(Just as Serena decides to erase Damian from her life, her father calls with news that changes everything.)
---
The music inside the private lounge pulsed like a heartbeat—loud, steady, suffocating. Serena walked through the crowd like a ghost, ignoring the laughter, the clinking glasses, the meaningless conversations happening around her.
Damian was still outside, probably finishing his drink, completely unaware that he had just killed something inside her.
For two years, she had shaped her college life around him. And for what? A few smirks, a couple of half-hearted conversations, and the belief that if she just held on a little longer, he’d see her?
She had always been so sure that what she felt for Damian was real. That if she loved him enough, he would eventually realize he felt the same way.
But love wasn’t about effort.
It wasn’t a game of persistence.
And she had been the fool who kept playing while he laughed behind her back.
Never again.
She reached for her clutch, fingers tightening around the smooth leather. She needed to leave before she did something reckless, like throw a drink in his face or—
Her phone buzzed in her hand.
Dad.
Her stomach twisted. Her father, Richard Lancaster, never called unless it was important. And given the time difference—he was currently in Europe on business—this couldn’t be anything good.
She exhaled sharply and answered. “Dad?”
A pause. Then, “Serena. Are you alone?”
She frowned. “No, I’m at an event. What’s wrong?”
Her father sighed, a low, tired sound. “Your engagement.”
The blood drained from her face. “What engagement?”
“If you don’t have someone by graduation, I’ll be arranging a marriage for you.”
Her grip on her clutch tightened. “Dad, that’s ridiculous.”
“It’s practical,” he corrected. “You’re the only heir to Lancaster Holdings. You need a partner who understands the weight of that responsibility.”
Serena’s nails bit into her palm. “You’re telling me this now?”
“You’ve had years to find someone,” her father said evenly. “And all I’ve seen is you wasting your time chasing after a boy who doesn’t even respect you.”
Her throat closed up.
Even her father had noticed.
“I won’t let you run our empire alone,” he continued. “So either find someone you love, or I’ll choose for you.”
Then, before she could argue, he hung up.
---
Serena stared at her screen, her heart pounding in her chest.
A year.
She had less than a year before her father decided who she would marry.
Not out of love. Not out of emotion. But as a business strategy.
---
Her entire life, she had been raised to be the perfect heir.
She could negotiate million-dollar deals before most people even had their first cup of coffee.
She had studied under some of the best minds in finance and business since she was a teenager.
She knew how to command a boardroom, hold her ground against men twice her age, and control an empire.
But she had no control over her own damn love life.
She let out a hollow laugh, the irony of it all settling deep in her bones.
First, she had been humiliated by the boy she had spent years loving.
Now, she was being told that if she didn’t find someone by next year, she’d be married off like a chess piece.
Her vision blurred at the edges, but she refused to let any tears fall.
No.
If tonight had taught her anything, it was that chasing people who didn’t love her back was a waste of time.
If her father wanted her to find love, she would.
But it wouldn’t be with someone like Damian Westwood.
It would be someone who actually wanted her.
And if she couldn’t find that?
Well.
She’d just have to fake it.
---
End of Part 2.
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