"How about we announce the engagement next month?"
Angelina beamed as she posed the question, her tone cheerful.
The Monteverdes and the Falcons sat together over an extravagant dinner, crystal glasses chiming lightly, silverware glinting under the chandelier's glow.
Evadne could give Hades credit where it was due, he was playing his role of doting fiancé almost too perfectly. His fingers were intertwined with hers on the table, gently playing with them as if the gesture came naturally. He even leaned in now and then with a smile that would have charmed even the coldest of matriarchs.
Anyone watching would have been fooled. Their parents certainly were.
But Evadne wasn't.
Because she could hear it.
Every frantic thought running through Hades's mind.
His voice echoed in her head like a desperate heartbeat.
Panic.
Pretending to be a devoted fiancé was one thing. But the moment their parents talked about making the engagement official, it was like they were nailing the coffin shut. Sure, he and Evadne had agreed, they would play their roles in public, keep up the illusion, but in private? They were free to be with whoever they wanted. Especially in school, where gossip was currency, and reputation could destroy a life.
An announcement would ruin Cieryl.
And Hades, no matter how well he smiled at Evadne, loved Cieryl. She could feel it in the way his thoughts wrapped around the girl's name like a prayer and a curse all at once.
Evadne rolled her eyes.
It was pathetic, really.
She could feel just how deeply he loved Cieryl, yet he didn't have the spine to stand up for her.
He already had five percent of the Falcon Empire's shares. Small by Falcon standards, yes, but to any other family? It was enormous. More than enough to start carving out his own legacy, make his own decisions.
So Evadne could only assume one thing,
Hades was just being greedy.
But then again, she couldn't entirely blame him.
They were still young.
And people their age had a habit of wanting everything, love, power, freedom, without sacrifice.
She could've been his greatest ally.
If he didn't constantly curse her in his head…
If he didn't always blame her for the things he was too cowardly to refuse.
"Mom, can we not do that yet, please?" Evadne pouted sweetly, turning to her godmother with practiced innocence.
"But sweetheart," Angelina began, her voice gentle and coaxing, "wouldn't it be better to announce the engagement early on? Everyone in high society already knows about the betrothal."
Jupiter chuckled, nodding. "Exactly. It's no secret, and formalizing it would only solidify your relationship."
Evadne smiled sweetly, but her attention was on the thoughts swirling in the couple's minds.
Angelina was already planning the event down to the lace on the napkins, she wanted the best designer, the most expensive venue, an unforgettable spectacle.
Jupiter, on the other hand, was mentally listing which Falcon property would make the most appropriate engagement gift for her.
'No. I promised Cieryl there would be no engagement announcement anytime soon. That we'd be free at school. If this goes public, even the school will name her a third party. I can't do this to her. She'll break.'
Hades's thoughts were louder now. More urgent.
Evadne turned to her own parents and tilted her head, eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Do you think so too, Mommy? Daddy?"
Romos smiled gently, nodding. "Actually, hon, we agree with your godparents. But of course… we'll respect your decision."
Romos was thinking of her mental state. Of her struggles.
Evadne had only just returned to New York. And with her condition… if she were to suffer an episode, society would eat her alive. She wasn't like Ceres. Ceres had been sharp as a blade and strong enough to cut down anyone who crossed her. Evadne, though, Romos knew she needed shielding.
A formal engagement to the Falcon heir would do just that. It would send a clear message.
Anyone who dares touch her would be challenging not only the Monteverdes... but the Falcons too.
Still, Evadne wasn't done playing her hand.
Her voice turned soft, like velvet wrapped around a blade.
The same voice she always used when asking something she knew they might say no to. The one that made it difficult to refuse her.
"Well, I was thinking…" she began, gently stroking Hades's fingers as she smiled at everyone. "Since everyone already knows Hades and I are together, and he's already posted about us online, maybe we can delay the formal engagement just a bit? A few years, perhaps?"
She tilted her head, squeezing Hades' hand just enough for their parents to see.
"We're still both eighteen," she continued. "Barely legal adults. I'd really love to spend more time getting to know each other, without pressure from our families or anyone else."
She made sure to emphasize I. Not we.
Because if she said it was both of them, his parents would turn on him with relentless pressure.
And Evadne wasn't that cruel.
Not yet.
Their parents exchanged glances.
Evadne already knew what that meant, just a little more push, a little more sweetness, and they'd cave.
In her eighteen years of existence, she could count on one hand the number of times they'd actually said no to her, and only when it concerned her safety.
And postponing a formal engagement announcement?
That was hardly a danger.
"It's my engagement," she began softly, with a gentle insistence in her tone. "I want to be hands-on with the preparations. I want it to be perfect, even down to the smallest detail. I don't want something rushed."
Her voice trembled ever so slightly, deliberately, tapping into the sentimentality of the table.
"I skipped my debut for a reason… not everyone I love and care for could travel to France to attend. But I want my engagement, especially my wedding, to be grand. Everyone important to me should be there."
She pulled out her phone, checking her calendar in full view. "So… how about we set the date of our engagement on my twenty-fifth birthday? That gives us time to plan something truly special."
Then, flashing a dazzling smile, she added, "We can send out the invitations next month, both printed and digital. That way, everyone has years to prepare. No excuses. And if someone still doesn't show up…" She gave a playful shrug. "I reserve the right not to speak to them for a full year."
Beside her, she felt Hades's mind whisper through the mental noise.
'Push a little more, Evadne… you're almost there.'
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He really had no shame.
She turned on the charm even further, her smile growing sweeter as she looked at Cielo and Angelina.
"Mommy, Mom," she cooed. "I know you'll understand me. This isn't about how much the event will cost. It's about the sentimental value. Men may not understand how important it is for us women to be involved in these milestones. To look back and know it turned out beautifully because we poured our hearts into it. Because every detail, every single one, has a memory attached to it."
Then she turned her eyes toward Romos and Jupiter, soft but persuasive.
"And Daddy, Dad, if you're worried about making our engagement public, don't be. Hades and I will be each other's date at every private and public family and business event. Isn't that already a semi-formal way of showing our relationship to the world?"
Before they could argue, she added a final stroke, bratty, spoiled, and perfectly timed.
"And one more thing, I want a one-of-a-kind engagement ring. My design. No matter how expensive it is, it won't feel right if it's not mine. It'll feel… incomplete. So no. I don't want a rushed engagement party. You can force me… but I won't be happy."
That was it.
That phrase, I won't be happy, was the final nail in the coffin. The checkmate. The kill shot.
Because despite all their flaws, despite all their mistakes and manipulations, Evadne knew one thing had always been true…
Her happiness, and her safety, were sacred to them.
A heavy sigh passed around the table.
All four adults looked like they had just been taken hostage by the softest, most spoiled criminal in the room.
"You know…" Cielo murmured after a pause, still wistfully thinking about the grandeur of what could've been, "Vee's right. It is their engagement. They should have the final say."
"Sorry for getting ahead of ourselves, sweetheart," Angelina added with a warm smile, though Evadne could sense the disappointment beneath. "We didn't mean to pressure you."
"So let's agree," Jupiter said gently, "Your engagement will be on your twenty-fifth birthday."
Romos gave a small nod, lips curved in a tired smile.
"Thank you. I love you all," Evadne said sweetly, folding her hands over her chest with exaggerated affection. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she added, "But I know you love me more… so it's a given you wouldn't say no to me."
That earned a round of chuckles from the adults in the table, the tension dissipating into amusement.
Evadne leaned back in her chair, victorious behind her practiced smile, while Hades sat silent, relieved, impressed, and maybe just a little afraid.
It was easy to forget, in that moment, that behind every charming smile Evadne wore was a steel spine and a mind sharp enough to bend titans to her will—without them even realizing they had bowed.