Chapter Three

Shock flashed across Henry's face echoed by every person in the room.

  No one moved.

  Lydia narrowed her eyes at Adrian and glanced at the shimmering ring he had just casually slipped onto her finger. 

  Her heart hammered slightly against her ribs

  What was he doing?!

  High above, the glow of the grand chandelier caught the stiff reflections of the people gathered as the atmosphere shifted , warping from a celebratory party into something quite tense.

  It took some time of silence for Henry to find his tongue. He had stumbled three full steps back from the collision, his face pale as he scrambled to regain his footing and his dignity.

  "Wait, Adrian..." Henry stammered out, putting on a nervous chuckle as he gestured between them. 

  "I think there is a bit of a mix up here. This lady, Lydia Sinclair, she is my girlfriend. So I really don't understand..."As he spoke, his jumpy words hung abruptly in mid-air.

  Henry’s face suddenly lit up with a wave of fake relief as an excuse struck his mind."Oh! Oh, I get it now!" Henry blurted out, his sheepish voice rising to a loud laugh that sounded hollow. 

  "Oh my god, this is a surprise, right? You’re trying to surprise me brother!" He raised his glass high forcing a boisterous laugh to mask his confusion, shouting, "Cheers!" to the stunned crowd.

  Lydia stared at him, unable to understand him. 

  He went briskly to Warren Harold, their father. "Oh father, you guys didn't have to do this," Henry forced a nervous chuckle to keep up his pathetic belief in front of the watching crowd. 

  Then moved even closer to the older man, his shoulders bumping against his father's arm as he tried to look casual. "It's a prank. A surprise, right?" he whispered to Warren, his eyes darting back to his brother.

  Warren, who was still puzzled by the scene, replied, "I have no idea," his voice dropping into almost a whisper while his eyes were still locked entirely on Adrian.

  That was it. All it needed to ruin the ambience for Henry. The hollow smile vanished from his lips in an instant, his face stiffening and his jaw tightened with suppressed indignation. "What is this, Adrian?" 

  In the center of the room, Lydia turned and viewed Henry's unraveling composure, then looked back to the man still holding her hands softly. 

Adrian hadn't let go of her. He was enveloping her with his cold gaze, his expression was blank and seemed unbothered by his brother's brewing tantrum.

  Looking at the two of them, she was genuinely wondering:what the hell is wrong with these Harold brothers?!

  Henry rushed forward with a twisted face, his annoyance spilling over as he broke away from his father, ready to tear his bride back,Rushing forward and jab Adrian's hand off his girlfriend, his fingers aggressively clawing and struggled to pull out the ring from her finger that apparently got stuck at the wrong timing. 

  What was Adrian thinking?! 

  Henry was still stunned internally and his mind probably exploding with questions.

  Barging into his sacred moment and trying to cause a scene?! 

  As much as he could think about it, this was very unlike his cold-shoulder brother, who barely gave out attention on just anyone.Not even him. 

  What kind of game was Adrian playing by choosing today of all days to pull a stunt like this?

  "Whao" Lydia gasped

  Before Henry could make out anything , a flying fist jammed into his jaw with a brutal impact that sent him flying out off balance and knocking him cold at the end side of the small podium.His body slumped to the floor . 

  His eyes turned blurry, his vision dimed and a little as a mutter slipped past his lips: "What the..."

 Lydia's eyes widened.

 Across the room, Natasha looked equally stunned as she instinctively tried to lunge forward and help out Henry, but probably figured it would look too awkward while Lydia, his actual fiancée, was present in the room. 

But Lydia didn't move an inch. 

  She didn't scream, and she didn't rush to Henry's side either.She froze , trying to process what was happening.

 None of this made sense.

 Her thoughts were spinning so fast she could barely keep up.

  Harold’s family rushed over and helped Henry up, who was trying to fight his cramping back as if he had been hit by a truck as a stain of dark blood trickled down his chin, though it was barely visible against his pale skin.

  "Have you lost your mind, Adrian?!" Warren Harold thundered across the room, his voice shaking the walls. He wasn't trying to understand anything now, just thoroughly annoyed by the public display of nonsense.

  "Who do you think you want to disgrace on this important day?!" Warren Harold added angrily, stepping closer to them with the help of his walk stick, his knuckles always white over the handle.

  Lydia while still just making out the intense scene unfolding around her ,subconsciously pulled her hands away from Adrian. His grip was firm, making her struggle against him for a brief second. 

  She only got free from Adrian's grip because he ultimately chose to loosen his grip, letting his fingers slide away.

  Noticing the piercing gaze Natasha was currently staring at her with from across the room, Lydia rolled her eyes lightly, leaving her true reaction ambiguous to anyone watching.

  'What was really going on with the eldest son of the Harold family?'

  This whole situation, just coming out of the blue, made no sense at all. It was unprecedented to the system that left her mind spinning in different directions.

  Turning fully toward Adrian, she shot a questionable look to the man who was still standing still looking unreadable under the scrutiny of everyone gathered in the hall and the loud shouting of the Harold patriarch echoing off the walls. 

  What now? 

  Was he mute? 

  Why wouldn't he speak up and say something to defend his unwarranted actions?

  And then the crowd's attention shifted back on Lydia, rendering her more speechless. From all the talk and overexertion, Warren stumbled on one foot, nearly falling down onto the floor. But he was rescued on time by none other than Natasha. Of course, she was always playing the hero where it favours her most. 

  It was very hypocritical...hovering around the patriarch of the Harold family while her secret lover wallowed on the floor.

  A loud chatter broke out among the guests when the patriarch of the Harold family kept quiet, staring at Adrian with bubbling questionable glares.

  Then, out of nowhere, a pair of lips came crashing into her mouth.

  Lydia's mouth.

  Adrian's hands tightly wrapped around her waist, pulling her body flush against his chest as he claimed her right in front of the entire room.

  Lydia's mind short-circuited from the intense heat of his mouth colliding with hers. His hands stayed locked around her waist, pulling her so close she could feel the rhythmic thud of his heartbeat against her own chest.

  When he finally pulled back just an inch, she found herself staring into those deep stunning grey eyes— piercing, and radiated something devoid of any fear or regret for the show he had just caused.

  What!

  The word screamed inside her head, but nothing came out of her mouth .Her lips parted gently as she tried to suck air back into her lung.

  The Sinclair mansion had descended from the low chatter into silence again. 

  Guests looked with their mouths open, her mother looked 'not understanding a piece!' and Natasha was left in place, clutching Warren's arm while Henry groaned on the floor still staring in disbelief.

  What in the world!

  Adrian didn't give anyone a chance to process the scandal.His voice was smooth and calm,"She's my girlfriend" announcing it he turned to meet her gaze

 "Right babe?"