Chapter 21: To Ruin Him Completely

Ethan Hart didn't recognize a single guest at the engagement banquet. With Lana Vane gone, he could only stand awkwardly on the sidelines, waiting for her. After about ten minutes, Lana finally returned. He hurried to meet her. "Lana, what did Mr. Vane want with you just now?"

Before the truth was fully confirmed, Lana couldn't let Ethan notice anything amiss. She maintained a tone as relaxed as usual. "What else could he say? Nothing but badmouthing you. You were right before; he just wants to tear us apart. "In the future, I’ll try to keep my distance from them so you won't have to suffer any more grievances."

Hearing this, Ethan couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Alaric Vane hadn't discovered his plan for today. After today, even if the Vanes disliked him, they would have no choice but to let Lana marry him. With this thought, he flashed a smile again. "Thank you, Lana. You really are the best to me."

Lana patted his hand. "You're my man; if I’m not good to you, who would I be good to? "It looks like they’re about to start the walk down the red carpet over there. Let’s head over." Ethan nodded and went with Lana to watch the engagement ceremony.

By this time, Seren Thorne was already standing in the front row of the spectators, watching Sebastian North and Jasmine Jia speak on stage. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lana approaching and was somewhat surprised. {Lana's fate has changed again. It looks like Ethan’s scheme today isn't going to succeed.} {The world in this book really is unstable; the development of events and changes are always so fast.}

Hearing her inner voice, Lana couldn't help but glance at her several times. Just a few minutes ago, she had agreed with Alaric to have people secretly protect her, and now Seren was saying her fate had changed. It seemed Seren truly knew how to tell fortunes. However, even though Seren had correctly predicted so many things in a row, Lana still held onto a sliver of hope. She clung to the wish that the man she had loved for so long wouldn't be so heartless toward her.

That was until the ceremony ended and the guests began to mingle freely. When Ethan handed her a glass of red wine, the last bit of hope in Lana’s heart shattered completely. "Lana, I found this wine quite good. Do you want to try it?"

Lana’s heart felt icy cold, but she quickly adjusted her emotions. She calmly took the glass and took a sip, commenting, "Ordinary red wine, nothing special." Seeing her drink the wine, a spark of excitement flashed in Ethan’s eyes. He struggled to restrain his emotions and said, "Maybe it’s because I haven't had much expensive wine, but I think it tastes quite nice."

Lana gave a lukewarm "Mhm" and said, "I didn't eat enough just now. Go grab a cake for me. "A small one, not too big." Lana almost never ordered Ethan to do things for her, and she could have easily grabbed the cake herself. The intent to send him away was quite obvious. However, Ethan was so immersed in the joy of his plan succeeding that he didn't realize anything was wrong. He readily agreed, "Sure, wait for me."

As Ethan turned to get the dessert, he didn't notice that Lana immediately swapped their glasses. By the time he returned with the cake, the wine in Lana’s hand was more than half gone. Excitement flared in his eyes. He pretended to be calm as he handed the cake to Lana, then picked up his own glass and took several gulps.

After a few glasses, a faint blush appeared on Lana’s face. Dismissing a person who had come over to chat, she spoke to Ethan: "Ethan, I feel a bit dizzy. "Talk to the hotel staff and have them arrange a room for me. I need to rest for a bit."

Ethan had been wondering what excuse to use to take Lana to a room without raising her suspicion; he hadn't expected her to make the request herself. Suppressing the joy in his heart, he pretended to leave for a moment and returned with a room card in his hand. "Lana, the room is ready. Let me take you there."

Lana nodded, appearing weak and powerless as she followed Ethan into the hotel. Ethan put on a considerate front as he supported her and took her upstairs. Once inside the room, Lana lay directly on the bed. Seeing that she hadn't completely lost consciousness from the drug yet, Ethan wasn't in a hurry to start. Instead, he went into the bathroom to take a shower first.

Was it his imagination? He felt his head was a bit foggy and his body was somewhat hot. The North family's engagement party was held outdoors. Even without direct sunlight, the air was still muggy. Ethan had felt a bit dizzy and hot while outside, but at the time he just thought the heat had gone to his head. It wasn't until his body reacted now that he finally realized something was wrong.

Did he put the drug in the wrong glass? Or did Lana discover something and secretly swap his wine? But looking at Lana’s reaction, she clearly seemed to have been affected. What was going on? Ethan’s head felt hot, and his thoughts were a mess. The physical reaction became increasingly obvious. He couldn't afford to think about anything else now; he just wanted to use Lana to vent his fire.

He haphazardly wrapped himself in a bath towel and went out. Seeing Lana sitting by the bed, he lunged straight for her, not even stopping to wonder why she, who had been so weak a moment ago, was now sitting up perfectly fine.

Lana sat by the bed with a cold face. Her gaze swept over Ethan’s face, which was engulfed by lust, and her heart felt like lead. He really had betrayed her. Lana closed her eyes for a moment and stood up from the bed. Ethan was now so blurred by the drug that his footsteps were stumbling. As Lana stood up, he lunged into thin air and fell directly onto the bed.

Just as he tried to pull her back, he heard Lana speak in a cold voice he had never heard before: "Take good care of him." "Yes, Ma'am." Hearing several male voices in the room, Ethan regained a bit of his senses. However, before he could see the situation clearly, several men walked to the bedside and surrounded him.

Watching the men undress before him, Ethan finally realized what they were planning to do. He was instantly thrown into panic and confusion, struggling to sit up on the bed. "Lana! I was wrong, don't go..." But before he could get off the bed, he was dragged back by one of the men.

This time, Lana didn't soften her heart as she had in the past. Instead, amidst Ethan’s pleading voice, she slowly closed the hotel room door.

Outside the door, Alaric Vane stood against the wall. His tall, upright silhouette made the hotel corridor feel somewhat cramped. Seeing Lana come out, he said, "Your precious boyfriend sounds like he's crying out quite miserably. Don't feel bad for him?" Lana gave a bitter smile. "I already know I was wrong. Stop mocking me."

Knowing she was hurting, Alaric didn't continue with his sharp tongue. "You only took one sip of that wine, but it still has some effect on your body. I've already contacted a doctor; go have a check-up first." Lana nodded and left with the people Alaric had arranged.

After Lana left, Alaric took out his phone and sent a message to the men inside the room. [Take plenty of photos and videos. Later, bundle them up and send them to his parents and all his relatives and friends.]

If he was going to take someone down, he would make sure they were ruined completely.