Chapter 8

When Vanessa walked out of the bar, her legs were still shaky-it didn't take a genius to guess how wild last night must've been. She crossed the street slowly, dragging her tired body toward John's place. She had to get some answers from Xander. What the hell happened last night? Why did he set her up? And how did she end up in that hotel room... with some random guy? Her phone was dead, so calling was out of the question. Luckily, it wasn't a far walk. About thirty minutes later, she finally arrived. Odd. It wasn't the weekend, but John's whole family was gathered, like they were waiting to hold a tribunal or something. As soon as Vanessa stepped in, Chloe shot up, storming over in a fury. "Vanessa, where were you yesterday? Do you have any idea how much shame you brought on the Hayeses? The engagement party was ruined-we're the laughingstock of the whole town!" Seriously? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Like they didn't already know where she was. If not for them, Xander wouldn't have orchestrated this whole thing. It wasn't until Chloe started ranting that Vanessa noticed the guy sitting close beside her-a handsome young man she didn't recognize. "Peter, I'm so sorry you had to see this side of our family," Chloe gushed, clinging to his arm like she'd melt without him. "Don't get mad. Dad will definitely put her in her place." Well, that cleared it up-so this was Peter Hayes. Vanessa couldn't help but smirk. Looked like this was meant to be some kind of formal scolding. Leaning lazily against the doorway, she glanced coldly over at the people on the couch, raising an eyebrow. "Chloe, if you want the guy, just say so. We're cousins, no need to beat around the bush. A man that doesn't want me? I've got no problem handing him over. Congrats-Peter is all yours." Being disliked was one thing. Being publicly tossed aside like that? Peter could barely contain his anger. What kind of nonsense was that? He wasn't some object she could just give away. She was the one who embarrassed both families by ghosting the engagement party-was she seriously trying to turn this around on him? Even if the Hayes family hadn't really put effort into throwing a proper engagement party, from any angle, Vanessa was still technically the one in the wrong here. But what was with that attitude of hers? "Vanessa, I heard you skipped the engagement party just to mess around with some guy last night. A woman like you-so cheap and shameless-don't you feel embarrassed? And now you've got the nerve to show up here and play the victim?" Peter glared at her, his voice full of disdain. In his mind, Vanessa had always been just a pretty face with no brains. She used to cling to him like a lost puppy, begging him to marry her. He'd had enough of that nonsense a long time ago. And now she was out there hooking up with strangers? What a joke. No parents, no discipline-just a wild stray with no morals. "Peter, you accuse me of sleeping around-then show some proof. You're trying every dirty trick in the book just to call off the engagement. You slander me again, I'll see you in court." Vanessa's whole vibe shifted in a second. The lazy air around her vanished. She raised a brow, her cold stare slicing through him with chilling sharpness. Peter felt a strange pressure bearing down on him-this girl, barely twenty, suddenly carried herself with the presence of someone twice her age. It threw him off. In his years handling the family business, Peter had gotten used to seeing the commanding aura of powerful people. But seeing that kind of energy on someone like Vanessa? It was almost surreal. Was this really the same hopeless airhead he used to know? For a moment, he genuinely wondered if he was talking to a different person altogether. "You totally went out and fooled around-that's the truth! Last night, my mom had Xander..." Chloe started to panic. If Peter didn't end things formally, all her scheming would be for nothing. She was just about to spill everything when Grace shot her a warning look that shut her up instantly. "You saw it yourself? Or wait-are you saying this was your plan all along?" Vanessa subtly led her on, knowing Chloe was the weak link. John and Grace were slick, but Chloe? Dumb as bricks. She was the perfect entry point. "I-that's-" Chloe didn't even get the chance to speak before another voice cut in. "Wow, what's the occasion? Didn't expect to see the entire family here." Xander strolled in from outside, casually throwing Vanessa a thoughtful glance as he passed. Then his lips curled into a wide grin, like none of this chaos was even surprising to him.