TWO RINGS, ONE LIE

TWO RINGS, ONE LIE

CHAPTER TWO

THE DINNER

Dinner at the Vale estate was never peaceful.

Too many personalities.

Too much money.

Too many people pretending to love each other.

The massive dining hall glowed beneath crystal chandeliers while relatives filled the long table with loud conversations, fake smiles, and artificial laughter.

At the center of it all sat Theodore Vale.

The founder of the Vale empire.

Even in old age, the man carried authority naturally. One look from him could silence the entire room.

Tonight was no different.

Cassian sat quietly beside Camille, adjusting the sleeve of his black suit while listening to his relatives argue over meaningless things.

Across from him, Killian leaned lazily against his chair while Olivia rolled her eyes at him before muttering, “Try not to embarrass me tonight.”

Killian smirked. “No promises.”

Further down the table sat Selene Vale, the twins’ younger sister.

Unlike the rest of the family, Selene never pretended to enjoy these gatherings.

She scrolled through her phone carelessly before muttering, “This was supposed to be a reunion, not a gossip convention.”

Aunt Lydia laughed loudly.

“You children used to be so adorable, especially you two,” she said while pointing toward Cassian and Killian. “Especially when you switched places.”

Several relatives laughed immediately.

“Oh God,” Selene groaned dramatically. “Not this story again.”

Grandpa Theodore almost smiled.

Almost.

“You boys fooled everyone as children,” Aunt Lydia continued. “Teachers, drivers—even your own parents.”

Killian grinned proudly.

“We were talented.”

“You were demons,” Selene corrected.

Even Camille smiled faintly at that.

Olivia shook her head.

“I still don’t understand how people mixed them up. Their personalities are entirely different.”

“They still look exactly the same except for the hairstyle. The major difference is in their personalities,” Selene replied casually.

Her eyes moved toward Cassian first.

“One became terrifyingly responsible.”

Then toward Killian.

“And the other became a walking financial warning.”

The entire table laughed.

Even Killian.

“See?” he muttered proudly. “She insults me with love.”

But Theodore’s expression remained serious.

“Jokes aside,” the old man said calmly, “Selene is correct.”

The room slowly quieted.

His eyes landed on Cassian.

“One grandson built an empire before thirty.”

Then they shifted toward Killian.

“The other is allowing his company to collapse.”

Silence.

Instant silence.

Olivia slowly placed her fork down.

Julian, Uncle Victor's only son, looked down at his drink to hide his satisfaction while Vanessa, his wife, rubbed her stomach quietly beside him.

Killian smiled faintly.

“There it is,” he muttered.

Selene rolled her eyes immediately.

“Oh my God, can we survive one dinner without comparing them?”

Grandpa Theodore ignored her.

“Cassian understands discipline,” he continued coldly. “That’s why he succeeded.”

Killian leaned back in his chair.

“And here I thought we came for dinner, not another Cassian worship session.”

A few cousins laughed nervously.

Vanessa suddenly spoke softly.

“To be fair, successful men usually take life more seriously.”

Olivia immediately looked up.

Dangerous.

Selene noticed it too and whispered, “Oh no.”

Julian quickly tried stepping in.

“She didn’t mean it badly.”

“No,” Olivia interrupted sharply. “She definitely did.”

Vanessa smiled politely.

“I just think stability matters in marriage.”

Killian’s expression hardened slightly.

Because everybody at that table knew his tech company was failing.

Investors leaving.

Articles spreading online.

Debt growing quietly behind forced smiles.

Selene sighed heavily, already knowing that Olivia was going to explode next.

“And here we go.”

Olivia looked directly at Vanessa now.

“At least Killian built his company himself.”

Vanessa crossed her arms calmly.

“And lost millions doing it. she replied with a calm smile. i feel sorry for those investors.”

Julian smirked slightly.

Wrong move.

Killian noticed immediately.

“So you think my company collapsing is entertaining?” he asked Julian quietly.

Julian scoffed.

“You make entertainment naturally.”

“Julian,” Cassian warned softly.

But it was already too late.

Years of resentment had finally started surfacing.

Julian leaned forward slightly.

“You joke through life because you can’t handle responsibility.”

Killian laughed once.

“And you spend your life begging Grandpa for approval.”

Selene covered her face dramatically.

“This is better than Netflix.”

“Stay out of it,” Julian snapped.

“Oh relax,” Selene replied lazily. “You’ve been jealous of Cassian and Killian since childhood.”

Julian stood abruptly.

“At least I’m not drowning in debt.”

The room went silent immediately.

Olivia slowly stood from her chair.

“Say that again.”

Julian realized too late that he had crossed the line.

But Vanessa spoke before he could apologize.

“Everyone already knows,” she said calmly. “People are talking about Killian’s company everywhere.”

Killian’s jaw tightened slightly.

Selene looked furious now.

“Oh please,” she snapped. “Half this family survives on Theodore’s money while acting superior.”

Aunt Lydia nearly choked trying not to laugh.

Theodore’s expression darkened.

But Olivia spoke first.

“At least he has tried and failed. He is still young. He can still try again and again and again. What about you, Julian?” Olivia asked softly. “What have you achieved all your life, still clinging to Grandpa for every penny? You should be careful so you don’t end up like your drunk father over there.”

Silence.

Vanessa narrowed her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Olivia laughed bitterly.

“You know exactly what it means.”

The tension around the table became unbearable now.

Even the servants looked nervous.

Then suddenly—

Julian spoke quietly.

“At least I still have a dad. Where's yours, Killian?”

Everyone gasped, knowing Julian had touched a sensitive topic.

But unfortunately—

It was too late.

Cassian went still for a moment, like something inside him had snapped—but not all at once. First, it was his jaw tightening. Then his chair scraping back slowly against the floor. Cassian stood so fast the chair nearly toppled behind him. His hand shot out, grabbing Julian by the front of his collar. For a split second, Julian’s smirk faltered—just a flicker of surprise.

“Say that again,” Cassian said quietly.

Julian barely had time to react before Cassian shoved him hard. The chair crashed back as Julian stumbled, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

Before anyone could step in, Cassian was on him.

One punch landed cleanly, snapping Julian’s head to the side.

“Don’t you dare talk about my parents,” Cassian said, his voice low but shaking with anger. He struck him again, harder this time. “Ever again.”

The room went completely silent.

Vanessa was the first to recover when she saw blood dripping from Julian's mouth.

“Cassian, stop! You’re going to kill him!” Vanessa screamed in terror.

For a minute, nobody reacted.

“Cassian, get off your cousin this minute!” Grandpa Theodore yelled as Killian rushed to pull him off Julian.

Theodore was furious. It was obvious.

His fingers rested tightly on the edge of the table.

Too tightly.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then, slowly, he exhaled through his nose.

“This family…”

His voice was low.

“…has lost its shame.”

No one dared respond.

He finally stood, the chair behind him shifting slightly with the movement. The sound alone made a few relatives flinch.

His eyes scanned the room once—Julian on the floor, Vanessa trembling, the scattered seats, the untouched food, the silence that had replaced dignity.

Then his gaze hardened further.

“I built an empire,” he said quietly, each word measured, “so my blood would not beg, insult, or destroy itself over pride.”

“And yet here we are.”

His jaw tightened.

“This is not a family anymore. It is a battlefield pretending to be one.”

He turned slightly, as if already done with them all.

“Clean this mess,” he said flatly. “And I really hope you all behave better at breakfast tomorrow.”

Then he walked away.

Cassian walked in the opposite direction toward his room, Camille walking behind him, her heels clinking softly on the marble tiles.

Julian lay on the floor, groaning in pain as his wife knelt beside him, trying to help him sit up.

“Julian… stay still,” Vanessa whispered, her voice tight with panic.

The dining hall, once filled with laughter and fake warmth, was now destroyed by silence. Chairs were scattered. Glasses untouched. The air still carried the weight of what had just happened.

No one moved to help Julian beyond Vanessa.

No one spoke.

One by one, the relatives slowly stood, avoiding eye contact, choosing distance over involvement. Conversations died before they could even begin.

Theodore’s absence hung over the room like a final judgment.

And just like that—

The reunion ended.

Not with closure.

But with silence everyone would remember… and none of them would ever admit had changed anything.