“Jake,” he said, his voice dripping with mock surprise. “What a coincidence. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Emily turned in my direction as well. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then her expression darkened almost instantly.
I was used to it. Her moods were always unpredictable–especially after Ryan came into the picture. Lately, she seemed to glare at me more
often than not.
But I didn’t want my mom to endure her coldness, so I grabbed my mom’s arm and turned to leave.
Ryan, however, stepped in front of us, blocking our way.
“Why are you running off, Jake?” he said, smirking. “We worked together for so long. Don’t you think we should catch up?”
He paused and glanced around the room.
“But you know, this event isn’t for just anyone. The guest list is pretty exclusive–rich and powerful types only. You don’t even have a job now, right? How’d you manage to get in here?”
His gaze shifted to my mom, and his tone turned pointed.
“Did this lady bring you as her plus–one?”
Ryan’s words were laced with sarcasm, and his eyes lingered on my mom, full of misplaced judgment.
Before I could respond, Emily walked over, her lips curling into a cruel smile.
“Jake,” she scoffed, “don’t tell me you dumped me for her?”
My brows furrowed in frustration. I knew she had misunderstood, but her words were too much.
“Emily, watch your mouth,” I snapped.
I opened my mouth to explain. “This is-”
But before I could finish, Emily cut me off, her voice dripping with disdain.
“I don’t care who she is!” she said, sneering.
“She’s old, she’s ugly, and she’s clearly throwing money around to get your attention.”
She crossed her arms, her voice turning smug.
“Don’t think for a second that the company needs you to survive, Jake. It’s doing just fine without you. In fact, I came here tonight to meet Mr.
Sterling–he’s already agreed to discuss a partnership with us.”
Her eyes gleamed with arrogance as she continued, “Once the deal goes through, do you even realize what the company will become? You’ll be begging to come back.”
What she didn’t know was that “Mr. Sterling” was my dad.
<
1:03 PM
I’d taken my mom’s last name, and since I preferred to keep a low profile, very few people knew about my family’s background.
I was about to say something, but my mom gently tugged on my arm, stopping me.
I fell silent, realizing that my mom had likely pieced together who Emily was by now.
Her calm demeanor stayed the same, but I couldn’t help feeling a little awkward.
My mom stepped forward, her expression poised and serene, and smiled faintly.
“Young lady,” she said softly, “let me give you a piece of advice: think twice before you speak. Words are like nails–they can hurt the people closest to you. And once the damage is done, there’s no taking it back.”
Emily let out a cold laugh, grabbed a nearby glass of red wine, and without warning, threw it in my mom’s face.
“And who do you think you are?” Emily sneered. “Some homewrecking hag? You have no right to lecture me!”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. Without hesitation, I slapped Emily across the face.
9“You hit me? You hit me over another woman?”
Emily froze for a moment, her hand pressed against her cheek, before screaming at me.
“Jake, you’ve changed! You used to never even raise your voice at me!”
I ignored her completely. Instead, I pulled out a napkin and carefully wiped the wine off my mom’s clothes.
Emily’s anger flared even more. She raised her hand to slap me again, but before her hand could land, it was caught mid–air–firmly and effortlessly.
The person who stopped her shoved her aside with just enough force to make her stumble.
It was then that I noticed my dad standing there, along with his friend. I hadn’t even realized they’d come into the room.
When my dad saw the mess Emily had caused–saw my mom standing there, disheveled and humiliated–his expression darkened.
My heart sank.
My dad was notorious in certain circles for being fiercely protective of my mom. If anyone crossed her, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate. And now, seeing my mom treated like this? I could only imagine what he was about to do.
Before I could step in, Ryan decided to open his mouth, puffing out his chest as if to challenge my dad.
Ryan might’ve thought he looked confident, but next to my father, the difference was glaring. My dad carried himself with effortless poise, the kind of grace that came from being raised in wealth and power.
In comparison, Ryan looked like a child playing dress–up.
“Apologize to Emily,” Ryan barked, pointing at my dad.
By now, the commotion had drawn the attention of nearly everyone at the banquet. Guests whispered quietly among themselves, too nervous
to intervene.
The host of the event–my dad’s friend–rushed over, visibly sweating.
He clearly didn’t want things to escalate. While he had no intention of making my dad apologize, he also didn’t want the event to spiral into chaos. Trying to mediate, he politely introduced my dad and suggested everyone calm down.
But Ryan misunderstood the host’s intentions entirely. He thought the host was taking his side.
With newfound arrogance, Ryan sneered and pointed at my dad, then at me and my mom.
“Fine I won’t make a big deal out of this,” he said smugly. “Just kick him out. And while you’re at it, get rid of them too!”
D
<
He gestured in our direction. “What kind of fancy event lets in nobodies and homewreckers? It’s embarrassing!”
The room grew deathly quiet.
My dad’s eyes narrowed, his voice icy. “Who are you calling a homewrecker?”
Ryan laughed, oblivious to the danger he was in.
“Who else? Her!” he said, nodding toward my mom. “Why are you defending her so much? What’s she to you? Your wife?”
Ryan smirked, thinking he was clever. “Well, you’d better keep an eye on her. If you’re not careful, she’ll run off with some pretty boy like him.”
He tilted his head toward me, clearly enjoying himself.
The words had barely left Ryan’s mouth when my dad lost all patience. Without hesitation, he punched Ryan square in the face.
The sound of the impact echoed through the room, followed by the sharp crack of Ryan hitting the floor.
Blood dripped from his mouth as he spat out what looked like a tooth.
