Chapter 4

Evelyn, hearing the news, stormed over in her heels, grabbed her son's ear, and hissed at him to go apologize.

Zachary just stared at Sonia, silent.

Sonia didn't want to be the center of the gossip. She lifted the hem of her dress and escaped up to the rooftop garden for air.

Ember followed her.

She leaned against the railing — the Argyle pink diamond glittered on her finger.

Sonia looked away and turned to leave. Ember grabbed her wrist.

Her eyes were openly hostile. "Evelyn's been fussing over you. Must feel good."

Sonia's brow furrowed. She tried to pull her arm free.

Ember held on tighter, smiling sweetly. "She's only kind to you because of your mother, you know. Too bad your parents are both gone. That kind of loyalty has a shelf life."

"Once I have Zachary, do you think she'll really side with you over her own son?"

Crack.

Sonia's face went cold, and her palm struck Ember's cheek.

Everything else, she could swallow. But her parents were not up for discussion.

Ember's lip curled for a split second. Then she pressed a hand to her face, ran straight to Zachary, and burst into tears. "I was just — just trying to tell her to stop being upset with you. And she said — she said you were nothing to her."

Zachary's expression turned to stone. "Sonia. Apologize."

She laughed softly. Once upon a time, he used to defend her like that. Now he was defending someone else.

She didn't want to make a scene. She shot both of them a flat look and turned to leave.

His hand shot out and clamped around her wrist, hard enough to bruise bone.

She lifted her chin and said, word by word, "I slapped her because she called my parents disposable. As for you — she was right. A man who takes someone's side without asking a single question is, indeed, nothing to me."

She pried his fingers off hers, one by one, and walked away.

On the stairs down, she finally let one tear fall.

Zachary had a younger cousin who had never liked Sonia. Years ago, that cousin had pulled the exact same trick.

And Zachary hadn't hesitated for a second. He'd believed Sonia. Pulled up the estate's security footage to publicly clear her name in front of every aunt and uncle who'd doubted her.

Now he hadn't even asked.

Sonia dug her nails into her palms and forced the tears back.

She wanted to find Evelyn, say her goodbyes, and leave early. But Evelyn begged her to stay. To wait until after the gala, when they could talk.

Sonia had never been able to say no to Evelyn. She found a quiet corner of the estate and sat there, alone.

Once the broken engagement became public, Evelyn was terrified that Zachary might get back together with Ember — which meant there'd be no hope left with Sonia. So she yanked him to her side and kept him working the room.

Which left Ember alone.

A tipsy heir from another family — Brandon Mercer — decided he was going to "make friends" with her and wouldn't leave her alone. Everyone who'd just witnessed the scene was happy to look away.

Ember's eyes filled with tears. She was seconds from breaking down.

That was when Zachary appeared, out of nowhere, and punched Brandon straight in the face.

Brandon staggered, furious. "Blackwood! Sonia's off-limits, fine. But this one too?"

"Sonia's your fiancée. What the hell is this girl to you?"

Zachary stared at him for a beat. His eyes flicked — just for a moment — toward Sonia.

Then he said, "She's mine."

When Sonia didn't react, he pressed his lips together, grabbed Ember by the chin, and kissed her. Hard.

When he pulled away, Ember could barely stand. She collapsed into his chest.

He swept his gaze across the room. "From now on, anyone who lays a hand on Ember answers to me."

The same people who had been backing Sonia up moments ago now rushed over to fuss over Ember instead.

Sonia couldn't take another second of it. She bolted into the bathroom, pressed both hands over her mouth, and cried until her shoulders shook.

Once she'd cried herself dry, she pulled out her phone and texted Evelyn that she wasn't well, could they reschedule their talk for another day. She wiped her face and pushed the door open.

She hadn't gone two steps when a hand closed around her wrist.

It was Brandon Mercer — the one Zachary had punched.

He gave her a lazy smile and looked her up and down. "You know what? I actually like you better than Ember."

"I just never wanted to cross Blackwood back when he was guarding you like a hawk. But now he's protecting someone else. Consider yourself available."

She pulled her arm back. "Not interested. This is the Blackwood estate. Don't be stupid."

The mention of Blackwood just reminded him of the punch he'd taken in front of everyone. Something in him snapped. He grabbed her and tried to kiss her.

Sonia fought, hands shaking, and managed to thumb the emergency call button on her phone.

Zachary picked up on the first ring.

She was almost sobbing. "Zachary, Brandon Mercer is — he won't stop — please come —"

He laughed under his breath. "Ember got hassled by him and now you, too? Since when did you play games like this, Sonia?"

Brandon was already dragging her toward a bathroom. "I'm not — he really is — "

The line went dead.