Chapter 5

A Dinner Gone Wrong

Richard Donovan had buried his secrets for years.

And now, with Claire’s engagement plastered across every news outlet, those secrets were crawling back to the surface.

Victoria stared at him, pulse quickening. “Richard, what’s going on?”

He exhaled sharply, tossing his phone onto the coffee table.

On the screen, a news article still glowed.

‘Billionaire Gordon Hayes Announces Surprise Engagement to Claire Donovan.’

Richard’s jaw tightened. “Gordon Hayes… I should have finished him off when I had the chance.”

Victoria’s breath hitched. “What?”

His expression darkened. “That boy wasn’t just any employee, Victoria. He was ambitious. Too ambitious. I saw it early on and knew he would be a problem.”

“You fired him,” Victoria said, her voice unsteady.

Richard let out a bitter chuckle. “I did more than that.” His jaw clenched. “I made sure he never got another opportunity in this country.”

A chill ran through Victoria. “You blacklisted him?”

Richard scoffed. “It was necessary. He was getting too close, making connections, catching the attention of the wrong people. If I hadn’t cut him off, he would’ve been a threat to my business.”

Victoria swallowed. “And now he’s a billionaire.”

Richard’s fists tightened. “And he’s marrying our daughter.”

For the first time, realization settled deep in Victoria’s gut.

This wasn’t love.

This was revenge.

And Claire was right in the middle of it.

***

After days of ignoring her mother’s calls, Claire finally picked up.

And, as expected, Victoria Donovan was furious.

“How could you get engaged without telling me?” she snapped. “And to Gordon Hayes, of all people?”

Claire sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Mom, can we not do this over the phone? I’ll come over.”

A pause. Then Victoria’s tone shifted. “Your father is back.”

Claire stilled.

Her father wasn’t supposed to return for another three months.

“What? When?”

“Yesterday. He’s been asking about you.”

Claire swallowed hard. Facing her father was never easy.

But now, with this marriage hanging over her head, she knew he wouldn’t let her off easily.

Still, she had already made up her mind.

“Fine. I’ll come over.”

She glanced at Gordon, who was sitting across from her, looking completely unbothered as he checked his watch.

“You’re coming with me.”

He looked up, one brow raised. “Oh? I didn’t realize I had in-laws to impress.”

She shot him a look. “You’re my fiancé. You’re meeting my family.”

A slow smirk tugged at his lips, but he didn’t argue.

“Alright, sweetheart. Let’s go see Daddy.”

The Donovan Mansion

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Richard Donovan sat across from Gordon, his face carefully blank.

He had been expecting this moment.

But now that Gordon was right in front of him.calm, confident, unreadable.he felt something he hadn’t in a long time.

Fear.

Victoria, sitting beside her husband, kept stealing glances between them.

She could feel it too. The undercurrent of something deeper. Something dangerous.

Claire, oblivious to the silent war, cleared her throat.

“Dad, I know this is sudden, but Gordon and I are getting married.”

Richard’s fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair.

“And how exactly did this… happen?”

Gordon leaned forward slightly, his expression polite… almost amused.

“Fate, I suppose.”

Richard’s grip on the armrest tightened.

He studied Gordon’s face, searching for some sign that he remembered. Some sign that he knew.

But Gordon was a master of control.

His eyes held no resentment. No accusation.

Just charm.

It was almost convincing.

Almost.

Maybe… he really doesn’t know.

Maybe this was just a coincidence.

Maybe his past wasn’t coming back to haunt him after all.

But then

Gordon’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

And Richard realized, with cold certainty…

This was no coincidence.

A few days later, 

Claire couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten at such an expensive restaurant.

The dim lighting, the soft hum of classical music, and the waiters in crisp uniforms made her feel like a guest in someone else’s world.

She sat across from Gordon, watching as he effortlessly cut into his steak, every movement precise and controlled.

She had to admit it was easy to see why people found him intimidating.

Just as she was about to take another bite, a voice cut through the air like a knife.

"You heartless bastard!"

Claire barely had time to process the words before a woman in red stormed toward their table.

She looked furious, her eyes blazing with emotion.

And before Claire could react 

A wine glass went flying.

The red liquid splattered across Gordon’s crisp white shirt.

The restaurant went dead silent.

Gordon, however, barely moved.

He simply set his knife down, dabbing his face with a napkin, as if this was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

Claire, on the other hand, was not so calm.

“Excuse me?!” she shot up, staring at the woman in shock.

The woman turned to her, rage twisting her face. “Oh, honey. Don’t tell me he hasn’t told you.”

Claire blinked. “Told me what?”

The woman let out a bitter laugh.

“That he’s a liar. A user. A man who strings women along, makes them believe they’re special, then throws them away like garbage!”

Claire’s stomach twisted.

She turned to Gordon, expecting him to deny it. To say something. Anything.

But he didn’t.

He just sighed.

Then, he smirked.

“You should leave.” His voice was calm, almost bored.

The woman lost it.

Before anyone could stop her, she grabbed Claire’s wrist and yanked her forward.

“You don’t get it, do you? He’s going to destroy you!”

Claire yelped, trying to pull away, but the woman’s nails dug into her skin.

And then

A sharp pain shot through her head.

The woman had grabbed a nearby bottle and swung it.

Claire barely registered the impact before her vision blurred.

Gasps rang out. Someone screamed.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was Gordon’s chair scraping against the floor as he shot up from his seat.

Could this Be Gordon's Plan?