LOGIN“I’m too much? Fine. I’ll be too much,” Shawn snapped. “This is MY welcome party. I don’t want to see the Luther family here. Get out. Walk out on your own, or I’ll have security drag you out.”“The Xanders don’t need your so-called partnership anyway!”He didn’t spare them a shred of dignity. Michael sipped his drink slowly on the sidelines, watching with a faintly amused expression as his brother let loose.When it looked like things might really blow up, Michael finally stepped forward. “Shawn, don’t get too worked up.”Shawn’s temper flared hotter. And who could blame him? The Luthers had the audacity to think he was the type who could be matched with Wendy. The sheer insult of it made his blood boil.He sneered at Michael. “Oh, so now you step in to play the good guy? Where were you while I was tearing into them? Didn’t you hear these lunatics trying to dump their radioactive waste on me? You’re calm because they didn’t try to stick Wendy on you!”His voice cut like ice. “Th
“This isn’t good faith,” Michael said coolly, the smile wiped clean from his face. “This is you deliberately trying to dump trouble on our family.” His words dripped with scorn.For a split second, Patrick felt like he was right back in that room being mocked by the entire Duncan family.No, he told himself. He was overthinking it. His daughter was perfect. There was no way the Xanders would reject her.Even if Michael turned up his nose, what about Shawn?“Michael, you don’t need to say such harsh things. I’m not here to arrange a match for you, I’m here for Shawn. If anyone has the right to refuse, it should be him—not you stepping in and making decisions on his behalf.”He straightened, pressing on. “Shawn’s been abroad for years. His personality is open, free-spirited—just like my daughter Wendy. They’re a perfect match. Bring him here. He’ll like her, I’m certain of it.”Patrick’s tone all but implied that Michael wasn’t worthy to speak on his brother’s behalf.Micheal gave
Patrick really went ahead and said it out loud.It wasn’t that the Xanders had been careless. They simply didn’t know the full story. Their ties with the Luthers weren’t nearly as close as the Luthers liked to pretend, and certainly not close enough for Marianne to be calling them with complaints about the Luther family’s antics. If the Xanders had known how many times the Luthers had harassed the Duncans with marriage proposals—showing up at their door, calling nonstop—they wouldn’t have entertained Patrick and Lila for even a moment tonight.The moment the words left Patrick’s mouth, Shawn’s grandfather felt the blood drain from his head. Surely he had misheard. Surely no one could be this shameless, this absurd.“What did you just say?” he asked slowly. “I must not have heard clearly.”It wasn’t a question. It was a warning. Think twice before you repeat yourself.Unfortunately, Patrick didn’t catch the hint. He leaned closer, eager to clarify.“I said your grandson has reache
Shawn’s looks weren’t just handsome—they were striking. Rugged and masculine, yet with a streak of wildness that refused to be tamed. With his close-cropped haircut, that rebellious edge only stood out more.Anyone who saw him would immediately think: full of fire and youth.Patrick and Lila exchanged a quick glance. Both were clearly impressed.While Patrick kept chatting politely with Shawn’s grandfather, Lila tugged Wendy aside and whispered, “That was Shawn just now. What do you think?”“You saw him yourself. He’s incredibly good-looking, tall, long-legged, easygoing. And with the Xander family name behind him, you’d never have to worry about society rules and etiquette. Shawn doesn’t care about that. You’d still get to live freely, without him trying to hold you back.”Wendy was still a little dazed, struggling to catch up with everything.When her parents first introduced her, she had only managed a fleeting glance at Shawn. But even that single look left her heart flutte
Aria’s eye twitched. “You’re being dramatic. He’s stuck over there for at least three or four days. He can’t just fly back.”Archer gave a short, sharp laugh. “So what? You act wild the second I’m not around?”Was that what she meant?Aria rubbed her face, exasperated. “I’m not doing this with you right now. Go get some rest. We’ll talk when you’re back.”And before he could say anything else, she hung up.Archer stared at the screen.…She actually hung up on him.He let out a chuckle, more amused than angry. He’d spoiled her, no doubt about it. Now she had the nerve to cut him off mid-call.That little temper of hers… oddly enough, he found it cute.The truth was, they really were made for each other. If Aria ever slapped him, Archer would probably offer her the other cheek just to keep her happy. They were both a little crazy—just crazy in sync.Aria slipped into Ethan’s jacket. He hadn’t smoked that day, so it carried a faintly sweet scent. Probably from the pastries he’d
“What the hell do you mean by that? Why should I give your wife my jacket?” Ethan snapped. “Archer, seriously, are you out of your mind? You’re all the way overseas and you still want to control what your wife wears? That kind of possessiveness is a sickness, you know that? Go get treatment!”He rattled on, words flying like bullets.Archer found him unbearably noisy. “Do you want those cross-dressing photos from our teenage years to go public?”Ethan went dead silent.The truth was, he and Archer had been butting heads since they were kids. Archer had been ridiculously pretty back then, and Ethan—being a loudmouth brat—liked picking on good-looking kids.Archer’s features had been so sharp, so delicate, that Ethan once teased him by calling him “sister.” He barely got the words out before Archer grabbed him by the collar, dragged him into the bathroom, and stripped off his shirt just to prove a point—anything Ethan had, Archer had too.Ethan ended up crying from sheer frustratio







