Ch 733 - Celeste Shows Her Skills

Without saying a word, Celeste stepped forward again to wave the gold-edged card at Lisa, and then, with a flick of her wrist, she threw the card so that the sharp corner caught Lisa on her cheek.

Lisa's face puffed up straight away where the card had hit her, and she shouted at the bodyguards, "Security, come on! Come on! What's the matter with you? Deal with this woman for me."

Three of the bodyguards rushed forward to attack Celeste.

Celeste stood still for a moment, and then she deflected each attack with a range of kicks and spins. Her movements were almost too fast to follow, and in quick succession, the guards ended up flat on their backs.

Alex watched as two more of the security team advanced on him. He didn't seem to move at all, but then, without warning, they suddenly flew backward through the air with looks of intense surprise on their faces.

The bodyguards were now very wary of Alex and Celeste, and they held back. They hadn't expected Alex to be so powerful or that the beautiful woman with him was actually a martial arts expert. These men were Si's best guards, but they couldn't get the better of Celeste and Alex, and they didn't know how to manage the situation.

"So, Lisa, is our invitation not good enough?" Alex asked as he slowly walked toward her. "Or do you need me to show it to you again?"

"You…" Lisa didn't know how to respond. Her former arrogance was gone, and she was aware she had seriously lost face in front of the other hotel staff. Her eye was beginning to swell shut where Celeste's thrown card had struck her, and she had the beginnings of an unsightly bruise.

She now realized that Alex and Celeste were not interlopers and that they were certainly not the easy targets she had taken them to be.

She tried to keep a vestige of pride. "You just wait; both of you will be punished. You won't get away with coming here and treating me like this. Because of you, Cassidy will now be punished even more severely, and she will never forgive you for getting involved and making things worse for her."

Alex didn't say anything but simply gave her a scornful look before walking past her toward the gate into the courtyard. Celeste quickly caught up with him, and they headed for the party together.

Standing on the edge of the courtyard, they could hear the noise from the party inside.

Alex opened the gate slowly. The guests inside didn't even notice; they were too busy enjoying themselves.

The people at the Birchwood House reception were among the most influential in Baltimore, and they were making the most of the chance to talk and exchange views.

As Alex and Celeste entered, the security guard inside received a message via his walkie-talkie. He listened briefly, and then he turned to look at Alex and Celeste. He barred their way and asked, "Who are you? Are you the ones causing trouble?"

Alex didn't break stride. He and Celeste just walked past the man and into the courtyard. As the guests gossiped, those nearest the gate were shocked by a roar from the security guard.

"Stop right there!"

From his position beside the buffet table, Si turned to see what the commotion was all about. When he saw that it was Alex, his expression lost its usual confidence, and he swallowed nervously.

Guests were looking at the new arrivals and speaking to each other. Alex ignored them all and walked over to where Si was standing.

Most of the people there recognized Alex, and they watched eagerly to see what would happen next.

Si reached into his pocket for the reassuring touch of Crispin's written note. When he grasped it, he found that he was no longer afraid of Alex. He looked on coolly as Alex approached him.

Alex's expression was unreadable. Half his thoughts were about Cassidy and Si, but the other half were focused on the party. This was a reception for the associates of Birchwood House, but the company's directors hadn't come. Even worse, Debbie's family hadn't turned up to support the event, and Alex didn't like that at all.

Many of the guests were entertained by the obvious tension between Alex and Si, and they all wondered what the story was between the two men. Rumors were also spreading that Alex had just beaten up the hotel staff, and conversations were springing up about what might have happened and why Alex was dressed so casually for such an important event.

Alex spoke, cutting across all the speculation. "Si, what kind of low-life are you?"

Si looked at Alex, unsure how to respond. He knew how powerful Alex was and how well-connected he was to Timothy and his family, among others. He clutched Crispin's note more tightly in his pocket and stepped forward to meet Alex.

Alex gave him a cold glance and pulled himself to his full height, and Si backed away.

"What's this, Si?" Alex taunted him. "Why did you step back? Are you afraid of me?"

Si sneered, trying to pretend that Alex didn't make him nervous.

Alex turned to the watching guests and said with a smile, "I'm very disappointed. Si, who is so famous and so powerful, is actually scared of me."

"Don't be crazy, Alex," Si responded. "I didn't back away; I just didn't want a confrontation in front of all my guests. Besides, you know you're outnumbered here in my hotel."

"That really does sound like a threat, Si," Alex said quietly. "Be careful what you say to me."

"Damn it," cursed Si. "You can't speak to me like that."

He clicked his fingers, and more than a dozen guards who had been placed around the courtyard rushed at Alex. Before they could attack him, Celeste intercepted them, using her speed and strength in a whirl of movement.

In a matter of minutes, all the guards had fallen to the ground, where they lay groaning and unable to get up.

Everyone in the courtyard was staggered by what they had seen; nobody had known that Celeste possessed such skill and agility. Those who had dismissed her as merely being Alex's subordinate quickly reassessed their view.

Si narrowed his eyes slightly. That had not gone as well as he had hoped, but even these martial arts masters would be powerless against weapons. Si issued a command, and several guards stepped forward, holding guns.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Really? You want to try to use guns here?"

An old man wearing a distinctive tie spoke out. "Alex, you are still young, and you don't fully realize the danger of your situation. I advise you to apologize to Si now, or things will get out of hand."

Alex was in no frame of mind to back down. "What? You want me to step back? No way, old man. It's Si who is going to apologize, not me."

Then Alex spoke directly to the astonished guests. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to interrupt your function like this, but a terrible injustice has occurred, and I need to set things right. Please don't interfere. This will all be dealt with very soon. As you may have heard, Cassidy Pike was injured while filming at Stardust Films. She was very badly hurt, but Si made no attempt to look after her or to try to make things up to her."

He raised his voice. "There were injuries all over her body; she was black and blue with bruises, her ribs were broken, and she was hit so hard over the head that she lost consciousness."

He scanned the crowd, his eyes cold. "So, today, I have come to speak up for Cassidy. You can all understand that, can't you?"

The guests were silent at first, and then everyone started to talk at once. Their faces were full of shock and amazement, and nobody knew what to make of what they had just heard. Was Alex accusing Si of hurting Cassidy? Could that be true?

The old man in the brightly colored tie coughed and said, "Even if Si had done something to Cassidy, you shouldn't have come here to make trouble. This function is for the associates of Birchwood House, not an arena for you to stage your fights in."

He shook his head. "If you knew how to behave in a civilized way, then you would call the police and make a complaint against the film company. There's no excuse for using violence to solve violence. If you ignore the laws and regulations, it will end badly."

Alex tensed with anger. Part of him longed to show this old man who he was dealing with, but he held back. That was not the fight he needed to focus on.

He turned his back on the old man and looked again at Si.

"So, Si, back to Cassidy," he said. "What's going on?"