Chapter2

I spent the entire night awake, replaying my father’s call.

When I stepped out of my bedroom on the morning of Christmas Eve, Grayson blocked my path. He held out a small silver box.

"I acted like a complete jerk yesterday," he admitted. "It wasn't fair to you."

He pressed the box into my palm. "Open it."

Inside was a cheesy snow globe of our college mascot wearing a Santa hat. Nostalgic. From a time before he became obsessed with elite circles.

He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "I love you, Briar. Don't give up on us. I actually booked that A-frame cabin upstate for tonight. Just you and me. No networking, no stress. I’m going to cook you a real breakfast, just like I promised."

I looked down at the cheap trinket. Yesterday, he had shattered my dignity for a networking event. Today, he thought a snow globe and a weekend trip could patch it up. I didn't smile, but a tiny, foolish part of me—the girl he had courted freshman year—wanted to see if he could keep just one promise. To see if he would finally choose me.

"Okay," I said, letting out a level breath. "We'll see."

Relieved, Grayson pulled me into a tight hug. "Thank you. I have to run to submit paperwork, but start packing for the cabin. It’s going to be perfect."

He kissed my forehead and hurried out the door.

I stood there, staring at the closed door. The warmth of his hug already felt hollow.

"Did you really fall for that?"

Mia stood by the couch, glaring at the snow globe. Beside her draped the two-thousand-dollar silk gown Grayson bought her for the Formal. In her hand, she held heavy fabric scissors.

"This is between Grayson and me," I said flatly.

"He's pacifying you," she snapped, dropping her sweet facade. "He spent hours planning how to introduce me to the senior executives. He's not spending Christmas with a dead weight."

"He literally just booked a cabin for us," I replied, holding my ground.

Her jaw clenched. A frantic calculation flashed in her eyes.

"He wants to cancel, but he's too soft to do it himself," Mia said quietly. "So I'll give him the excuse."

She plunged the scissors directly into the two-thousand-dollar silk.

She hacked the bodice in three jagged cuts, threw the scissors at my sneakers, and dropped to her knees.

The front door handle clicked. Grayson had forgotten his ID.

The door swung open just as Mia let out a heartbroken scream.

"Briar! No! Why would you do this?!"

Grayson froze. He stared at Mia sobbing over the mutilated gown, then locked onto the scissors resting at my feet.

"What did you do?" he breathed.

"She went crazy, Grayson!" Mia wailed, burying a tearless face in her hands. "She said if she couldn't go to the formal, neither could I!"

"She cut it herself, Grayson," I said instantly.

"Shut up!" he roared.

He shoved past me, dropping to his knees beside Mia. The dress was completely destroyed.

Slowly, he stood up. The apologetic softness from twenty minutes ago was gone, replaced by pure disgust.

"Look at my hands, Grayson," I tried one last time. "I didn't do this."

"You're a psycho," he spat. "I just tried to give you a nice Christmas, and you destroy a two-thousand-dollar dress out of pure, bitter jealousy!"

He leaned in to dismantle my dignity entirely.

"You're a charity case, Briar. You lack the class and connections for elite circles. The cabin trip is canceled. Actually, I’m taking Mia instead. She deserves a real Christmas after what you just did."

Mia sniffled, leaning her head against his leg. He protectively touched her shoulder.

"If you go after Mia again, our relationship is over completely," Grayson said coldly.

I stared at him. I never thought that after two years together, we wouldn't even have the most basic trust. To stand up for her, he would weaponize our relationship and threaten a breakup so easily.

"Okay," I said.

My utter lack of hysteria threw him off. He faltered, confusion flickering in his eyes.

I didn't give him a chance to speak. I walked into my bedroom and locked the door behind me.

I no longer had any feelings left for this relationship.

I pulled a secondary phone from my desk drawer. I opened the only messaging thread: Julian.

Julian Ashford. The man whose family built Blackridge University alongside mine. The man who had warned me that boys exclusively hunting prestige would never protect a girl hiding her crown.

I'm ready, I typed. Tell my father I accept the engagement. Come get me now.

Send.

Just a couple of hours later, the bitter, biting chill of the true Christmas Eve settled over the apartment.

Through the thin walls, I heard Grayson and Mia laughing in the living room, gleefully zipping up their bags. They were heading straight to the A-frame cabin I had been begging to visit for months.

Finally, the front door slammed shut, leaving behind absolute silence.

I stepped out of my bedroom. I had exactly fifteen minutes before my ride arrived.

I pulled out a heavy black garbage bag and walked over to my desk.

First, I found the four handwritten anniversary cards Grayson had given me during our freshman year. Back then, he couldn't afford real gifts. Next to them sat the matching braided leather bracelet I bought at a local winter fair. He used to swear he'd never take it off, until he decided it looked too "cheap" for his new image.

Finally, my eyes fell on the cheesy mascot snow globe he had handed me just hours ago.

I used to treasure these things. Now, they just looked like the cheap props of a two-year scam.

I threw all of these things into the trash bag, tied it tight, dragged it out to the hallway chute, and dropped it in.

It was all over, I thought. I was finally done with the one-sided compromises.

I grabbed my single, sleek suitcase and walked out of the apartment building into the freezing winter air.

A sleek, custom-black Maybach smoothly pulled up, entirely blocking the street.

A uniformed chauffeur instantly scrambled out to open the rear door.

From the backseat stepped a tall, impeccably dressed man in a bespoke charcoal overcoat. He walked directly toward me.

Julian Ashford took my suitcase effortlessly, his gaze locking onto mine.

"Let's go home, fiancée," Julian said.