Chapter 1481:

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Hazel’s face lit up. She rushed toward him, tears still fresh on her cheeks. “Sir! You’ve arrived at exactly the right time! Prudencia hit me! My father is your secretary — please do something!”

Stetson scrambled forward and bowed deeply. “Sir, your timing couldn’t be better. This young woman from the Knight family has caused a disturbance at your inauguration banquet. We ask for justice.”

Hazel cast a triumphant look over her shoulder. “You’re done, Prudencia.”

Prudencia folded her arms, ready to hold her ground — but the moment her eyes found the mayor’s face, she went still. Those sharp brows. That familiar gaze. The quiet, unreadable composure she knew better than almost anyone.

Her voice came out barely above a whisper. “Paxton?”

The hall fell completely silent. Every eye in the room shifted between Prudencia and the new mayor.

Hazel blinked, then burst into mocking laughter. “Prudencia, have you lost your mind? Pretending to be friends with the mayor now?”

Paxton’s face remained cold as stone. He walked straight to Prudencia, brows drawn together, his tone sharp. “Prudencia, how dare you?”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Hazel and Stetson exchanged a gleeful look, barely containing their satisfaction.

“You see, Dad?” Hazel whispered smugly. “The mayor doesn’t even know her. She’s finished.”

Stetson exhaled slowly, his confidence flooding back. The crowd murmured in agreement, certain Prudencia had finally dug her own grave.

Then the next moment left everyone speechless.

Paxton reached out and drew Prudencia closer. His expression shifted entirely — the coldness fell away as he brushed dust from her cheek and straightened her dress, his voice low and laced with concern. “Did you get hurt? Did she hit you? Are you alright?”

The hall went absolutely still.

The scene had reversed faster than anyone could process.

Prudencia stared at him, still dazed. “I — I’m fine. Paxton, are you really the mayor?”

He let out a quiet sigh. “What do you think?” Then he turned to face Stetson and Hazel, his voice dropping to something cold and deliberate. “Guards. Arrest them.”

The guards moved instantly. Stetson and Hazel were seized before either could react.

Hazel screamed, “Sir, please! It was Prudencia who attacked us — you’re making a mistake!”

“I’m correcting one,” Paxton replied without warmth. “Stetson, you are a public official who allowed his daughter to run wild, bully others, and use your position to intimidate business owners. Did you honestly think no one noticed?”

He swept the room with a steady, authoritative gaze. “Let me be clear — Prudencia Knight is my twin sister. From this moment on, anyone who dares lay a hand on her will answer to me personally.”

The gasps that followed were immediate.

People stood frozen, jaws open. The carefree young woman everyone had dismissed and underestimated was the new mayor’s sister. Hazel and Stetson’s faces turned ashen. Their knees buckled.

Before the silence could settle, a voice cut through it. “Mr. Knight, don’t you think this is rather inappropriate?”

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