Chapter 20 Embarrassment!

The room fell silent, all eyes locked on Jamie as he smugly continued his tirade.

"You seriously believe this guy has suddenly regained his memory and is now calling himself the 'Defender of the South'? Come on, are we still telling war stories in this day and age? And 800,000 soldiers invading the country? What kind of nonsense is that? Wars today are fought with missiles and drones, not foot soldiers. Why bother with all this theatrical nonsense?"

Jamie paused for effect, his grin widening as he added, "Honestly, I think our dear Kayden here has been watching way too much TV. He probably got spooked by Mr. Scott earlier and decided to hire some actors to put on this little play. I mean, look—the show’s over, and the ‘actors’ have all left. Gotta give him credit, though. It’s a bold way to grab attention."

His words landed like a spark in dry grass, igniting laughter around the room. The tension evaporated, replaced by mockery.

"For three years, this guy’s been the family clown," someone muttered. "Why would we believe anything he says now?"

"Jamie’s right," another chimed in, smirking. "The whole thing was staged. Pretty impressive for a fool!"

"Yeah, those ‘actors’ were convincing. If Jamie hadn’t called it out, I might’ve actually believed it!"

"Hahaha, 'Defender of the South'? What’s next? General of the Universe?"

The insults piled on, reducing Kayden to nothing more than a laughingstock in their eyes. Yet, Kayden himself remained composed, even as confusion churned inside him. He hadn't staged anything. He hadn’t even known those men were coming.

Scarlett’s voice cut through the chatter. "Well, Scarlett," Jamie’s mother said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "your son-in-law really knows how to put on a show. For a moment there, I almost thought you’d become the mother-in-law of someone important."

Scarlett’s face flushed crimson as she clenched her fists. She wanted to defend herself, but the words wouldn’t come. Her gaze darted to Kayden, her eyes blazing with anger and embarrassment.

Tony, who had been quiet until now, let out a cold laugh. "You had me going there for a second, Kayden. I almost believed it. But tell me, how come, with all my years in the military, I’ve never heard of this so-called 'Defender of the South'? Titles like that don’t just appear out of nowhere."

Kayden met Tony’s gaze, his expression calm but his voice sharp. "With your rank and status, you wouldn’t be privy to such matters. Of course, you wouldn’t know."

Tony’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, a voice boomed across the room.

"Enough!"

All heads turned to Elizabeth, her face red with fury. She slammed her cane against the floor, her eyes blazing. "Kayden, you’ve embarrassed this family enough! Get out! The Adams family has no room for someone as shameless as you!"

Kayden turned to her, ready to respond. But before he could, another voice rang out.

"That’s enough!"

It was Georgia. Her voice sliced through the noise, commanding attention. The room fell silent as she strode over to Kayden.

"Let’s go," she said firmly. "We’re leaving."

The weight of the moment hung in the air as Georgia gripped Kayden’s arm. She couldn’t take it anymore—the mockery, the embarrassment. She had hoped that Kayden regaining his memory would change things, that he’d finally become someone she could rely on. Instead, he’d only made things worse.

Kayden didn’t move. Instead, he looked at her, his voice calm but insistent. "Georgia, do you honestly think I hired actors? That all of this was fake? I’m telling you the truth. That’s who I am. The reason I came to your family was because I lost my memory. Those men you saw—those are my subordinates. Even if you wanted this country, I could hand it to you with a single command."

The room erupted into laughter. Jamie doubled over, tears streaming down his face. "Oh, this is gold! Absolute gold! Kayden, you’ve missed your calling, man. Forget being a fool—you’re the next Oscar winner! Best Actor, right here!"

Georgia felt her cheeks burn. She wanted to disappear, to sink into the floor and never come back. She turned to Kayden, her frustration spilling over.

"Enough!" she snapped, punching him lightly in the chest. "Just stop. Let’s go home."

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed his hand and marched out of the room, pulling him along.

For a moment, the room was silent, stunned by Georgia’s outburst. Then Elizabeth’s voice rang out.

"Stop right there!"

Georgia froze, turning slowly to face her grandmother.

"That idiot can leave," Elizabeth said coldly. "But you’re staying. Today, you’re getting engaged to Mr. Scott. This celebration was for you, after all."

Georgia’s jaw tightened. She met her grandmother’s gaze, her voice steady and firm. "I’m not getting engaged. And I’m not letting Kayden leave alone."

Without another word, she turned and left, dragging Kayden with her.

The room buzzed with murmurs. Tony, sensing the growing chaos, quietly excused himself. He had bigger problems to deal with—like why he’d been removed from the military. Scarlett, seeing her daughter leave and realizing there was no salvaging the situation, slipped out as well, her head low.

Jamie, ever the opportunist, seized the moment. "See?" he said, his voice dripping with mock indignation. "Georgia’s getting more disrespectful by the day. This banquet was for her, and she just walks out like that? No respect for Grandma, no respect for the family. And you think she’s fit to take over the family business? Ha! Imagine how arrogant she’ll be if we let her handle the company’s future!"

The remaining guests murmured in agreement, their laughter replaced by whispers of disapproval as the night dissolved into chaos.