Rejected By My Fiance, Accepted By His Uncle

Chapter 4

SERA'S POV

When I told Jessy about the party, she immediately objected to it. She insisted that I stay at home and rest.

Since I got out of the coma, it had been one drama after another. I even went to jail for a week. At this point, there was literally nothing anyone could do that could hurt me.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Jessy whispered as she pulled over at the garage.

The sound of soft music filled the area, and I could feel my heart racing fast. Jessy only allowed me to come to the party if she was coming with me.

I couldn't object, so here we were at my ex-fiancé's grandmother's birthday party.

"It's fine," I exhaled, unlocking my seat belt.

"That's what scares me, Sera. You keep saying you're fine, but you don't look fine," Jessy grumbled, stepping out after me.

"I am, so don't worry. Besides, I got this." I grinned, but Jessy's brows furrowed as she grabbed my arm.

"We got this," she corrected, rolling her eyes. "And I swear to God in heaven, if that little witch tries anything funny, I will be the one going to jail."

We both chuckled as we strode inside. We were a little bit late, and the party had already started. All eyes were locked on us.

I held my head straight, but my heart was slamming fast inside my chest.

I lifted my chin, forcing my shoulders back, but my breath hitched as whispers filled the air. My pulse pounded at my temples, and the chandelier lights above blurred slightly. A slight tremor ran through my fingers before I latched onto Jessy's arm.

She squeezed my hand, her grin teasing but reassuring.

"Relax, baby. You look gorgeous. I made the dress, so why wouldn't it be?" Her face lit up with pride, and she shook her head.

Jessy was a fashion designer, and she was really good at her craft. But I never wore any dress she made because Nate would always complain.

It was either too tight, didn't match my skin, or was too revealing.

He always found fault in my outfits, and somehow Selene would come along, and as the big i***t adoptive sister I was, I wouldn't hesitate to give her my clothes.

"My God, Sera, you look stunning!" Grandmother cheered as she pulled me into a hug.

Given the way she was sounding on the phone, I didn't exactly think she was going to be this welcoming.

My fingers curled into my dress. Grandmother had never looked at me this way before—her admiration was almost unsettling.

"Thank you so much, Grandmother," I swallowed past the lump in my throat, forcing a small smile.

"Awww, look at you. Sera, please don't go back to wearing those hideous clothes. You look better this way." Grandmother smiled, holding firmly onto my palm.

I grinned, feeling bad for myself. The only reason why I dressed so badly was that they were gifts from my adoptive mother.

She was always around to pick out trash for me.

"Don't worry, Grandmother. I won't. You'll be seeing more of this version of Sera."

"Perfect, just perfect!" Grandmother cheered, clapping her hands.

Her eyes flickered over to Nate, who was strolling over with his hands in his pockets.

"Mmnh." Her shoulders dropped as she shook her head.

"I wonder what kind of idiotic man would lose such a beautiful and lovely woman."

She made sure her voice was loud enough for Nate to hear as he came to her side.

My hand fell over my lips as Jessy and I tried to hold back our chuckles.

Nate's steps faltered mid-stride, his gaze locking onto me like he had seen a ghost. His jaw tensed as his fingers twitched at his sides before he shoved them into his pockets, feigning nonchalance.

"S... Sera, what are you doing here?" he stuttered.

I rolled my eyes, turning away from him with a snicker.

"Granny!" I heard a deep voice that certainly wasn't Nate's.

My curiosity heightened as my brow arched over to the tall man crouching over to Grandmother.

His perfectly shaped lips moved as he gave her a peck on the cheek, and she giggled.

"My goodness, where have you been? I was worried that you weren’t going to come."

The gorgeous man shook his head as he tucked his hands inside his pockets. "And miss your birthday? Not a chance."

"Damn, that man is so hot. Who is he?" Jessy giggled playfully as she whispered softly into my ear.

Even I was curious. I knew all of Nate's family members, so who was this man?

I pinched Jessy to stay put as Grandmother’s attention locked onto me.

"Oh, this is the lady I was talking about. How could Nate let such a goddess slip through his fingers? Imagine having little ones carrying her features..." Grandmother clicked her tongue with disappointment.

My cheeks were getting flustered as I clenched hard over my purse, holding my breath.

"She really is gorgeous..." The man's voice trailed off as his piercing deep brown eyes shot toward mine.

His voice carried a quiet confidence, smooth yet commanding, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.

My breath caught as I met his gaze—those deep brown eyes. A memory tugged at the edges of my mind, just out of reach. I had never seen him before… and yet, something about him felt unnervingly familiar.

That was when I realized just how familiar he was. But I had never met him before.

Just who was this man exactly?

"Come with me," Nate groaned as his hand clamped over my wrist. I was too fixated on the handsome stranger to notice that I was being dragged off.

"Nate, you..." I heard Jessy's faint voice.

"Don't worry," Grandmother assured her.

When we finally got to the hallway, Nate forcefully let go of my arm, tossing me aside so I could face him.

I bit my lip hard, grabbing my wrist.

"Drag me like that, and you'll regret it."

"So this is what you're doing? w*****g yourself to whatever man you meet? How can you even dress like this?" Nate yelled.

My face twisted at the level of his audacity.

"Nathaniel Sterling, are you high on cheap drugs? How dare you speak to me like that? In case you have forgotten, we are no longer engaged!"

Nate chuckled, shaking his head, then ran his hand over his face.

"I should have known you'd show up like this," Nate scoffed, his eyes raking over me with disapproval.

"You always had a way of making everything about you. Selene doesn’t need your drama tonight. Do us all a favor and walk away with whatever dignity you have left."

My smile widened. "You're still worried about her? What’s the trouble? Are you worried I'll outshine your baby girl? You're all pathetic."

Nate’s face tightened as he stepped closer, but I didn’t falter or move away from his gaze.

My heart was racing, but my fists curled into a ball. One more word from his disgusting mouth, and I might actually just throw a punch in his face.

"Leave this instant," Nate warned.

I took a slow, deliberate step forward, tilting my chin up until I was eye to eye with him.

"Make me," I whispered, my voice razor-sharp.

My lips curled into a smirk, daring him to try. "I f*****g dare you."

Nate was about to say something when his phone buzzed, easing the tension between us.

My brows arched when my eyes caught sight of Selene’s name flashing on the screen.

"Run along, boy toy. Your mistress is calling you," I spat, disgust evident on my face.

Nate’s lips formed into a thin line. "This isn’t over, Sera," he warned.

I rolled my eyes, and slowly, his steps retreated down the hall. I exhaled, relief washing over me as I closed my eyes.

My hands found their way to the wall as I tried to catch my breath.

Finally, I straightened my back after fixing my hair. Tonight, I was not going to let myself be intimidated by anyone.

I forced a smile, my heels clicking against the floor as I started walking.

A firm grip latched onto my wrist, yanking me off balance. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as I stumbled, the scent of something—cologne, musk—filling my senses.

Before I could react, I was pulled into a dimly lit room, the door slamming shut behind us.

My breath hitched as warmth pressed against my back, a deep voice murmuring close to my ear.

"What's the matter, love? Pretending not to recognize me.”