Alessandro pulled out an elegant black card embossed with gold lettering and pressed it into Marcus's hands. "Master Kane, this contains ten million dollars. Please accept it as a small token of my gratitude."
"That's unnecessary, Mr. Romano," Marcus said, attempting to return the card. "The mansion is already far too generous."
"Nonsense!" Alessandro insisted firmly. "You saved my life with divine power that defies all medical understanding. Ten million is nothing compared to the gift of continued existence. Besides, even gods need mortal currency to navigate this world."
Marcus hesitated, thinking of his mother's medical needs and his family's desperate financial situation. "Very well. I accept your generosity."
"Excellent! The mansion keys and property documents will be prepared within the hour," Alessandro beamed with satisfaction.
Even divine beings must adapt to mortal necessities, Marcus thought, pocketing the bank card. This wealth will serve my family's needs.
As Marcus prepared to leave the suite, thunderous noise erupted from the floors below—shouting, music, and the chaos of a massive celebration.
"What's that commotion?" Marcus asked.
The hotel manager, who had been hovering nearby, stepped forward nervously. "Apologies for the disturbance, sir. The Blackwood family heir is holding his wedding ceremony on the second floor. It's quite a prestigious event."
Marcus's divine awareness immediately recognized the spiritual disturbance in the building's energy. "Victor Blackwood's wedding."
"You know the groom?" Alessandro asked with interest.
"We have history," Marcus replied with godly understatement.
As Marcus descended toward the hotel lobby, he encountered a procession of wedding guests flowing through the marble corridors. At the center of the crowd, Victor Blackwood strutted in an expensive white tuxedo, his arm linked with Sophia Chen, who looked radiant in her ivory wedding gown.
Victor's eyes immediately locked onto Marcus, and his face twisted with malicious delight.
"Well, well, well!" Victor announced loudly, drawing everyone's attention. "Look who decided to crash my wedding! If it isn't the famous Marcus Kane, fresh out of his concrete vacation home!"
The wealthy guests turned to stare at Marcus with curious amusement, whispering among themselves about the poorly dressed young man who had somehow gained the groom's attention.
"Victor," Marcus replied with divine composure, "congratulations on your special day."
"Congratulations?" Victor laughed mockingly. "That's rich coming from a convicted felon! Tell me, Marcus, how does it feel to watch your ex-girlfriend marry the man whose face you tried to rearrange?"
Sophia stepped forward, her beautiful features marred by cruel satisfaction. "Marcus, what are you even doing here? This is a five-star hotel, not a homeless shelter."
"Maybe he's looking for work in the kitchen," Carmen Chen added with vicious glee. "I hear ex-convicts make excellent dishwashers."
The crowd of guests erupted in laughter, their voices echoing through the ornate lobby as they mocked Marcus without understanding they were insulting a deity walking among mortals.
"Look at those pathetic clothes," one socialite whispered loudly. "He looks like he's wearing prison-issued rags."
"I heard he went to jail for attacking Victor," another guest added. "Can you imagine being so delusional that you'd throw your life away over some girl?"
These mortals mock what they cannot comprehend, Marcus thought, his divine patience tested but not broken.
"You know what, Marcus?" Victor's voice dripped with condescension. "Since you clearly have nowhere else to go, why don't you stay for the reception? I'm sure the staff can find you some leftover scraps once the real guests have finished eating."
"How generous of you," Marcus said calmly, his supernatural awareness detecting the curse he had placed on Victor beginning to take effect.
"Just remember," Victor continued with arrogant confidence, "you're here as entertainment for my guests. A living example of what happens when poor people try to reach above their station."
Marcus looked directly into Victor's eyes with the unwavering gaze of an immortal warrior. "If I attend your wedding ceremony, Victor Blackwood, I promise you—it will not take place as planned."
The crowd fell silent at the ominous certainty in Marcus's voice, but Victor simply laughed off the warning.
"Is that supposed to be a threat, convict?" Victor sneered. "What are you going to do, throw another tantrum like the violent animal you are?"
Victor turned to the massive figure of Brutus, who stood nearby with several other security personnel. "Keep an eye on our special guest here. If he so much as breathes wrong, remove him from the premises."
"With pleasure, boss," Brutus replied, his scarred face still bearing memories of their previous encounter.
Mortals attempting to monitor divine actions, Marcus mused with dark amusement. They have no idea what they're truly dealing with.
Marcus made his way to the hotel's grand banquet hall, where hundreds of elegantly dressed guests mingled beneath crystal chandeliers. Round tables draped in silk and adorned with exotic flowers filled the vast space, while a live orchestra provided sophisticated background music.
He found an empty table in a corner of the hall and sat quietly, his divine presence subtly affecting the room's atmosphere despite his efforts to remain inconspicuous. Conversations seemed slightly more tense, laughter felt forced, and several guests kept glancing in his direction without understanding why.
Even contained, divine aura influences the mortal realm, Marcus observed, watching the subtle changes in the crowd's behavior.
"Did you see that man in the corner?" a woman in diamonds whispered to her companion. "He doesn't belong here at all."
"His clothes look like they came from a thrift store," her friend replied with disdain. "How did someone like that get past security?"
A waiter approached Marcus's table with obvious reluctance. "Sir, may I see your invitation?"
Before Marcus could respond, a loud voice boomed across the banquet hall: "Everyone, let me introduce you to our special guest! That man sitting alone is Marcus Kane—he just got out of prison last week!"
The entire hall fell silent as hundreds of eyes turned toward Marcus. The revelation spread through the crowd like wildfire, generating waves of shocked whispers and cruel laughter.
"A criminal at the Blackwood wedding?" one guest gasped in horror.
"How scandalous!" another exclaimed with delight. "This is better than a soap opera!"
"I heard he tried to kill the groom," someone else added with malicious excitement.