Just as I predicted, once I chose Cassius, Grandpa Orson began to pay him serious attention.
Cassius had been brought into the family quietly, kept out of the public eye.
But the old man must have done his own investigation into his forgotten grandson, because he chose his own birthday party to announce our engagement, using the occasion to formally introduce Cassius to the world.

Jude's parents were stunned into silence, the color draining from their faces.
By announcing our engagement at that moment, Grandpa Orson was sending a clear signal to everyone: he was backing Cassius.
In their eyes, I was just the burdensome daughter of my father's first wife, a daughter who didn't even carry his name.
After graduation, my father never brought me into the family business, letting me drift in my own mysterious pursuits.
To them, this was a sign that I was not the Vance heiress.
That's why they had silently condoned Jude's humiliating switch.

An idle socialite versus the designated heiress of the Vance fortune—the choice was obvious.
Jude's father finally recovered from the shock, his hand trembling as he clutched his chest, gasping for air.
Suddenly, Cassius was the center of attention.
Guests who had ignored him all night now flocked to his side, glasses raised. Jude, who had been the golden boy just moments before, was now pushed to the fringes of the crowd, forgotten.

He was seething.
He stomped over to me, his eyes blazing.
"You've only met him a few times! Are you really going to marry him just to spite me?"
Before I could answer, Cassius was at my side, looking down at Jude with an air of absolute superiority.
Cassius wasn't just taller; his presence utterly eclipsed Jude's.
"Did you not understand?"
Cassius asked, his voice deceptively calm.
"Sloane is interested in me. What makes you think she was ever truly interested in you?"
I stepped forward and linked my arm through Cassius's, looking at Jude with a weary sort of pity, as if he were a child throwing a tantrum.
"I've already told you, Jude. I have feelings for Cassius. In my eyes, he's better than you in every conceivable way. Please stop being so delusional."
He refused to believe it.
His gaze was a chaotic mix of emotions as he reached for my hand.
"Sloane, I made a mistake. I regret it. If you'll have me, I'll go to Grandfather right now and tell him you're the one I want to marry."
Beside him, Seraphina's face went deathly pale. She tugged on his sleeve, but he violently shook her off.
I sidestepped his touch, my expression unreadable.
"I'm not interested."
The onlooking guests gasped.
"Is he trying to switch back to Sloane now?"
"Well, they were childhood friends. Maybe his thing with Seraphina was just a fling."
"It figures. The moment he hears Sloane is marrying someone else, he suddenly wants her back."
Seraphina's fists clenched, her face ashen.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she threw herself at Jude, her voice a pathetic whimper.
"Jude, you promised you would marry me! You said you only loved me!"
Jude finally remembered his new fiancée, his face contorting with indecision.
But before he could make another disastrous choice, Grandpa Orson strode over, his face thunderous, and landed a swift, hard kick to Jude's side.
"What do you think you're doing?"
the old man roared.
"Is marriage a game to you? Do you think these young women are fruit at the market that you can just pick up and put down as you please? Who raised you to be so shameless? You are an embarrassment to the Mantel name!"
Jude looked desperately to his parents.
"Mom, Dad, help me! You wanted me to marry Sloane, didn't you? She's only marrying that bastard to get back at me! Once she calms down, she'll regret it!"
Grandpa Orson's face turned a shade of deep purple.
He had just publicly endorsed Cassius, and now Jude was making a complete mockery of the situation for everyone to see.
"What is going on with this family?"
"So who is engaged to whom? Are they going to switch again in a few days?"
Sensing his father's volcanic fury, Jude's father slapped his son on the back of the head.
"You say one more word and I'll break your legs! Now apologize to your cousin and Sloane!"
Even Jude, in his blind rage, could feel the weight of the crowd's judgmental stares.
Under the crushing gazes of his father and grandfather, he grudgingly turned to me.
"I... I had too much to drink. I was talking nonsense. Sloane, don't mind me."
I smiled sweetly and accepted his apology, my eyes drifting to Seraphina, who was biting her lip so hard it was a wonder it didn't bleed.
"You should probably go comfort your fiancée. After a scene like that, I'm sure she's terribly upset."
At my reminder, all eyes swiveled back to Seraphina.
She loved being the center of attention, but not like this.
She shot me a look of pure hatred, gave Jude one last mournful glance, and then turned and fled the manor.