Broken Mirrors

Chapter Four

Dinah in the pic above

Dinah stepped into her tight red dress, adjusting her neckline, allowing just a hint of cleavage to show. Her silky brown hair was styled elegantly, and she slipped into her red heels before heading out the door. The limo waited outside. As she climbed in, she froze at the sight of Jessica sitting across from her, arms crossed, clearly angry.

Jessica's piercing eyes locked onto Dinah as she closed the limo door behind her, confusion settling in.

"What are you doing here?" Dinah asked, her tone laced with irritation.

"Surprise, bitch!" Jessica spat, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Dinah huffed, crossing her arms. "What the hell do you want?"

Without another word, Jessica reached into her purse, pulling out a ring and tossing it at Dinah. "Give this to your boyfriend. Tell him we're over." She waved her hands in frustration. "You can have the fucking bastard for all I care."

Dinah stared at the ring in disbelief before stepping out of the limo to chase after Jessica. "What is this? Please tell me this is some kind of promise ring he gave you years ago."

Jessica stopped, throwing her head back with a loud laugh. "Promise ring? Are you serious?" Her laughter grew. "Wait, wait, you don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Dinah demanded, her voice shaky.

Jessica smirked, her expression filled with malice. "That your shiny new toy and I were engaged?"

Dinah's gaze dropped to the ring on her finger, then back to Jessica. Her heart sank as she pieced it together.

Jessica, seeing her devastation, cackled. "He didn't tell you, did he?" She revelled in Dinah's pain. "Well, I guess he played both of us. Good luck at your dinner though." She began walking away, her voice trailing off. "I can't wait to hear about your big announcement crashing and burning."

Dinah let out a guttural scream, her frustration and pain echoing into the night.

Meanwhile, Clair hurried to slip into her high heels when a knock came at her door. She smoothed out her blue dress, adjusting herself before opening it.

"Are you ready?" her father asked, standing tall in the doorway.

"Yes, Daddy. Let me just grab my—"

"Don't bother," he interrupted. "Everyone is waiting."

Forgetting her phone, Clair followed him out to the dinner table where the guests were already seated. As she approached, she spotted Dinah across from her, the woman still visibly shaken. Clair sat down, glancing at the man next to her and realized with a shock that it was the same man she'd met earlier at the parking lot—Vincent Lupo. Her stomach churned with nerves, and she quickly averted her gaze to her plate.

The evening carried on with business discussions and the clinking of glasses. Clair's father made sure she met several key investors, including the Lupo family. She learned that Vincent was the COO of Lupo Industries. They were polite, but something about Vincent unsettled her.

As the night wore on, George made his way to the balcony inside the grand dining room. He tapped his glass to get everyone's attention.

"I want to thank you all for being here tonight," he began, smiling warmly. "This is a special occasion—not just a dinner, but an important announcement. I'm getting old."

Laughter rippled through the crowd.

George continued, "I've decided to step down and hand over the reins of the company to one of my beautiful daughters."

Dinah leaned over to her mother and whispered, "He's not talking about promoting me, right?"

Iris smiled and whispered back, "No."

George raised his glass higher. "Please welcome the new owner of Hart Enterprises, Clair Hart!"

Applause filled the room as Clair, taking a deep breath, made her way to her father's side. He gave her a proud hug.

As the congratulations poured in, the room was interrupted once again by the sound of another glass being tapped. Vincent stepped forward, positioning himself next to Clair and George, a broad smile on his face.

"I have an announcement too," Vincent said, looking directly at Dinah. "As many of you know, I've been dating the beautiful Dinah Hart." He smiled, basking in the murmurs of acknowledgement. "It's all over social media, so you probably couldn't miss it."

The crowd chuckled, and Iris glanced at Dinah, who remained stone-faced.

"I'm excited to announce," Vincent continued, "that we're getting married!"

The room erupted in applause, but Dinah stood abruptly, her voice cutting through the cheers. "Everyone just stop!"

All eyes turned to her as Vincent, his smile faltering, tried to speak. "Baby, what's—"

"Cut the crap, Vincent!" Dinah snapped, her voice shaking with anger.

Clair's gaze darted between Vincent and Dinah, piecing the tension together.

"You think you can just lie and get away with it?" Dinah seethed, staring down Vincent. His face paled as the crowd grew silent.

"What are you talking about?" Vincent asked, his voice a weak whisper.

"Tell them," Dinah demanded, her voice rising. "Tell them about your other engagement! The one you forgot to mention."

Gasps rippled through the room as Vincent hurried down the stairs, desperation in his eyes. "Can we talk about this privately?"

Dinah laughed bitterly, waving him off. "Talk? We're over, Vincent!" She ripped the engagement ring from her finger and hurled it at him before turning to leave.

"Dinah! Don't you dare walk away from me!" Vincent yelled, his voice desperate as security began to escort the guests out.

George stepped in, offering apologies to everyone for the spectacle. As the room cleared, Vincent reached for a bottle of champagne, but Clair intercepted him, her face twisted with disgust.

"Get out of my house, Vincent," she said coldly.

"I need to talk to her," he muttered, ignoring her.

"You can talk to her tomorrow," Clair shot back.

"I need to talk to her now," he growled, pushing past Clair as he made his way to find Dinah.

After searching, Vincent found her by the pond, tears streaming down her face. He approached slowly. "I was going to tell you..."

"Tell me what?" Dinah whipped around, her eyes blazing. "That you were engaged to another woman?" She slapped him hard across the face. "Fuck you, Vincent Lupo."

Vincent's lips pressed into a thin line. "It was months ago, okay? I was going to break up with her."

Dinah shook her head. "Too bad. I'm done with your lies. Get out of my life."

Vincent stepped closer, pulling her towards him. "I love you," he murmured, attempting to kiss her.

Dinah shoved him back, wiping her mouth in disgust. "No, you don't get to do that. Don't text me, don't call me. The next time I see you, it will be about work and nothing more." She pushed him again, this time harder.

Vincent lost his balance and fell into the pond with a splash, flailing and screaming about his suit. His security team rushed to his aid as Dinah turned away, walking back towards Clair.

Clair, having watched the entire scene unfold, embraced Dinah. "Let's go inside."

Together, they walked back into the house, where George stood, his face a mixture of disappointment and anger.

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