Dumped At Engagement, I Showed My New Fiancé

Chapter 4

When I booked my engagement party venue, I specifically picked the nicest hotel in the city and pulled out all the stops for the highest possible standard of everything. I made sure the whole affair was impossible to miss, so anyone with even a tiny bit of connections in the social circle knew I was hosting a new engagement party.

And just like I predicted, Kian got the wrong idea.

It only took two days before he called me out of the blue, his voice practically oozing smugness.

"Hazel, I know you still can't get over me," he said. "You planned this huge engagement party just to win me back, right?"

I was holding the wedding dress design I had just picked out, and I drawled back, "If that's what you think, that's fine by me."

That only puffed him up more. He got even more full of himself, his tone so smug it was practically floating.

"I knew you were still head over heels for me," he said. "But do not think this grand gesture will make me forgive you that easily. If you want us to get re-engaged, you have to go apologize to Chloe properly and earn her forgiveness first."

I almost burst out laughing right into the phone.

"You done talking?" I said. "Good, because I have got something to send you."

I did not even wait for him to answer before I fired off the pre-prepared digital engagement invitation straight to his phone.

To keep the surprise under wraps, I intentionally left out my new husband's full name. Only his last name was there: Mercer.

I could barely contain my excitement.

Just imagine how epic Kian's face would be when that overly confident jerk found out my new groom was his uncle.

Kian took the bait hook, line, and sinker, his voice thick with that cocksure, I-have-already-won attitude.

"Hazel, you sent the invitation to the wrong person, did not you?" he said. "The groom does not need an invite."

I answered him all lazy and casual, a sharp edge of mockery lacing my tone.

"Kian, did not you forget something?" I said.

He blinked, caught off guard. "Forget what?" he asked.

"When are you going to transfer that five million dollars you said you would pay back for Chloe?" I said.

The second money came up, Kian's whole tone flipped. All that smugness he had been radiating just a second ago vanished into thin air.

"Why are you still hung up on this?" he said. "We are about to get re-engaged. Talking about money just hurts our relationship, does not it?"

I scoffed out loud.

"Hurt our relationship?" I said. "What feelings are there left between you and me anyway? Either pay up, or sit back and wait for Chloe to go to prison. Take your pick."

That set Kian off, his pride stinging bad.

"Hazel, do not be so outrageous," he said. "Even if you throw this engagement party, I am not showing up."

"Suit yourself," I said. "I sent you the invitation like I said. Coming or not is your call. But just a heads up, the deadline for that five million dollars is almost up."

With that, I hung up on him right away, not giving him a single extra second to ramble.

Way back when he first said he would pay the debt for Chloe, I had already texted his uncle and spilled every single detail of what happened.

His uncle did not hesitate for a second. He froze all of Kian's credit cards, including all his extra authorized user cards, on the spot.

Now that his family's deep pockets were cut off, I could not wait to see how he kept up that fake 'domineering CEO' act.

Before I knew it, the day of the engagement party arrived.

I had just stepped through the hotel entrance when I spotted Kian. He was decked out in a custom designer suit, looking every bit the part of the groom.

Chloe was hanging off his arm, and the two of them were greeting guests together like it was second nature. If you did not know any better, you would think these two were the actual main event today.

When she saw me walk in all dressed to the nines, a flash of resentment and bitter envy flickered across Chloe's face. But it was gone in a heartbeat, replaced by shiny, welling tears.

"Kian, I know I should not say this on a day like today, but I cannot help it," she said. "My heart just aches so bad when I think I will never get to stand by your side again."

Kian ate every word of it. He stepped forward to wrap her in a hug, then turned to me with a performative look of apology.

"Hazel, I am sorry," he said. "I know this is not fair to you. But I cannot turn Chloe down. We truly love each other."

Every guest around us was leaning in, their eyes glowing with that hungry, front-row-seat curiosity as they waited for the drama to unfold.

I stared at their painfully forced, over-the-top little act and had to bite down hard on my inner cheek to keep from bursting out laughing. I cut straight through Kian's sappy, rambling speech before he could go any further.

"Since you two really love each other that much, I wish you both all the best," I said.

Both of them froze mid-pose, completely blindsided. They never in a million years expected me to react like this.

That was when a buzz of commotion rippled from the entrance of the party hall, and a tall, broad figure started walking slowly toward us.

My heart skipped a beat the second I spotted him. I had just stepped forward to go meet him when Kian beat me to it, hurrying forward to greet him. A slimy, fawning grin was plastered all over his face.

"Uncle Ethan," he said. "What are you doing here? Did you come specifically to attend my engagement party?"

Ethan Mercer did not even bother lifting his eyelids to glance at him. He stepped right past Kian like he was not even there, strode straight over to me, and pulled me tight into his arms in one smooth motion.

The familiar, warm scent of sandalwood wrapped around me instantly. He dipped his head down to murmur right against my ear, his voice thick and heavy with longing.

"Hazel, I am sorry I kept you waiting," he said. "I have missed you so much."

I melted into his solid chest, and every last bit of the frustration and unease I had been carrying vanished into thin air right then and there.

I tilted my head up and pressed a soft, quick kiss to Ethan's lips.

"Honey, I have missed you too," I said.

Kian stood rooted to the spot, his brain completely short-circuiting.