Didn’t your father raise you the right way, kid?

Apollo

When her name left my lips, the room fell silent.

Father and son stared at me, starstruck, as if I’d just spoken in tongues, scrambling to process my words. I didn’t look away. My face remained the same as I met their stunned gazes.

Grayson finally broke the silence. “What…”

Before he could form more, Charles snapped out of his daze. He shoved his father aside, and the old man stumbled, shocked by the sudden burst of strength. Charles stormed toward me, his hands slamming down on the table.

His voice cracked. “D–did you just say Grace? How do you know my fiancee?”

That word.

Fiancee.

It left a bitter taste on my tongue. My jaw ticked, and my gaze darkened as I looked at this trembling, clueless boy who had no right to even utter her name.

“Fiancee?” I repeated, my voice flat but dangerous.

Charles swallowed hard. I could see the fear in his eyes, and the instinct to back away from me, but he forced himself to stay, clenching his fists.

“Yes,” he said, voice louder than before.