My Brother's Amberclaw Command

Veronica let out a loud scoff for everyone to hear. "If she had any dignity, she wouldn't still be standing here. She's been officially dumped, and she still has the nerve to show up at her ex's engagement party. Does she have any shame at all?"

The whispers grew louder.

Some snickered, others shook their heads. Many looked at me with a mixture of pity and contempt.

Every glance was like a knife, every laugh like salt on my open wounds.

An older woman sighed and said, "Young girls these days have no sense of propriety."

Another man chimed in, "Exactly. He's made it clear he wants nothing to do with her, yet she's still clinging on. It's so embarrassing."

I wanted to argue, to tell them the truth. But my throat felt locked, and not a single word would come out.

Just then, Veronica's expression changed. Her eyes lit up with excitement. She looked almost ecstatic, as if she had just won the lottery.

"Oh! I almost forgot—I have the most incredible news to announce!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chatter and capturing everyone's attention. "Everyone, I have something thrilling to share with you all!"

The ballroom quieted down, and all eyes turned to her.

She raised her glass, her smile radiant. "Our Sterling family is about to enter a landmark partnership with the Amberclaw Group! And I will be marrying its CEO, Shane Amberclaw! The wedding is next month!"

The room erupted in a chorus of murmurs.

The Amberclaw Group was the top conglomerate in New York. Its CEO, Shane Amberclaw, was a business legend, his name spoken with a sense of awe.

Guests swarmed Veronica, congratulating her, flattering her, desperate to get a piece of this connection.

"That's incredible!"

"Congratulations!"

"Veronica, you're so lucky!"

Greed flickered in Wesley's eyes. He immediately abandoned Cassidy and strode toward Veronica. "This is fantastic news! Veronica, if you need anything at all, Sterling Holdings is ready to assist!"

Everyone crowded around Veronica, praising her, fawning over her, as if she were now the most important person in the room.

No one looked at me anymore.

I stood alone in the corner, completely forgotten. It was as if I didn't exist.

Their snobbery and cold-heartedness were on full display.

"Renee, this is a happy occasion for the Sterling family," Wesley said coldly, without even looking at me, his tone a warning. "Behave yourself. Don't make a scene here."

I looked at Wesley's excited expression and how he unabashedly flattered Veronica. A deep chill ran through me.

This was the man who had once sworn eternal loyalty to me.

When it came to his own interests, he couldn't even be bothered to pretend anymore.

"I'm not making a scene," I said coldly. "The engagement is off. There's nothing between us anymore, and it's perfectly reasonable for me to refuse your arrangements."

Wesley's head snapped toward me, his expression darkening. "Renee, are you jealous or something? You can't stand to see others doing better than you, can you?"

"Jealous?" I couldn't help but laugh mockingly. "Jealous of what? Your sham of a relationship, or your blatant business transaction?"

The guests immediately started whispering again, their gazes shifting to me.

"What did you just say?" Cassidy snapped. "Renee, you're crossing a line!"

"Pushing my luck?" I scanned the room, looking at the well-dressed people around me. "I'm just telling the truth."

"You're calling us a sham?" Wesley strode toward me, his eyes filled with a warning. "Renee, your behavior tonight has been a huge disappointment. You're just jealous that I found someone who's right for me, jealous that my life is better than yours!"