Chapter 289

Serena’s POV
I smoothed down the front of my black Valentino gown.
“Ready?” Ethan asked, offering his arm as our car pulled up to the entrance of the Moran Hotel.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, accepting his support. The grand marble steps leading into London’s most prestigious venue were already crowded with the city’s elite, all dressed in their finest and eager to witness the social event of the season.
Ryan appeared at my other side, looking devastatingly handsome in his tailored black tux. “Remember, we’re making a statement just by walking through those doors. Head high.”
The moment we stepped into the opulent ballroom, I felt the shift in the atmosphere—the momentary hush, followed by the unmistakable buzz of gossip. Heads turned, conversations paused, and eyes locked onto us with a mixture of curiosity, disdain, and poorly concealed excitement.
“Quinn family actually showed up?”
“With their father hospitalized and that financial scandal brewing? Bold move.”
“Parker and Quinn in the same room—this wedding just got interesting.”
I kept my expression neutral, my stride confident. Years in the public eye had taught me the power of appearing unbothered, even when every whisper felt like a pinprick against my skin.
Across the room, I spotted her immediately—Elena Parker, resplendent in white, clinging to her new husband’s arm like he was her personal trophy. The moment our eyes met, her smile transformed from practiced radiance to something far more predatory.
“She’s spotted us,” I murmured to Ethan. “Prepare for impact.”
Ryan’s hand found the small of my back, a subtle gesture of support that didn’t go unnoticed by the watching crowd. “Let her come to us. This is her territory, but you hold all the power.”
Elena’s whispered conversation with her husband didn’t require lip-reading to understand. I could practically hear her venomous commentary from across the room. After a theatrical pause, she glided toward us, pulling along her bewildered-looking groom.
“Serena,” Elena cooed, her voice dripping with false warmth. “I’m absolutely shocked you came. Given the… unfortunate state of Quinn family affairs lately, I assumed you’d be too busy putting out fires.” Her smile sharpened. “How truly bittersweet that some families celebrate while others crumble, isn’t it?”
I took a moment to assess her wedding decor—the predictable floral arrangements, the safe color palette, the utter lack of originality—before meeting her gaze.
“Your invitation seemed sincere enough,” I replied, my voice cool and measured. “Though I must say, the decorations are surprisingly… adequate. Very appropriate for you.”
The flash of anger in her eyes was worth the trip alone.
“At least I have a proper wedding,” Elena snapped, recovering quickly. “I heard you’ve managed to have a child without ever walking down the aisle. How very modern of you, Serena. Or perhaps Ryan Blackwood just hasn’t deemed you worthy of a ceremony yet?”
I felt Ryan tense beside me, but his face remained impassive.
“Elena,” I sighed, “still hung up on the same old insecurities, I see. Though I’m surprised you rushed into marriage so quickly. Given your rather extensive dating history, I would have thought you’d need more time to be certain.” I glanced meaningfully at her uncomfortable-looking husband. “What was the final count? Ten boyfriends? Twelve?”
Jasper Ashwood’s expression darkened instantly, his smile faltering as he cast a questioning look toward his new bride.
Elena’s cheeks flushed crimson. “Don’t you dare try to poison my marriage, Serena,” she hissed, clutching her husband’s arm possessively. “Jasper is the only man I’ve ever truly loved. Unlike you, living in sin with Blackwood without even a proper commitment.”
Before I could respond, Ryan stepped forward, his voice smooth as silk but sharp as steel.
“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood our situation entirely,” he said, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips. “Serena and I are engaged. The wedding delay has been entirely my struggle, as she’s been focused on her remarkable career.” His eyes found mine, filled with such convincing adoration that even I almost believed him. “I’ve been practically begging her to marry me properly since Vivian was born.”
“If you could persuade her to stop making me wait, Mrs. Ashwood, I would be eternally grateful,” Ryan added with a devastating smile that made several nearby women audibly sigh.
Ethan barely contained his laughter, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Elena, you really shouldn’t measure others by your own limited standards,” he added casually. “After all, not every woman has the opportunity to marry someone like Ryan.” His gaze swept dismissively over Jasper. “Some have to settle for… alternatives.”
The brutal simplicity of the insult left Jasper looking like he’d been slapped. Elena’s perfectly made-up face contorted with rage, her façade of the gracious bride completely shattered.
“You Quinns are all the same—arrogant even when you’re falling apart,” she spat. “Your family is drowning in scandal, your reputation is in tatters, and you still walk in here like you own the place.” Her eyes narrowed to venomous slits. “I’ll enjoy watching your family’s complete destruction, Serena. Every humiliating detail.”
With that parting shot, she yanked her shell-shocked husband away, leaving us standing in a bubble of uncomfortable silence.
“Well,” Ethan muttered under his breath, “that went about as well as expected.”
Ryan’s hand hadn’t left mine. “You handled her perfectly,” he said quietly, his thumb stroking small circles against my palm. “Now we circulate, smile, and show everyone in this room that the Quinns aren’t hiding from anything.”
I squeezed his hand gratefully before releasing it. “Let’s split up. Cover more ground that way.”
As I watched Ryan and Ethan move into different sections of the ballroom, I squared my shoulders and prepared for battle. This wasn’t just a wedding reception—it was a battlefield, and I had no intention of retreating.
The moment Elena and Jasper disappeared into the crowd, I began scanning the ballroom, searching for the man who’d orchestrated this entire spectacle. Silas Parker’s conspicuous absence was strange—the father of the bride missing from his own daughter’s wedding reception?
“Looking for someone?” Ryan asked quietly, his hand still firmly holding mine.
“Silas Parker. He should be here gloating.”
Ryan nodded. “He’s making us wait. Classic power play.”
I watched as several guests began cautiously approaching Ethan, their expressions a careful blend of curiosity and calculation. Their words were polite enough—inquiries about our father’s health, expressions of shock about the recent scandals—but their true intentions were transparent.
“Mr. Blackwood, I’ve been following your work with sustainable energy investment in Southeast Asia,” one silver-haired man said, completely ignoring me and Ethan to focus on Ryan. “My firm has been looking to expand in that direction. Perhaps we could discuss potential partnerships?”
Ryan offered a courteous but noncommittal response. These people weren’t here to support the Quinn family—they were vultures circling what they perceived as a dying empire, trying to curry favor with the predator they believed would pick the carcass clean.
“Amazing how quickly they forget years of partnership with Quinn Enterprises,” Ethan muttered under his breath, forcing a smile as another group approached.
Just then, a ripple of murmurs swept through the crowd, and all heads turned toward the entrance. Silas Parker had finally made his grand entrance, walking shoulder to shoulder with a middle-aged man in an expensive charcoal suit. The two were laughing together like old friends, completely at ease.
“Isn’t that Edward?” someone whispered nearby, loud enough for me to catch.
“What’s he doing back in London?”
“He used to be quite the big shot, didn’t he?”
“Things just got interesting.”