Surrounded by Five Beast Lords novel Chapter 71

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Chapter 71

Cavian se

But instead of mung to the bar Dora lok pitying smile tugged at the corner of hi

She didn’t even bother to reply and parave Castsat walked briskly back to her team without a sex sexd ghana

That look cut deeper than any words could have, but Cassian

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With the handshake ceremony over, both teams retreated to their

According to the schedule, a short window of preparation time remaned before the toas officaly texas

Cassian took a deep breath. Then, arranging his features into an expression of tender desoos be voted for drawing gasps from the crowd and a flurry of camera flashes from every

Iris had been sitting nervously, waiting for the finals to begin, when the ww Causen walking

staged expression on his face. A bad feeling immediately sented in her mor

Cassian stopped in front of her, dropped to one knee in a show of devoted tenderness, zod paled out a ring fr pocket, one set with an energy crystal clearly prepared long beforehand.

Then, in a voice loud enough to carry across the arena and dripping with artificial warmth, he bege. To back you fee always being by my side through all of this, for supporting me for cheering me on

“Having you here, especially on a stage as important as this, is the greatest motivation I could ever ask for

Tve been waiting for this moment for far too long.

“Today, right here on the final battleground, with everyone match with me.

“Say yes, and we’ll walk side by side from now on, sharing every triumph

“Your future is mine to protect.”

His voice drifted through the arena’s speakers, and the crowd exploded.

“Wow, a proposal right before the finals? That’s so romanti

“It’s Cassian and Iris. The Shawn family and the Southwell family

“I heard the Shawn family doesn’t have a female heir and Cassian has him. If Iris marries him, won’t the whole Shawn family basically

“Look at Dora’s face”

“Wait. I thought the marriage contract was with Dora

Now that you mention it. Dora is the Southsel fami

am formally asking you to enter

“And Iris is the daughter they found later

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Chapter 71

this is going to be good.”

Cameras and eyes from every direction locked onto the scene for an insum enim/ was standing, eager to capture her reaction.

Dora raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, watching the whole performance unfold wish dear of cold mockery beneath the surface.

“Getting pretty desperate, isn’t he?” she murmured to her teammates. “Lorks like Cassin’s Fa needs to find himself a backup pantry.”

Elmer’s face turned dark as he glared at Cassian’s back, his hands curling into fists at his wr

‘That preening peacock, he thought. ‘He’s just trying to get under Dora’s skin

Clive watched with cold detachment, as if he were witnessing nothing more than a tedious ciren t

Lioren let out a snort of contempt. “What an idiot.”

Milo pushed up his glasses, his sharp eyes darting from Cassian and Iris to the VIP sections before he nodded quer understanding.

He said, “The Shawn family really does have their hands everywhere. They’re actually going to post through a ge match right here on the spot.”

But Iris, the female at the center of this grand gesture, was completely frozen in shock.

She stared at Cassian kneeling before her with that carefully rehearsed look of devotion, and her mind was flooded images from the past two days that she couldn’t push away.

She recalled the cold emptiness in his eyes when he shoved his teammate toward the alien beast back at

sight of his back as he fled without a single glance behind him during the breakout.

She also remembered the false warmth in his voice when he talked her into staying in the competition at the hotel, and the barely hidden calculation and desperate ambition burning in his gaze just minutes ago.

Romance? Devotion? A future together?

No, this was nothing but pure, shameless exploitation.

He was absolutely proposing to her just to get access to the output from her Spatial Realm. If they could inalize the mar right there on the spot, he would be able to consume her Realm’s produce and replenish his crystal hergy

The man’s scheme was plain for everyone to see. He was using this grand public stage to back her into a corner where the had no graceful way out.

After everything that had happened in this competition, she had finally seen Cassian for what he truly was selfish how to the core, and utterly hypocritical. There was no way she would ever agree to be matched with him

She had no intention of becoming his sacrificial lamb someday when he decided to chase some even bigger prize

Under the weight of countless eyes and Cassian’s expectant, almost impatient stare, Iris shook her head. The monies w slow, deliberate, and utterly unyielding.

She took a single step back, creating a clear distance between them. When she spoke, her voice was steady and calm. carrying a composure that stood in stark contrast to the fragility everyone had always associated with her

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Chapter 71.

# Tim sorry, Cass. I can’t accept that right now!

A wave of gasps and whispers swept through the crowd.

The tender expression on Cassian’s face vanished in in instant, replaced first by shock and disbelief, then by concealed humiliation at being publicly refused. “Tris? What are you.

enter

“I believe marriage is far too serious a commitment,” she continued, zawing a quiet breath.” be decided on whom setting like this.

“I think we both need more time together to really understand each other before making such a choice. Lapelogize

She never once exposed his calculations aloud, but the cold distance in her words and the quies refusal unders needed to be said.

Without sparing another glance at the darkening expression on Cassian’s face, she turned and walked toward the South family’s viewing area.

Her steps were still unsteady on the ground, and yet there was a lightness to her stride now as though she had jest spor free of invisible chains.

Dora watched her sister walk away. And for the first time, a flicker of genuine respect, tinged with surprise, appeared in her eyes, aimed at the very sister she had always dismissed as weak.

She had never imagined Iris could be this clear-headed.

Cassian remained frozen in place, the engagement ring still hovering awkwardly in the air as every pair of eyes in the rooms fixed upon him.

Instead of the envy he had expected, what he found in their gaze was shock, mockery, and pity.

He felt like an utter fool.

The plan had fallen apart completely. Not only had he failed to secure the crystal energy supplies, but he had also managed to humiliate himself in the most public way imaginable.

He rose abruptly, his face turning a deep shade of livid, and stormed back to his own team. His chest heaved with barely suppressed fury, and his eyes burned with a volatile mix of shame and rage that looked ready to explode at any mome i

“Cassian, take it easy.” Regina nearly leapt to her feet in the stands, though the distance between them left her powerless to do anything more.

The referee’s prompt cut through the tension with cold finality. “Finalists, make your final preparations. The match will begin shortly.”

Cassian hurled a vicious glare toward Dora’s side of the arena, at Elmer and Dora in particular.

Every ounce of rage, humiliation, and unwillingness inside him had crystallized into a singular, consuming hunger fo victory.

“Get ready to move,” he growled, his voice scraping through clenched teeth. “I want them destroyed. Especially Eliner

Dora, meanwhile, performed one last unhurried check on her teammates before offering Elmer a quiet sunile. You ready This is our moment

Elmer gave a firm nod, his eyes alight with fierce anticipation.