I saw Damian's parents flinch, their eyes nervously looking toward the old man.

Damian wrapped an arm around Seraphina's waist and finally looked at me, his eyes glinting with a strange sort of triumph.

"Avery, you have to know I never saw you as my wife. Surely you don't want to be chained to a man who doesn't love you for the rest of your life?"

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Besides, Seraphina and I are already together. You wouldn't use my grandfather's affection for you to stand between us, would you?"

I held their gaze for a moment before turning to Grandpa Orson and offering a slight, respectful bow.

"Grandpa, if they truly love each other. Please, let them be happy."

I raised my glass.

"To my stepsister and Mr. Mantel. May you have a long and happy marriage together."

A flicker of annoyance crossed Damian's face.

Seraphina, however, played her part perfectly, clutching his arm with a worried expression.

"Damian, darling, your engagement was your grandfather's wish. What if he's mad at us?"

Damian patted her hand, his voice softening into a gentle murmur.

"Relax my dear, grandpa won't be. He adores me. He won't stay mad over someone like her."

He then added, with a dismissive look in my direction,

"Besides, you're the true daughter of the Vance family, the real heiress. This was always meant to be a union between our families. Why would we care about an outsider?"

An outsider?

Only my father and Grandpa Orson knew the truth of my identity.

My mother, the head of the Thorne dynasty, had entered a strategic marriage with my father.

I was destined to inherit the Thorne empire, which is why I carry her name.

And he really thought Seraphina was my father's biological daughter?

How little he knew.

Grandpa's brow furrowed at Damian's words.

"Damian, don't be a fool. Are you certain you want to marry Miss Vance?"

Damian's response was...

He dramatically slip the engagement ring onto Seraphina's finger, and press a devout kiss to her knuckles.

"Grandfather, my mind is made up. I will marry Seraphina but no one else."

A wave of disappointment washed over Grandpa Orson's face.

If this had just been a easy matter about swapping a fiancées for me, perhaps he would have overlooked it.

But Damian had publicly humiliated the ceremony he setted up personally.

It proved he was unreliable.

Unworthy to be supported.

"Fine," the old man said, his voice flat and cold.

"Have it your way."

With Grandpa Orson's reluctant blessing, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the room.

The titans of industry invited to witness the merger of two great families had been holding their breath, waiting to see how the scandal would unfold.

Amidst the cacophony of hushed gossip, Damian led Seraphina to the microphone.

"Thank you all for coming today to celebrate the engagement of myself and Miss Seraphina Vance."

The guests exchanged their glances, their faces a canvas of shock and intrigue.

No one had expected the Mantels and Vances to pull a boring drama like this.

My father, who had been shocked by the whole affair, saw his face darken with fury.

I felt a cold knot tighten in my stomach, but I forced my body to stand straight, raising my glass high as if offering a toast to their union, a final, grand gift.

"Can you believe he switched fiancées on the spot? He didn't even try to save Avery Thorne's reputation."

"I thought Old Mantel was firmly choosen on her. What made him change his mind?"

"To be abandoned at your own engagement party... how utterly pathatic for a lady. She must have done something to make Damian despise her that much."

The whispers weren't quiet.

My father shot Seraphina a furious glare before turning on Damian.

"Do you have any idea how much gossip your sister will have to endure because of this? And you,"

turning to my step-daughter,

"You're old enough to know better. Did you think for a second about the consequences, or were you just trying to humiliate me?"

Seraphina flinched and meekly tried to pull the ring from her finger, to hand it to me.

Grandpa Orson waved a dismissive hand, stopping her.

He turned to me, his eyes filled with a genuine, heavy guilt.

He gently patted my head.

"Avery, my dear, don't you worry. Grandpa will make this right. If you're willing, there are other fine young men in the Mantel family."

Damian's parents overheard, but they dismissed it as a comforting platitude, nothing more.

They never expected my next move.

"Actually," I said, my voice clear and steady,

"the one I've always admired is Cassius. I hope you'll grant us your blessing, Grandpa."

Every head swiveled to Cassius, then back to me, eyes wide with disbelief.

Cassius was the illegitimate son of Damian's late uncle.

After his father's death, he was isolated by his family, his life a constant struggle for relevance.

My father looked at me, utterly stunned.

"Avery," he whispered urgently,

"I know you're upset, but he's an illegitimate son. The Mantels family won't take him seriously."

I nonchalantly swirled the wine in my glass and raised it in Cassius's direction.

"He didn't have a chance to choose his background. But who knows what our future will be like, I think he's quite impressive. I'm willing to give him a try."

Cassius's dark eyes met mine from across the room, his expression unreadable, almost mocking.

"If Miss Thorne insists," he called out, his voice smooth and detached,

"then let's give it a try."

The gazes fixed on me were now heavier, laced with a new, teasing meaning.