re's

rk, a welcome reprieve from t

hday celebration. I presented him with the carefully selected gift and offered my

tory. The mere thought of seeing him, flashing that

ter the main course, but Aunt Carter, ever so kind, c

ere's another guest joining

ite smile. "Important

yes sparkling with excitement. "You'll never beli

nearly slipped, the delicate

ngle word was

ple in the wor

doors swung open. And there he was. Lucius, striding in with the effortless

him-my fath

ormenting me, I spotted Ethan t

to simply vanish. But Aunt Carter, blissfully unaware of the emotional m

ted, my pulse

Ryan, his trophy wife Connie Briden,

, heavy, suffocating, crackling

ship with Ethan, had invited him, or if Emma had simply drag

rystal chandelier, catching the light. Beside her, Emma, all engineered perfection-thick, fluttering lashes, a

back of her chair, his smirk as self-satisfied as ever. Funny. Just this morning he'd texte

re masters o

rmor against the world. He didn't look at anyone directly, his gaze distant, almost bored. Yet, I could feel

dishes I couldn't afford in a thousand lifetimes. The food was

t through the polite murm

s Watson. He's the CEO of the Watson Group now. Our company might have a cha

and now shamelessly sought profit from every connection, i

. "It's such an honor to meet you, Mr. Watson. I truly hope

him a perfect, unobstructed

y level, impassive. His voice, when he finally s

uickly, I could have easily imagined it. But the sudden,

s too formal to call you 'Mr. Watson.

tunist, looked delighted, like a man who relished being close to powe

, his expression co

ed hair around her finger. "Could I perhaps have your conta

ary," he replied flatly,

n hung in the air,

cheeks heating for reasons I couldn't quite fathom. Perhaps I was imagining

fully settle, Connie's shrill voice

rude. I am your elder. Aren't yo

udacity of

back down. "You're not my elder," I said, my voice danger

still. A hush fell over

imperceptibly, though his face

ock offense, and turned to my father. "Ryan,

miliar storm brewing. "Claire,

hat was alwa

nie was always the aggrieved vict

o chime in, playing the moral judge. "Claire, that

laying the dutiful future son-in-l

tionship never worked. You neve

dn't work because you don't know how to keep your pant

ntake of breath. Emma's perfectly painted smile

ll me, why should I apologize? Because she's older? Because she stole my

with incandescent rage. "Ryan! Sh

on the table, the sound echo

ame th

oss my face before

om spun wildly. I staggered, my knees bu

, piercing sting burst across my hand-Emma's he

burning through

self to my feet, my voice shaking w

e room, now a chorus

ommé, perhaps-and hurled it straight at Ryan. The boiling liq

a meticulously arranged appetizer-its contents splattering across Connie's

upted into

rushing towards me, his face pale, but

ing, shaking his fist. Emma frantically tried to wipe soup off her

, not of sadness, but of pure, unadulterated rage. "You said you won't ha

ing the air. For the first time in my

ed where pai

mbling uncontrolla

or's

t through the entire sordid scene

was mere background noise, an irrele

e Mor

tremor in her hands. The raw courage with which she st

nside him, rest

primal growl ec

a muscle ticking. "No."

in his head snarled, darker

white as he grip

t of him, was fighting for control, desper

e instinct wa

forcing down his wol

ow. Not if he wanted to ke

d fire, he caught one last glimpse of her

cient and absolute, s

it, deny it,

s already there. Unb

his fa

e didn't k