Chapter 21: A Broken Arrangement

Skylar sat stiffly at a round table near the dance floor, her hands curled into tight fists on her lap. She had known tonight would be suffocating, but she hadn't expected her family's plans to start unraveling before her eyes.

The plan had always been clear—her parents had spent months ensuring that Damian Kingsley would be the one she ended up with. A strategic marriage, a calculated move to keep their family in the elite circle despite their financial struggles.

But now?

Skylar's mother, Victoria Hale, was visibly tense, her well-practiced poise slipping for the first time that evening. Her father, Richard Hale, kept his expression neutral, but she could see the twitch in his jaw as he observed the aftermath of Damian's humiliation.

Damian had just lost a power struggle—one that played out in front of the very investors who were supposed to see him as the perfect heir, the perfect match for her.

And that changed everything.

Victoria turned sharply toward Richard, whispering, "This is a disaster. The Kingsleys are losing their grip. We need to reconsider."

Skylar's stomach twisted. Reconsider?

For months, she had been pushed toward Damian, told that he was their best option. And now, at the first sign of weakness, her family was ready to drop him?

Richard exhaled, his gaze sweeping across the room. "We don't make rash decisions. But yes, this… complicates things."

Skylar's hands clenched tighter. She had never been in control of her own future, but at least before, the decisions made about her life had been predictable. Now, even that was slipping.

Her mother's eyes followed Ethan across the ballroom, calculating.

"Blackwood is the stronger player here," Victoria murmured. "Ethan controls the board."

Skylar frowned. "And what? You think he's a better option?"

Her mother gave her a look, as if she were foolish for even questioning it. "I think we need to align with power. And right now, Damian isn't it."

Skylar's heart pounded. It was as if her family had no real loyalty, no true concern for who she ended up with—as long as it benefited them.

"Ethan isn't an option," Richard cut in, shaking his head. "He's untouchable in ways the Kingsleys never were. If we push too hard, we'll end up being the ones discarded."

Victoria pursed her lips, frustrated but not entirely dismissing the idea. "Then we find someone else."

Skylar barely heard the rest of their conversation. Her mind was elsewhere—on a boy standing near the edges of the room, in a worker's uniform, as if he had no place among the elite.

Chris.

She hadn't missed how easily he blended in, how he wasn't fazed by the wealth surrounding him. He wasn't like the other workers, bowing and scraping for approval. No—Chris carried himself differently. As if he belonged here in a way no one could quite explain.

Her gaze drifted back to Ethan, the man her parents were suddenly considering as their next move.

Something about the way Ethan had handled Damian, the way he commanded respect, felt oddly familiar.

And then it clicked.

Chris and Ethan—there was something unspoken between them. She had seen it before, the way Ethan had glanced at Chris earlier, as if they shared some kind of silent understanding.

As if Chris wasn't just a worker.

Skylar's breath caught.

She had no proof, no real reason to suspect anything… but for the

first time, she truly wondered.

Who exactly was Chris?