The news of the Mantel family's chaotic engagement party spread through our social circles like wildfire.
The moment the event ended, a text from my mother buzzed on my phone.
In a private suite at a downtown hotel, my mother wrapped me in a fierce hug, her eyes shooting daggers at my father.

"Ambrose," she said, her voice dangerously low,
"how dare you let my daughter be humiliated like this? Are you tired of your position?"
I squeezed her hand, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Grandpa Orson offered me another match. His name is Cassius Mantel. I quite like him."
My father wiped a sheen of sweat from his brow and sighed.
"He's a nobody, Sloane. An outcast. Why would you choose him?"

I met my parents' confused stares, a small smile playing on my lips as I laid out my plan.
"Grandpa Orson and my grandfather arranged this union. I was always going to marry into the Mantel family, one way or another."
"And Cassius, despite his status, is the most capable of all the young Mantel men. From a purely business perspective, he is the most suitable partner."
I let that sink in before delivering the final, crucial point.

"Besides, he's an illegitimate son. If I marry him, the Thorne family becomes his foundation in the Mantel empire. He'll have no choice but to treat me well."
Now, Seraphina was the toast of the town, a figure everyone fawned over and desperately tried to connect with.
The merger of the Mantel and Vance families was a titan in the making, and everyone wanted a piece of the action.
I had no time for such trivialities.
I was abroad, focused on a critical project my mother had entrusted to me.
Then came the invitation for Grandpa Orson's birthday.
Seraphina sent it personally, following up with a string of phone calls until I had no choice but to accept.
The moment I stepped through the grand doors of the Mantel manor, every eye was on me.
I felt no shame, only a cool sense of purpose as I smiled and handed my gift to the butler.
"What is Sloane Thorne doing here? I thought Jude was with her sister now."
"You haven't heard? After Jude insisted on breaking the engagement, she threw a fit and chose that illegitimate son, Cassius."
"She'd even marry a bastard just to get into the Mantel family? That woman has no shame."
As the whispers swirled, Seraphina made her grand entrance on Jude's arm.
Gone was her usual understated, gentle attire.
Tonight, she was draped in a haute couture gown and so many layers of opulent, flashy jewelry that she looked less like high society and more like a gaudy chandelier.
Spotting me, she glided over, reaching out to take my arm with sickeningly sweet affection.
"Sister! Isn't it just wonderful that we both get to marry into the Mantel family? Out of sisterly love, I'll be sure to have Jude help your… husband… move up in the world."
I almost laughed. She still thought this was about marrying into the Mantel family, didn't she?
Jude clearly thought the same. In his eyes, I was a desperate social climber who would do anything to cling to his family name. He looked at me as if I were something he'd scraped off his shoe.
I had no interest in engaging with them.
I turned to leave, but my eyes caught on a piece of jewelry on Seraphina's wrist: a magnificent emerald bracelet of unmistakable quality.
It was the Mantel family heirloom, a piece passed down through generations, always kept in Grandpa Orson's private safe.
I couldn't believe it was on Seraphina's arm, nearly lost amidst the three or four other gaudy bracelets she had stacked on.
The Mantel heir hadn't even been officially named. What was that bracelet doing on her?
I pointed to it, my voice sharp.
"Where did you get that?"
Jude stiffened for a split second, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.
Seraphina, however, simply stroked the emeralds, her expression shifting into one of practiced innocence.
"Sister, I know this was supposed to be yours. But I'm the one marrying Jude now, so naturally, it's mine."
Jude nodded, his defensiveness returning full force. In his mind, he was already the heir apparent.
What was the harm in letting his beloved wear the family jewels a little early?
"This is a Mantel family heirloom," he snapped.
"I can give it to whomever I please. What business is it of yours?"
He looked me up and down, then took a deliberate step back as if I were contagious.
"And don't think you can use this as an excuse to get my attention. I'll never be interested in you. My heart belongs to Seraphina."
His voice was loud, attracting even more attention.
"Look at her, still trying to get between them. You'd think she'd have some self-respect."
"She seems so poised usually, but I guess she's just as desperate as anyone to marry into money."
Seraphina blushed, playfully tapping Jude's chest.
"Darling, don't be so harsh. We'll all be family soon. You have to promise you'll help them out."
Jude glanced at me, then back at Seraphina, his expression softening into one of doting affection as he pinched her cheek.
"Alright, for you, I'll let it go. But if you ever have any improper thoughts about me again," he warned me,
"don't expect me to be so merciful."
They were lost in their nauseating display when a new voice cut through the air from behind them, cool and sharp as ice.
"My fiancée? Why would she have any 'improper thoughts' about you? Jude, that's a terribly rude way to speak to your future sister-in-law."
Cassius entered, supporting Grandpa Orson by the arm.
A faint smile played on his lips, but his eyes, fixed on Jude, were full of challenge.
Grandpa Orson's gaze landed on the bracelet encircling Seraphina's wrist, and his face instantly turned to stone.
"Who gave you permission to wear that?"
he boomed, his voice radiating an authority that made the air tremble.
"Take it off. Now!"
Seraphina, terrified, fumbled with the clasp and hastily removed the bracelet.
Jude muttered under his breath,
"Grandfather, I just let her borrow it. It's going to be hers eventually anyway, what's the big deal?"
The old man didn't respond.
He simply shot Jude a look that could freeze fire before leading Cassius to the front of the room.
He cleared his throat, commanding the attention of every guest.
"Tonight is not just a celebration of an old man's birthday," he announced.
"We have another joyous occasion to share."
He placed a hand on Cassius's shoulder.
"This is my grandson, Cassius Mantel. In a few days, he and Sloane Thorne will be officially engaged. We hope you will all join us to celebrate."
The room erupted in stunned silence. Eyes darted between me and Cassius, trying to process the tectonic shift that had just occurred.
Jude stood frozen, his face a mask of disbelief.
"Grandfather, what are you talking about? Why would Sloane be engaged to him?"
He gestured wildly at Cassius.
"He's just an illegitimate son, he's—"
"Cassius is my grandson," Grandpa Orson cut him off, his voice like cracking granite.
"He is a Mantel."