He Revealed a Secret Son, So I Swapped Grooms Instead Chapter 03

He Revealed a Secret Son, So I Swapped Grooms Instead Chapter 03

The ballroom fell silent.

But Desmond’s friends looked thrilled.

The man in the floral shirt whistled.

“Looks like Desmond’s really pissed.”

“Miss Hastings, you can drop the tough-girl act.”

“Once Desmond loses his temper, nobody can talk him down.”

Another man laughed.

“You could’ve just backed down. Why drag it this far?”

“Women like you need to be put in your place.”

I looked at Desmond.

“What are you trying to do?”

Desmond walked toward me, one slow step at a time.

“You know exactly what I’m doing.”

“The engagement stays on.”

“And the Hastings-Prescott partnership stays put.”

I stared at him coldly.

“You can’t give up the Hastings family’s resources, and you can’t give up Nora and her son.”

“So you want both?”

He didn’t deny it.

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Claire, you’re not a little girl anymore. How many marriages in our world are actually clean?”

“You want the title of Mrs. Prescott and everything that comes with it—fine, it’s yours.”

“Nora wants me. She can have me.”

“Those two things don’t conflict.”

I looked at him and felt like I was seeing a stranger.

And he disgusted me.

“They don’t conflict?”

“Desmond, you’ve never once treated me like a person.”

“To you, I’m just a resource package with the Hastings label on it.”

His brow furrowed.

“Don’t make it sound so cheap.”

I laughed. “Fine. Let me put it more politely.”

“You don’t meet the Hastings family’s standards for this marriage. You’re out.”

Desmond’s eyes darkened.

“Say that again.”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“I don’t agree to continue this engagement.”

“And the Hastings family isn’t desperate enough to chain its daughter to a man who can’t keep his pants zipped and already has a bastard son waiting in line for the family fortune.”

“If you’re so sure of yourself, go tell your Grandpa the truth.”

Desmond suddenly laughed. The smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“You think running to Grandpa finishes me?”

“Claire, you’re too naive.”

He raised a hand.

A bodyguard beside him pulled out a video camera.

Its dark lens pointed straight at me.

My heart lurched. I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what he was planning.

Sure enough, his next words confirmed it.

“Claire, I know you think you got a raw deal because I have a son.”

“Easy fix.”

“If I’ve got something on you, we’re even.”

My stomach churned.

“Desmond, don’t you dare cross that line.”

He stared at me, his voice low.

“I’m just teaching you a lesson about reality.”

“Once we’ve got something on camera tonight, you think you’ll still run to Grandpa?”

“You think the Hastings family will still walk away?”

“And then, you’ll have no choice but to marry me.”

Nora stood behind him, her face pale.

She spoke softly, “Desmond, this isn’t right.”

Desmond sighed, playing the gentle protector.

“Nora, you’re too kind.”

“Someone like her won’t back down unless you show her what happens when she pushes too far.”

Then he gave the order.

“Get her phone.”

Vernon’s men immediately stepped in.

But they were outnumbered.

The Prescott guards overpowered them and pinned them to the floor.

Two men grabbed Vernon and held him back.

He still fought against them.

“Desmond! If you lay a hand on Miss Hastings today, there’s no coming back from this—for either family!”

Desmond smiled.

“Once we’ve something on her, the Hastings family will be more afraid of the scandal than I am.”

A moment later, one of the guards lunged for my phone.

I gripped it so hard my nails bit into my palm.

Then the phone was ripped away and slammed onto the floor. The screen shattered.

Two guards grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me toward a nearby lounge.

I fought back, kicking one of them off me.

“Don’t touch me!”

Desmond stood beneath the lights, his expression cold.

“Claire, you brought this on yourself.”

The camera light came on. The lens slowly moved closer to my face.

My blood ran cold.

I’d never imagined anyone could sink this low.

To protect his place as heir.

To swallow up the Hastings family’s resources.

He was willing to stoop this low to force me into line.

Vernon’s eyes went bloodshot.

“Miss Hastings!”

I gritted my teeth and kicked another guard away.

A hand cracked across my left cheek.

I crashed hard onto the floor, my forehead slamming against it.

Pain shot through my head.

Just as they raised the camera and closed in on me, a deafening crash came from the doorway.

An old man walked in, gripping a cane with a carved eagle’s head.

“You damn fool. What do you think you’re doing?”

The moment Desmond recognized him, all the color drained from his face.