Both stuck to their conflicting stories, leaving everyone baffled and unsure of whom to trust.

Suddenly, applause erupted from the dining area's entrance, catching everyone off guard.

A smartly dressed man entered, clapping as he walked toward Alexis.

As Alexis caught sight of the man's face, his eyes shot open in shock.

The man halted before Alexis, his tone calm and measured, saying, "It's been a long time."

This greeting altered Alexis' face dramatically. His jaw dropped as he stammered, "You... Why are you still alive?"

Alexis blinked rapidly, struggling to grasp the reality of the man standing before him, very much alive.

As Alexis’ face grew pale, the man's lips twisted into a slight smirk. “How could I not be alive to hear such an intriguing story? But I must say, your ability to spin stories has certainly improved over the years."

Alexis was visibly rattled, looking at the man and nervously saying, "Hector, just because Kyler isn't here anymore, don't think you can just make things up."

The man confronting Alexis was indeed the long-absent Hector.

In his youth, Hector fell out with Kyler due to a woman, and since then, he has stayed away from all matters concerning the Dixon Group.

It wasn't that Kyler had pushed Hector out. On the contrary, Kyler had greatly valued Hector's talents and wanted him to guide Mitchel.

But Hector was a hopeless romantic. He had once been deeply in Love with a woman and even helped her flee from Berton. Kyler, misunderstanding Hector's intentions as an elopement with the woman, strongly disapproved and intervened. By the time Hector tried to locate the woman, it was already too late. Their lives had dramatically changed by the time they met again, leading to an almost impossible scenario of them being together anymore.

Disheartened, Hector left the city and started a business elsewhere.

Holding a grudge against Kyler over this, he had withdrawn from the Dixon family affairs.

Kyler had his own consideration. The origins of the woman Hector adored from the Hayes family were complicated, with both her parents gone, but she was undeniably dazzling. At that time, the 18-year-old Hector couldn't have been capable of protecting her.

By the time Hector could stand on his own, their paths had already split, and they had missed each other.

ALL these years, Kyler never spoke of Hector publicly, but privately, he regretted his interference, wishing he had supported Hector instead. Maybe things would have turned out differently.

But Kyler never imagined Casey, the woman Hector held dearly, was actually Raegan's biological mother. The woman Hector treasured and the one Mitchel loved were actually mother and daughter.

That Raegan had Casey's eyes was precisely why Hector had been attentive to Raegan. After all, Casey was the woman who had once captured his heart.