s eyes blazing as he glared at Ava, the bitt

ring him. "Then you'll regret it.

n, where are you?" Alexandra called out, her tone a mixture of curiosity and impa

hed him go, an icy satisfaction glinting in her eyes. As the door clicked shut, her expression hardened. "You can run to her all you want," she muttered to

him down the hallway and broke into a smile, relieved. "Sebastian! There yo

plied, his tone forced into c

raging inside him. "The event planner is here! Come on, le

cent joy tugged at him, intensifying the knot of guilt and turmoil in his chest. In the

wedding-lavender centerpieces, soft candlelight, a string quartet playing their favorite song as she walked down the ais

n in love once, but that was a different lifetime. Now, their love had curdled in

pulling him back to the present. She was looking at him

. "Of course, my love. The

thing to be just... perfect." Her hand slipped around his arm, and

Alexandra's trust, her love-they weighed on him, pressing down with every

lexandra dove eagerly into discussions about flowers and seating arrangements, her laughter lighting up the room.

er looking back. He thought she'd stay in his past, buried like so many other things he wanted to forget. But now, w

She was standing beside him, appraising the different samples the ev

om the various designs the event planner presented, h

or the evening, and she took her time with each detail, ensuring she looked flawless. In the living room, Alexandra and Sa

ress flowed elegantly around her as she walked, while Mr. Geo

George said to his daughter Alexan

smissive scoff. "I don't care, Dad. I don't like her, and I don't care

cheek, her eyes catching Sabastian's as she did. There was a flicker of something mis

sneered. "No shame at all, Ava. Kissing a ma

is just a number, my dear," she said with a quiet confidence

ng, her expression unreadable but piercing. Sabastian felt a pang of somethin

Shall we, my dear?" he said, his voice warm, pulling her attention back to him. Together, th

out of sight, his mind swirling with a mix of confusion and nostalg

present. She eyed him with an incredulous frown. "Are you actually staring at her? I

was nothing between us." He hesitated, his jaw clenching. "She's just

And that's why she's cozying up to my father, who could easily

o words. There was a spark between them, somethin

voice broke through his thoughts, sharper than before.

k, his frustration bubbling over. "Ava is just a gold digger,

igue crossing her features. "Really? What's that?" she a

astian glanced around to ensure their discussion remained private. He stepped closer to A

need to expose her past. I mean, everyone must know she is an ex-prisoner. There must be som

a's eyes. "That's brilliant. But we need t

t. We'll make it seem like a friendly tip-off, someone looking out for his best intere

empowerment. "And what if we get someone to investigate her? A private investigator could unearth mor

r what she really is, it won't take much to convince him to end things. We can portray ourse

issolve as they shared in this secretive plotting. "This could work, Sabas

him felt a twinge of guilt. "We have to keep this between

'll do some digging into her background while you handle the private investigato

of executing their plan. "Right. We'll move quickly, but stealthily. If w

They were no longer just a daughter and her fiancé caught in a conflict; they were partners in

a shadow of doubt creeping into her voice.

r. "We can't think like that. We have to be confident in our st

ing with excitement. "Let's do it. Let's protect our family

ntensity of their conversation. They both turned to

gements?" she asked, her tone professional, un

tered on his face as he and Alexandra exchan