10.

♡♡HAYDEN'S POV♡♡

My jaw clenched and I scoffed. “Of course, he does.”

Diana flinched. “I’d ask if you’re still performing for daddy’s approval, but I see the tuxedo already answered that.”

I leaned closer to her. She froze. “You’re good at pretending to be important. I’ll give you that. And yeah, I do fall for girls—but only the ones who don’t need a spotlight to feel seen.”

I leaned back in my seat just in time to catch Diana’s eyes widening as she glared at me. Our parents laughed.

“They’re getting along so well,” Mrs. De Morven chirped. “How sweet.”

Diana forced a practiced grin for a second before snapping back into a frown. A satisfied smile crossed my lips and I took a sip of the wine in front of me.

I sighed. We all started eating, but I couldn’t get anything down. My appetite was gone—stolen by the thought of her. Summer.

Why at this moment?

I wanted to kiss her until she forgot every reason to hate me. I wanted to mark her—leave something behind that said mine. To bury my face in her neck and breathe her in like she was the only oxygen left.

Unlike every girl I’d tasted, Summer Peterson was like dark chocolate—soft, bitter, and addictive in all the wrong ways.

She was a menace to my desires.

After dinner, the table buzzed with casual talk and flattery. I zoned out as Diana spoke to me. Jake engaged with her far more than I did.

Everyone was smiling. Forks clinked, wine poured, the rooftop buzzed like a nest of corporate hornets pretending to be family.

I should’ve known the night would rot from the inside out. The second I saw Diana’s smirk, something in my chest said run. But I stayed. Like a good son. Like a fool in a tuxedo.

Then the toast happened. My father stood and tapped his glass like he was the king of something important.

“Attention,” he said, still clinking his glass. Then he stopped. “Thank you all for being here tonight, as one big family.”

I was forced to be here. But go on!

“I’m excited to announce the engagement between my son, Hayden, and Diana. To strengthen our family alliance and business relationship. To a friendship that will last forever through family ties and love.”

What?

The news hit me harder than anything I’d ever heard. The words didn’t register at first. Not completely. They landed in fragments—engagement…Hayden… Diana…love.

Cheers erupted from our parents and Diana, except from Jake and me, who sat dumbfounded.

“Congratulations,” Mrs. De Morven said, smiling from ear to ear.

Congratulations? I laughed. Actually laughed. Out loud.

“Wait. Hold on. What did you say?” I cut through the applause like a blade. The table fell silent. “Engagement? With Diana?”

“Hayden! Don’t. Start,” my father ordered, his eyes darkening.

“Is that why I was dragged down here? To get engaged to her? I wasn't even told I was getting betrothed.”

“Hayden!”

“I’m not accepting the betrothal,” I said flatly, voice cold and sharp like the ice in my eyes. “Let’s be clear: this isn’t the fifteenth century. You don’t get to choose who I want to spend the rest of my life with. I get to make that decision.”

“Hayden!” My father snapped for the third time.

I exhaled. Relief, confusion, dread. All tangled up in a knot beneath my ribs. There was intense silence. You could feel the embarrassment cracking under everyone’s skin like an itch they couldn’t reach.

Then Diana set her wine down and smiled. Slowly. Like she’d been waiting for this exact moment.

“Good,” she said. “That makes two of us.”

Her mother gasped. “What? Why? No. Baby, we’ve talked about this—”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Diana interrupted. Still looking at me. Never once breaking eye contact.

A slow, dangerous predatory smile crossed her face.

“You’re done, right?” she said, her voice smooth as syrup over acid. “You thought you were subtle? You’re wrong. Should I tell them now, Hayden? Would you prefer I ruin the appetizers now or save your dirty little secret for dessert?”

I swallowed. My palms were sweaty. The rooftop air suddenly felt thin.

“What secret?” my mother asked.

I didn’t speak.

Diana did.

“Hayden was expelled from the university,” she said, loud and clear, like it was an item on the menu. “Three months ago. I'm guessing since you all didn't know, he hacked into his father’s email and deleted the notice from the school so no one would find out.”

Everything stopped. I felt the world shrink to the size of that table. Diana must have done some digging to have something on me just in case I refused this engagement. Dirty Diana.

My dad stood. “Is it true that you were expelled?”

I couldn’t look at him. I swallowed hard. My silence answered for me.

“Hayden. Were. You. Expelled?” he dragged each word. “Did you break into my emails?!”

“Let me explain—” I began.

But my dad had never been a fan of explanations. He didn’t want any explanation tonight. He wanted a target, someone to lecture about wisdom and the importance of keeping your life in line.

And I was wearing a tuxedo with a bullseye on my chest. I was his target for tonight. Always had been.

“You absolute idiot,” my father cut in. “You’re not just reckless, you’re stupid. You always looked the part, but I never realized you didn’t have the brain to match. Imagine being expelled and getting caught for trying to cover it up.”

“Pathetic,” Diana added. She turned to Mr. De Morven. “I can't marry such a loser, Dad.”

My mom slammed her glass down. “That’s enough.”

My father whipped his head toward her. “Stay out of this.”

That silenced her instantly.

The next moment happened too fast. My father strutted up to me, and stopped, seething. My heart raced, but I stood my ground. I met his gaze.

“What? You’re disappointed?” I whispered.

Then he struck me. A clean, humiliating slap across the face that cut through everything I was barely holding together. It was hard enough to bruise my face. I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth, warm, and sweet.

I didn’t flinch. My heart thumped so loudly, I couldn’t hear my own breath. Still, I didn’t say a word. I didn’t give anyone the satisfaction of a scene.

“You're. Not. My. Son,” My father spat. “You're a disappointment.”

My lips twitched and I met his gaze again, noticing the pure loathing in his eyes.

“Thank you for the dinner. Sir.”

With that, I just turned and walked away.

“Hayden,” my mom’s voice cracked. “Please, come back.”

I didn’t answer. I got into the elevator and went downstairs. Then out the building.

The night air hit me like ice. I walked until the Halcyon hotel was behind me. The city lights blurred in my eyes and my hands shook with rage I didn’t know where to put.

So I put it into the wall.

One punch. Then another.

White heat exploded in my knuckles. I didn’t care. Blood smeared down my fingers, dripping onto the concrete like punctuation.

I didn’t feel the pain. Not in my hand, anyway. The pain was buried deep in my chest like glass.

And there was only one person who could pull it out.

Summer Peterson.