19.

Gasps filled the room.

A woman covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Someone else whispered, “Did she just say…?”

I didn’t care.

I meant what I said.

Riley looked stunned for a split second before her lips curled into a sneer. “You’re lying.”

I exhaled sharply, my body trembling. “No, I’m not.”

“You’re just making excuses for your mother,” she snapped. “Playing the poor little victim so people will feel bad for you.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Victim?” I stepped closer, my voice calm, steady. “Do you know what it’s like to wonder where your next meal is coming from? To watch your mother strip in a club because it was the only way she could feed her child?”

Riley’s eyes flickered, but I didn’t stop.

“My mother did whatever she had to do to survive. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t right. But she did it—for me,” I said, my voice breaking slightly. “And your mother? She wasn’t innocent either.”

Riley’s jaw clenched. “She—”

“She is a terrible mother who made you obsessed with her by starving you from her attention.”

She clenched her jaw. “My dad put my mum in a rehab center because of your mother.”

I exhaled sharply. “Your dad saved her. She is obsessed and became a drunkard, it was for her own good. You both got another chance. So why are you here, Riley? What do you want?”

Her lips curled slightly. “Justice.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “No, you don’t. You just want mommy’s attention.”

Her nostrils flared.

“You hate my mother because your father loves her,” I said. “You hate her because she’s the first person who ever took his attention away from you and your mother. But here’s the thing, Riley—your mother is fine. She’s alive. She’s free.”

Riley’s hands balled into fists.

“And if your mother had been a better wife,” I continued, “if she had been a better woman, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”

Her face paled.

“You act like Alexander is some victim,” I said. “Like my mother forced him into this. But have you even looked at them? Have you seen the way they look at each other?”

Riley’s throat bobbed as she swallowed.

I shook my head. “You don’t see it, do you? Because you don’t want to.”

Silence.

Then, slowly, someone clapped.

I turned.

It was Marissa.

Then another person.

And another.

Until the whole damn room was applauding.

Riley stood there, her face red with fury, but she had nothing left to say.

Because I had already won.

Or so I thought.

Riley exhaled sharply, her nails digging into her champagne glass. Then, just when I thought she might back down, she tilted her head, her lips curling into something between a smirk and a snarl.

“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” she murmured. “You think just because you gave some sob story about your mother’s tragic past, it erases the fact that she’s a home-wrecking whore?”

The applause died instantly.

Mum stiffened beside me. Marissa’s smile disappeared. The guests exchanged nervous glances, waiting for me to react.

I should have walked away.

I should have.

But my blood was boiling, and Riley just wouldn’t shut up.

She leaned in slightly, voice dripping with venom. “Tell me, Evie—does it haunt you? Knowing that the only reason you have this fancy little life now is because your mother spread her legs for my father?”

The words hit me like a slap to the face.

So I gave her one right back.

A sharp, loud slap echoed through the venue.

Riley gasped, stumbling slightly her champagne glass falling down and hitting the ground, splashing all over her dress. Her hand flew to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock.

I stepped forward, my chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. “Take your bitterness somewhere else, Riley.” My voice was calm, but my hands were shaking. “You don’t have to like my mother. You don’t even have to accept this marriage. But you will respect her in front of me.”

Silence.

Riley’s eyes burned with fury, her lips pressed into a thin line.

I didn’t wait for a response. I turned on my heel and walked away, my hands still trembling.

I needed a break.

I needed air.

Pushing through the guests, I made my way toward the garden, my heels clicking against the stone path. The air was cool, a soft breeze rustling through the hedges, carrying the scent of roses and fresh-cut grass.

I exhaled, leaning against a marble fountain, closing my eyes.

But I wasn’t alone.

Because when I opened them, there he was.

Ryder.

Standing just a few feet away, his hands in his pockets, watching me with that lazy, knowing smirk.

“Well,” he drawled, tilting his head, “that was fun to watch.”

I clenched my jaw, my pulse still pounding from what had just happened.

“You were here,” I snapped. “And you didn’t stop her?”

He shrugged, completely unfazed. “Not my fight.”

My hands curled into fists. “Are you serious? You just stood there and let her humiliate my mother in front of everyone?”

He let out a slow breath, as if I was exhausting him. “First of all, my father told me to watch Riley, not babysit her.” His eyes flicked over me, slow and assessing. “And second, how could I stop myself when I was witnessing this?”

I frowned. “This?”

His smirk deepened.

“You.”

I blinked. “What?”

Ryder stepped closer, his movements slow, deliberate. “You. All worked up, fire in your eyes, standing there defending your mother like you were about to burn Riley alive.” He let out a low whistle. “It was hot.”

I crossed my arms, staring him down. “She’s your sister, Ryder. How can you say that?”

He shrugged, completely unbothered. “We have our differences.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “You guys are twins.”

Ryder smirked, leaning against the fountain. “One is brash, and the other is a playboy.” He winked. “Guess which one I am.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh gee, let me think.”

He chuckled. “Relax, Evie. Riley and I don’t exactly have matching friendship bracelets.”

I studied him for a moment, frowning. “Do you even care about what she did back there?”

His gaze flicked over me, unreadable for a second. Then, with a lazy shrug, he said, “Not my fight.”

I crossed my arms, ignoring the way my skin tingled under his gaze. “You could have helped, Ryder.”

His expression didn’t change. “Why would I? You handled her perfectly.”

I shook my head, turning away. “I don’t have time for this.”

But before I could storm off, his fingers wrapped around my wrist, tugging me back just enough for his breath to brush against my ear.

“Relax, Evie,” he murmured. “You won. You defended your mother and you don't need me there. You were sexy, you were beautiful and you were hot when you did it.”

I swallowed, my skin burning under his touch.

Ryder.

Always knowing how to play me.