. "Mr. Keen, please! Stay! Let me handle this. It’s a misunderstanding—a grotesque, horrible misunderstanding!"

He whirled around to face Jane Hobbs, his eyes burning with a hatred that made her stumble backward. "I don't care if you represent the Hobbs family, the Martins, or the devil himself. As of this moment, you are persona non grata. Get out of this hotel. If I see your face in any official capacity in this city again, I will personally ensure that every contract your family holds is scrutinized until there is nothing left but dust."

Jane’s face went white. The color drained from her lips, and her knees began to wobble. She looked at Allen, who remained standing by the door, his expression unreadable. The "useless" man she had kicked out was now standing behind the shield of the two most powerful men in the city.

"But... Govener... he's a nobody! He's a loser!" Jane stammered, her world-view crumbling in real-time. "He lived in my house! He washed my floors!"

"And he is the reason this city has a future!" the Governor yelled. "Now, leave! Before I call the police and have you dragged out in handcuffs!"

Jane looked around the room, seeking support, but she found only averted eyes. Even the people who had been laughing with her moments ago were now looking at her with disgust, as if she were a leper. She was a liability now, and in Novus City, a liability was a corpse.

"Christian... Christian, do something!" Jane grabbed her daughter's arm, her voice rising in a panicked wail.

Christian Hobbs stood frozen. She looked at Allen, and for the first time in a year, she really saw him. He wasn't the man who had quietly accepted her family’s insults. He was someone else—someone formidable, someone who stood in the center of the storm and didn't even blink.

"I'm sorry, Govener," Christian whispered, her voice barely audible. "We... we were leaving."

As they moved toward the door, passing Allen, Jane couldn't help herself. The bitterness was too deep, the humiliation too sharp. She looked at Allen and hissed, "You think you're special now? You're just a traitor! We fed you for three years, and this is how you repay us? By sabotaging our future? You're a 'white-eyed wolf,' Allen. A heartless animal!"

Allen didn't flinch. He looked at her with a terrifying calm. "I gave you a chance, Jane. I gave you a chance to be better. You didn't take it."

Christian stopped for a fleeting second beside him. Her eyes were swimming with a complex cocktail of regret, confusion, and a sudden, sharp grief for what might have been. "I'm sorry," she whispered. It was a simple phrase, but in that moment, it carried the weight of four lost years.

Then, they were gone.

The doors closed, and the ballroom slowly began to breathe again. People began to shuffle back to their tables, but the energy had changed. No one looked at the corner where Allen had been sitting. Instead, they looked at him with a reverence that bordered on fear.

Allen walked back to his table and picked up another pastry. He ate it slowly, savoring the silence. Philip Keen and Govener Harris hovered nearby, waiting for him to speak, but Allen was in no rush. He had spent three years waiting in the shadows; he could afford to spend a few more minutes enjoying the light.

The gala continued, but the "business" of the night had been settled. Vita Coperation had arrived, and Novus City would never be the same.

As Allen eventually prepared to leave, he felt a small, stiff piece of cardstock in his pocket. It was Govener Harris's personal business card, slipped there during the chaos. A direct line to the heart of the city's power.

Outside, the rain was still falling. Allen stepped into the back of his black sedan, watching the lights of The Gilded Resort fade in the distance.

In the other car, Jane was still screaming about betrayal, but Christian remained silent, staring out the window at the blurred neon. She knew that the man she had just left behind wasn't coming back. Not to her, and not to the life they had shared.

The opportunity had been given. And it had been lost forever.