After I'd slammed into the cabinet, the impact made it shake so hard that dozens of expensive bottles of liquor, including rare and limited-edition wine, whisky, and other vintage, all came crashing down. The glass shattered across the floor, and the liquor splashed everywhere.

The thunderous commotion drew the attention of everyone in the lobby, and they stared wide-eyed at the mess.

After a moment of silence, they roared with ear-piercing laughter.

"Hahaha! Quick! Look at that beggar. She's made a mess."

"Let's count how many precious bottles of liquor that country bumpkin broke!"

"I spot a bottle of Lafite Rothschild, two bottles of Romanee-Conti, and three bottles of Macallan Rare… Goodness me. How much is that all worth?"

"It's got to be six figures, if not more! Hahaha. She wouldn't be able to cover it even if she sold herself off to the highest bidder!"

"Can't afford to pay up, huh?"

Snickering, Rosie stepped forward and said, "That's easy! She can just get on her knees and lick the floor clean. For every drop she licks up, I'll give her a penny. Is it too much to lick up? Well, I don't care. She can keep licking until we're satisfied. Hahaha!"

Plenty of people agreed with her cruel idea.

"That's right. Get on your knees and lick the floor!"

"Let us see the Takeout Queen work her magic, licking the floors clean!"

A few of Rosie's friends came up to me with vicious grins. They grabbed my arms by force and pressed me down on the floor that was covered in glass shards and liquor.

"Get down! Start licking!"

"Hurry up, or we'll report you to the police and have you sent to prison!"

I was drowning in humiliation and pain. My arms were twisted behind my back. The guys grabbed me by the hair and were forcing my head down.

Using every ounce of strength I had, I whipped my head up and shouted hoarsely, "My name is Emilia Langley! I'm the sole heir to Langley Group! Graham Langley is my father!"

After a beat of silence, even more raucous laughter and jeers rang out.

"Did she just say her family owns Langley Group?"

"She said that the richest man in the city is her father! Has she lost her mind? Did the humiliation make her snap and start hallucinating?"

"Hah! If you're the sole heir to Langley Group, then I'm the president of Meronia!"

Rosie laughed until her sides hurt and her eyes teared up.

"You? The sole heir to Langley Group? I'll have you know that the sole heir to Langley Group is the owner of Cascadia Hotel and the fiancee of my brother, Adrian Shaw!" she declared imperiously. "You know what? You don't even have to get your so-called billionaire father over.

"Go on and call your fiance over, if you can. Have him teach us a lesson, why don't you? Look at you spinning such ridiculous lies at the drop of a hat. You're nothing but a joke!"

Amid the humiliation, a familiar figure showed up—Mark, dressed in a suit and looking like a refined gentleman. His eyes flashed with surprise and pity when he saw me.

"Emmy? Rosie? What's going on?"

After taking in the mess and seeing how I was being held to the floor, he frowned before looking at me.

"How did you get yourself into this situation, Emmy?" he asked with an air of superiority. "Have you caused trouble again?

"Okay. As long as you beg me to help you, on account of our past, perhaps I can help you cover this little bit of—"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before getting interrupted by a commotion at the hotel entrance. The spectating crowd swiftly parted to make way.

"Isn't that Adrian Shaw? He's so tall and handsome!"

"Of course he is! He's from one of the wealthiest and most distinguished families! It only makes sense that he carries himself differently."

A handsome young man dressed in a bespoke black suit came striding into the hotel. His gaze landed on me. When he saw me being held to the floor, looking absolutely miserable, his expression turned dark.

"What the hell are all of you doing!"