The grand ballroom of Dubai's most luxurious seven-star hotel had never witnessed such a scandalous, chaotic event in its history.
On the golden invitation cards sent out worldwide, the event was officially titled:
"Global Husband Audition: Queen Amelia's Once-in-a-Lifetime Selection Night"
The media called it The Royal Courtship. Billionaires, royalty, political heirs, and CEOs flooded in like moths to a flame.
At the center of the opulent hall stood Amelia White, her beauty beyond mortal comprehension tonight.
Dressed in a custom-made diamond-encrusted gown with a dangerously low back, her every movement left a trail of mesmerized gazes.
By her side, as always, stood her twin devils—Aiden and Aaron, both wearing sharp little tuxedos and identical smirks that screamed trouble incoming.
Aaron adjusted his bow tie and held up a gold-plated mic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first-ever 'Daddy Elimination Round'!"
The crowd burst into excited whispers.
Aiden stepped forward dramatically.
"Applicants, please line up according to your net worth. Below 10 billion? Sorry, the door's over there!"
A few CEOs coughed awkwardly and quietly slipped out of the hall under the judgmental gaze of two five-year-old tyrants.
The remaining contenders—Arabian princes, European dukes, tech tycoons—stood tall, eager to please.
Meanwhile… halfway across the world…
In Star City's hospital VIP suite, Ethan Blake lay weakly in bed, connected to IV drips, pale as a sheet.
His assistant Liam held up the tablet nervously.
"Sir… you asked to see this…"
Ethan's bloodshot eyes snapped open as he stared at the livestream.
On-screen, Amelia gracefully sat on a white velvet throne, legs crossed, a bored yet devastatingly beautiful expression on her face as she evaluated each man like she was shopping for fine jewelry.
"Next candidate," she commanded.
A tall, handsome man stepped forward and knelt before her, holding out a diamond ring the size of a pigeon egg.
"Queen Amelia, I offer you my entire empire and lifelong loyalty. Would you honor me with your hand?"
Aiden dramatically shook his head.
"Uncle, this is a husband audition, not a desperate clearance sale. Take your ring and your fragile ego elsewhere!"
Aaron chimed in sweetly, "Also, you failed Daddy Resistance Level 1. You can't even block Mommy's ex-daddy from entering a building, how will you protect her heart?"
The crowd roared with laughter.
Back in the hospital, Ethan's chest tightened violently.
Beep… Beep… BEEP!
The heart monitor went wild as he gasped for breath.
"Sir! Calm down!" Liam panicked.
Ethan's trembling fingers gripped Liam's shirt.
"Call… her…" he rasped. "Live… Now…"
Liam fumbled to connect a live video call straight into the global broadcast.
A giant screen behind Amelia lit up suddenly, and Ethan's exhausted, pale face appeared, eyes filled with desperation.
His voice was raw and broken.
"Amelia… please… come home. I'm begging you. I can't— I can't live like this anymore."
The entire ballroom fell silent.
Amelia slowly stood, her heels clicking against the marble as she approached the screen, standing tall and proud.
Her lips curled into a faint, ruthless smile.
"Mr. Blake," she purred. "When I begged for your love five years ago, do you remember what you told me?"
Ethan's face contorted with agony.
"You… You said… 'You can't afford me.'"
Amelia's eyes turned ice cold.
"Exactly. And now, Mr. Blake… you can't afford me."
With a dramatic wave of her hand, the screen went dark.