The Dowager sat at the head of the long dining table. Her eyes were fixed on me as though she were trying to bore through my very soul.
She began. “Ryder, what you did at my 80th birthday was not just an insult to Aldrian—it was an insult to this family. A disgrace that has rippled far beyond that room. You slapped not just Aldrian, but the reputation of the Hawthorne family itself. And for that, I am deeply humiliated.”
I said nothing, I tighten my jaw as I look into her eyes.
“Do you have any idea what people are saying about us now, the way they whisper about it and their judgment? This family has worked tirelessly to maintain its standing, its legacy, and you managed to tarnish it in a single evening. I cannot and will not forgive that.” she said and paused for a while. Then her ey
