While the younger generation remained at the main table, caught in their own web of tensions, the parents slipped away to a secluded corner of the restaurant, hidden behind a thick velvet curtain. The warm hum of the dining room seemed distant here, almost irrelevant, swallowed by the quiet intensity that immediately filled the space.
Harold Reyes, Xander's father, leaned forward, elbows resting on the polished wood, eyes narrowed.
"We need to finalize the dates. My father insists on London. No delays, or the press will sniff around every detail."
John Hollingsworth, Amaiyla's father, swirled his glass slowly, eyes sharp and calculating. "Destination doesn't matter. What matters is absolute control. Limited invites. Only key families. Not a whisper in the press."
Harold's lips pressed into a thin line. "And the contract?"
John lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper, glancing around the empty corner. "Everything is drafted, yes. But there's a clause they haven't seen. A clause neither Xander nor Amaiyla suspects exists." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Once invoked… it changes everything. Lives. Careers. Everything they hold dear."
Harold's brow furrowed. "And they don't know?"
"Not a clue," John replied. His voice was calm, almost chilling. "They think this is about choice. But it's about control. And once this clause is triggered, the fallout will be—total."
A shadow passed over Harold's face. He spoke in a low, tense tone. "Ten years ago… do you still remember, no one can ever find out. We need to make sure these two stay in line and do as they are told."
John jaw tightened. "How could I forget? That day could have ended us and it still can if anyone were to find out. Careers destroyed, reputations ruined… lives lost. And yet here we are, negotiating an engagement like it's a business luncheon."
Harold's hand trembled slightly as he set his glass down. "If anyone ever connects the dots…"
John leaned in, his voice dropping even lower, heavy with intent. "That's exactly why we must be meticulous. Every detail. Every clause. Every loophole sealed. This wedding cannot fall apart. And when it's done, the clause will be the final —silent, invisible, inescapable."
Harold swallowed hard. "It's… dangerous."
John's lips curved in a faint, almost cruel smile. "Danger is necessary. Love is irrelevant. Loyalty is optional. Obedience is mandatory. Once the clause is invoked, not even the innocent will be left unscathed. One wrong move… and everything they hold dear—destroyed. Gone."
Harold's voice dropped to a whisper, dark and serious. "And the press? The scrutiny?"
John's eyes gleamed with cold certainty. "By the time the world notices, it will be too late. The clause binds more than property, more than finances. It binds their very lives to the arrangement. One mistake, one defiance, and history—our history—has a way of repeating itself."
Harold exhaled slowly, tension coiling in his shoulders. "Then we proceed. Dates, invites, destination—sealed. And when the time comes, the clause will ensure compliance… and consequences no one will anticipate."
John nodded, finishing his wine with deliberate calm. "Perfect. They will never see it coming."
The two men sat back, eyes locked for a moment, each weighing the gravity of the past and the possibilities of the future. The air between them was thick with secrets, ambition, and unspoken threats. Outside the curtain, a celebration appeared, a wedding. Here, it was a battlefield—a dangerous game with no room for error, where mistakes were paid for in blood.
And in that quiet, shadowed corner, one truth lingered: the young adults at the main table had no idea how fragile their world really was… or how soon it could collapse.