Business magnate's daughter, Isla Templeton (Feather), is the youngest of André Templeton's three children. And the top topic in the upper-class gossip in New York City.
Isla has always been a fighter; after losing her mother at a young age by sui...
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It was supposed to be a celebration.
But all I could feel was the growing dread in the pit of my stomach.
I scanned the room, desperately searching for Claude; my heart was pounding in my chest. But then, Max stepped in front of me, and everything went cold.
The smile on his face sent a chill down my spine. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a split second, I couldn't breathe. My legs felt like they were about to give out, but I forced myself to keep moving forward, even though every instinct in my body screamed at me to run.
That's when I saw my father standing beside Max, his arm casually draped over Max's shoulders like this was all perfectly normal. It wasn't. Nothing about this felt normal.
The cake sat next to Noah, who looked pale, like he wasn't even there, while Phil clenched his fists, glaring at the ground with a murderous intensity.
Something was wrong. I could feel it in the air, the tension thick and suffocating.
Then my father's voice broke through the noise. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his tone cheerful, oblivious to the growing panic inside me. "We are happy you all made it here tonight to celebrate my twin's birthday, but as everyone knows, traditions are traditions, so today, we will also celebrate my beautiful daughter's suitor arrangement."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I froze, staring at him, unable to process what he had just said. My heart started to race as I glanced around, seeing the confusion on some faces and the shock on others. My friends were staring at me in horror, mirroring the terror that I could feel rising inside me.
This was what Claude had been trying to warn me about.
"Please let me introduce you to who is joining the Templeton family as soon as he decides it is appropriate," my father said, lifting an eyebrow towards me, his voice casual, as though he wasn't completely dismantling my life in front of all these people.
My hands started to tremble, my body shaking as the room seemed to close in around me. What had been the happiest day of my life had just turned into my worst nightmare. I tried to step back, to get away, but one of my father's friends stepped behind me, blocking my path. I was trapped.
"Maximus Lopez."
Max stepped forward, grabbing my hand like he had every right to.
His grip was cold, possessive. "Together, forever, my love," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear. I could feel my entire body tense, the nausea rising in my throat.
I wanted to scream, to pull away, but I couldn't move. Max's laugh echoed in my ear as he looked down at me, amused by my terror. "Oh baby, my sweet baby," he cooed, his fingers lifting my chin. "Remind me to thank Claude for refusing to be your suitor, okay?- Oh wait! Never mind, last time I checked, he was getting ready to head back to Korea."
