Five

~~Jay~~

Following Elijah through the crowd was like walking toward my own execution.

He was calm, collected, doing that “professional bodyguard-butler hybrid” thing he does so well.

Me? I was trying not to have a full-blown meltdown in front of people sipping champagne worth more than my first car.

We turned the corner into one of the side halls, away from the main ballroom noise, and there he was.

The man.

The myth.

The soul-crusher.

My father.

He stood like a general in a war movie, perfectly tailored suit, expression colder than the inside of an ice cream truck.

The first thing he said because of course this was the first thing he said was:

“Why are your emotions all over your face?”

I blinked. “My… emotions?”

Inside my head: Is he for real right now? He sets up my engagement without even telling me and is surprised I’m not smiling like a lottery winner?

On the outside: “Uh… maybe because you just surprise-engaged me in front of an entire ballroom?”

His jaw tightened. “Stop being dramatic.”

I crossed my arms. “Oh, sorry. I’ll be more chill next time you casually rearrange the course of my life without so much as a heads-up.”

“Why are you acting crazy all of a sudden?” he shot back.

I gave him the world’s most incredulous look. “Oh gee, I don’t know… maybe because you’re setting up my engagement party without even telling me?”

Or maybe because your beloved son maybe be pregnant… I thought internally

“Stop whining like a woman,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “Just marry the girl, keep the families happy, and don’t embarrass me.”

Well am pregnant like one ugh but instead I actually laughed. Not in a “ha-ha” way. More like a “wow, I’m going to set fire to this building” way.

“Dad, you can’t be serious—” I started.

“I am,” he cut in sharply. “And you’re going to behave. Understood?”

My spine went stiff. My lips pressed into a thin line.

I hated that my silence counted as obedience to him.

But I wasn’t about to start World War III in the hallway.

He gave me one last, cold look and walked off, already done with me. Because that’s what my father does he drops nuclear bombs on my life and then leaves before the fallout settles.

I stood there, stunned, half expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump out with a camera and yell “You’re on Punk’d!”

Instead, my mother appeared.

“Oh, look,” I said with all the sarcasm I could muster, “it’s the woman who could have warned her son about what her amazing husband was planning.”

She sighed, all elegance and practiced helplessness. “Jayden—”

“No, really, Mother. You could have texted me. Sent a smoke signal. Tied a note to a pigeon. Anything.”

Before she could respond, my sister strolled in, wearing a dress that probably cost more than my car and the kind of smirk that makes you want to throw bread at ducks.

“Oh please,” she said. “You were expecting Mother Dearest to warn you? That’s adorable.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

She smiled sweetly. “Immensely.”

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall. “Immensely, huh? Glad my slow emotional breakdown is prime entertainment for you.”

My sister’s smirk only widened. “Oh, relax, Jay. It’s just marriage. People survive it all the time. Some even enjoy it.”

“Yeah, well, some people also enjoy bungee jumping off cliffs. Doesn’t mean I’m signing up.”

She tilted her head, pretending to examine me. “You know… you’ve been acting weird ever since you came in tonight.”

I froze. “Define ‘weird.’”

Her smirk turned downright evil. “Like you’re… distracted. Nervous. Jumping out of your skin every time you make eye contact with someone. Especially—” she glanced toward the ballroom “Alex.”

My throat went dry. “Alex?” I repeated, way too quickly.

“Mhm.” She crossed her arms, mirroring me. “The way you look at him… it’s like you’ve seen a ghost. Or…” she leaned in just enough to make me uncomfortable, “like you’ve seen him naked.”

I nearly choked on my own dignity. “Excuse me?! I’M A MAN LIKE HIM”

Her grin was shark-like. “Relax, little brother. I’m just saying… it’s weird. You’ve barely met the guy and you’re already acting like you have some secret history.”

I laughed. Too loud. Too fake. “History? Please. I don’t even know him. Just met him tonight. At my surprise engagement party. That I’m still totally fine with. No emotional trauma whatsoever. We’re good here. Everything’s fine.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, clearly not buying it. “You keep telling yourself that.”

She started to turn away, then paused, glancing back at me with one perfectly arched eyebrow.

“Oh, and Jay?”

“What?”

“Your future bride is pretty but please stop make it seem like you want to rip her cloths off her body… do us all a favor and don’t make it obvious at dinner. The last thing this family needs is another scandal.”

She winked and walked off, leaving me standing there like an idiot, wondering if she was bluffing or if she’d actually picked up on something.

I exhaled slowly, rubbed my temples, and muttered under my breath, “Kill me now.”

Elijah reappeared like some ghostly reminder that my life wasn’t my own. “Sir, your father is asking for you again.”

“Great,” I muttered, straightening my jacket. “Because what I really need right now is another round of Hale Family Psychological Warfare.”

And with that, I followed Elijah back toward the ballroom, bracing myself for whatever fresh hell awaited me next.