EIRA'S POV
I was practically seething with anger.
How could he do that?
How could he threaten to get me fired as though he had no idea why I had come here in the first place?
He knew.
He knew perfectly well that I was only trying to help Tessy. He knew what Peter had done, what I had been trying to uncover, and how desperately I wanted to protect my best friend.
And yet, he had managed to get me fired without a second thought.
My fingers curled into tight fists.
I couldn't believe his audacity. The sheer arrogance of that man was infuriating.
With one last frustrated glance in his direction, I turned to leave.
But before I could take another step, the ballroom doors swung open.
Tessy walked in with a group of her friends, laughing at something one of them had whispered.
She looked beautiful.
She wore an elegant, knee-length champagne-coloured dress, its delicate embroidery catching the light with every movement. The fitted bodice accentuated her waist, while the soft, flowing skirt swayed gracefully around her knees. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in loose curls, and a pair of delicate earrings completed her look.
She looked radiant.
So incredibly happy.
Her smile widened as her friends playfully teased her, and she laughed, completely oblivious to the nightmare waiting just around the corner.
My heart sank.
A dull ache settled in my chest as I watched her.
Tessy... I'm sorry.
I had tried everything I could to find evidence against Peter, but I had failed. I had searched, questioned, and followed every lead I could find.
And yet, I had nothing.
Nothing to show her.
Nothing that could stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
I lowered my gaze.
I'm sorry I couldn't help you.
Meanwhile, Peter's father stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he announced, his voice carrying effortlessly across the ballroom. "First of all, I would like to thank all of you for joining us on this wonderful occasion. Your presence has made this evening even more special for our families."
A round of applause followed.
He smiled before continuing.
"Tonight is a celebration of two wonderful people and the beautiful future they are about to begin together. And now, without keeping you all waiting any longer, may I invite my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Tessy, to join me on the stage?"
The guests applauded enthusiastically.
Tessy's cheeks flushed as her friends nudged her forward, laughing and whispering congratulations.
Clutching a small velvet ring box in her hands, she made her way towards the stage.
She looked almost nervous, but the excitement in her eyes was unmistakable.
I couldn't watch anymore.
There was nothing left for me to do here.
I turned around, intending to leave before the engagement ceremony began.
But just as I took a step—
"And now, I would like to welcome my son, Peter, to the stage!"
Suddenly—
Every light in the ballroom went out.
The music cut off abruptly.
A collective gasp swept through the hall.
"What happened?"
"Why did the lights go out?"
"Is this part of the surprise?"
Confused murmurs spread through the darkness.
Then, a moment later, the enormous screen at the front of the ballroom flickered to life.
And—
The video began playing.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
What...?
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
The enormous screen illuminated the darkened ballroom, casting an eerie glow across hundreds of transfixed faces.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The entire hall seemed to have fallen into a suffocating silence, every pair of eyes fixed on the footage.
The recording appeared to have been taken inside a room.
A door opened.
Peter walked in.
My breath caught.
He looked around briefly before his attention settled on someone sitting on the sofa.
A girl.
She seemed to be waiting for someone, her posture tense.
The moment she turned her face towards him, she froze.
It was Claira.
Her expression changed instantly.
She scrambled to her feet, taking an instinctive step backwards.
Fear flashed across her face.
On the screen, Claira stumbled backwards, tears already gathering in her eyes.
"Please..." she sobbed, her voice breaking. "Please let me go."
Peter's laughter erupted through the speakers.
Cruel.
Mocking.
Utterly devoid of remorse.
"You came here to expose me?" he sneered.
Before Claira could respond, his hand shot forward, tangling viciously in her hair.
A collective gasp rippled through the ballroom.
Tessy's hand flew to her mouth.
"No..." she whispered.
On the screen, Peter dragged Claira across the room, showing no regard for her desperate attempts to break free.
His expression twisted with unrestrained fury.
"You think anyone will believe I'm the father of your child?"
His voice thundered through the speakers.
"I can destroy your reputation in seconds!"
Claira's sobs grew louder.
She struggled against his grip, one hand instinctively moving towards her stomach as though trying to shield the life growing inside her.
My stomach twisted.
My fingernails dug painfully into my palms.
How could anyone be so monstrous?
And then—
Peter reached into his pocket.
A knife appeared in his hand.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Gasps erupted from every corner of the ballroom. Someone stumbled backwards, while several students instinctively recoiled from the screen.
Tessy staggered.
The ring box nearly slipped from her trembling fingers.
Her knees seemed to give way beneath her.
"No..." she whispered again, shaking her head frantically. "No..."
On the screen, Peter raised the blade.
Claira screamed.
And suddenly—
Another figure appeared.
Adrian.
The instant he stepped into the frame, a fresh wave of shocked murmurs swept through the hall.
Peter spun around.
His face contorted with disbelief and fury.
"You!"
Adrian didn't retreat.
He didn't hesitate.
He simply positioned himself between Claira and the raised blade, his expression frighteningly composed.
"Not so soon, my dear friend."
His voice carried through the speakers.
Cold.
Almost taunting.
The next moment, Peter lunged.
But Adrian's fist connected with his jaw before he could get any closer.
CRACK!
The impact echoed through the ballroom.
Peter was sent crashing across the room, blood spilling from his mouth as he struck the floor.
Several students flinched.
My breath lodged somewhere in my throat.
Adrian barely seemed affected.
He advanced towards Peter with the same chilling composure, his movements deliberate and merciless.
Peter struggled to push himself upright.
"You're helping her?" he spat, wiping the blood from his mouth. "No one will believe this!"
Adrian seized him by the collar.
With one sharp movement, he hauled him off the ground and dragged him towards the hidden camera.
"Wake up, Peter."
His voice was dangerously quiet.
"Now smile for the camera."
The recording abruptly ended.
The screen went black.
And for several agonising seconds, nobody uttered a word.
The silence was almost unbearable.
Then—
The ballroom erupted.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Is that actually Peter?"
"Oh my God!"
"He was going to kill her!"
"I knew something was wrong with him!"
Voices collided, accusations flew, and whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.
I barely registered any of them.
My mind was still struggling to process what I had just witnessed.
Adrian had been there.
He had known.
He had—
Suddenly, hurried footsteps thundered down the staircase.
Everyone turned.
Peter came rushing from upstairs, his face drained of colour.
He looked towards the enormous screen, then frantically scanned the crowd.
For a moment, he appeared almost paralysed.
His eyes darted from one face to another, searching for an escape, for an explanation, for someone—anyone—who might still stand beside him.
But there was nobody.
Not anymore.
Then his gaze landed on Tessy.
She was staring at him.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks, one after another, but she made no attempt to wipe them away.
The small velvet ring box trembled between her fingers.
Peter hurried towards her.
"Tessy, listen to me—"
"Don't."
Her voice cracked.
He stopped.
"Tessy—"
"Don't touch me."
The words were barely audible, yet they seemed to slice through the commotion surrounding us.
Peter's expression faltered.
"Tessy, please. I can explain."
She stared at him.
For a moment, it looked as though she couldn't even comprehend the words coming out of his mouth.
Then a broken laugh escaped her.
"Explain?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
"You told me my best friend was trying to force herself on you."
Peter opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"You made me believe she was the one trying to ruin our relationship."
Her voice grew weaker.
"And all this time..."
She swallowed painfully.
"You were doing this?"
Peter took another step towards her.
"Tessy, that video—"
"You threatened a pregnant woman!"
Her voice suddenly rose, breaking through the murmurs surrounding us.
Peter fell silent.
"You were going to hurt her..."
Her breath hitched.
"Your own child, Peter."
The last words emerged almost as a whisper.
And something inside her seemed to shatter completely.
She looked down at the velvet box in her hands.
For a few seconds, she simply stared at it.
The symbol of a future she had once dreamed of.
A promise she had believed in.
Then, with trembling fingers, she flung the box away.
It struck the marble floor and skidded several feet before coming to a stop.
Peter's eyes widened.
"Tessy..."
She finally looked at him.
And whatever he saw in her expression made him go completely still.
There was no affection left.
No trust.
Not even the slightest trace of the love that had once made her look at him as though he were her entire world.
Only heartbreak.
Disillusionment.
And a disgust so profound that she couldn't bear to look at him any longer.
"We're done."
Two words.
That was all.
Yet they seemed to destroy whatever remained of his composure.
Peter stared at the discarded ring box.
Then at Tessy.
His lips parted, but he couldn't seem to find anything worth saying.
And I...
I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.
Tessy had loved him.
She had trusted him.
She had stood beside him, defended him, and dreamed of a future with him.
And he had repaid that trust by threatening her best friend and his own unborn child.
My throat tightened painfully.
I wanted to go to her.
To hold her.
To tell her that none of this was her fault.
To tell her that I was sorry I hadn't been able to protect her from him.
But my feet remained rooted to the floor.
Because suddenly, my attention shifted towards someone else.
Adrian.
He stood near the enormous screen, perfectly still amid the chaos surrounding him.
His expression was unreadable, his shoulders rigid, his jaw tightly set. He seemed utterly indifferent to the commotion around him.
My gaze travelled over his face.
And suddenly, memories came rushing back.
His warnings.
His anger.
The way he had repeatedly tried to keep me away from Peter.
Had he known all along?
Had he been trying to protect us while I stubbornly refused to listen?
My chest tightened.
How much had I misunderstood?
And why hadn't he simply told me?
As though sensing my gaze, Adrian slowly turned his head.
Our eyes met.
My breath caught.
For one suspended moment, neither of us moved.
His dark eyes held mine, giving absolutely nothing away.
No explanation.
No accusation.
Not even the slightest hint of satisfaction at having been proven right.
I wanted to say something, but my throat had gone painfully dry. My fingers curled involuntarily as my heartbeat quickened.
He simply looked at me.
And somehow, that was worse.
Because the person I had accused, the person I had doubted...
Had been protecting us all along.
And I had been too blinded by my own anger to see it.