"Priscilla Jacobs!" Ryan thundered and everyone's head raised up to stare at him in shock and awe. He had just addressed his aunt by her name like a father would when he wanted to scold his daughter. Priscilla blinked confusedly. Even Logan Hayes had flinched. "Excuse me?" Priscilla's brow arched at him questioningly. Her gaze spoke the words that were stuck in her throat. 'How dare you be so rude to me!' Ryan smiled softly and scratched his eyebrow with his hand that wasn't in the pocket of his trousers. He knew there was a connection between those two grinning demons. Lilly must have approached Priscilla because he knew Priscilla would never have known about her existence, and they must have come to an agreement over him like he was some tool for them to use. He had meant to fake his anger towards Priscilla while he scolded her but he realized he didn't have to fake it anymore. He was genuinely angry at her and he couldn't control the flow of words that left his mouth.

Ryan felt like everything that had just happened was a terrible nightmare. Did that evil woman just confess to killing his father? Who else did she kill? His mother? To stop him from ever finding his way back to his wealth? When put together like that, it made solid sense! He felt his fists form into balls of rage and every veins in his body was filled with anger and hatred and also... Fear. But that was just what she wanted and he refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Holding all his emotions inside a bottle, he shut the lid and held it on tightly. His lips curved into a gentle smile. "Priscilla Jacobs... You may have done some... Unthinkable things in the past but you seem to forget something. You are Priscilla Hickson now and I... I am Ryan Jacobs, the one and only heir."Taking a bold step towards her, he glared into her eyes like he meant to kill her with his gaze. "And whatever you have done that you may be thinking you have gotten away with, oh I hate to break

Ryan turned his attention towards the seated ladies. All but one looked excited about the offer. Sarah Johnson didn't seem like she wanted to get close to him at all. He didn't know if he could say Aria was excited, she looked rather anxious than excited and it made him more afraid of the queasy woman. 'What is she up to?' "I think it's a lovely idea." Priscilla spoke for the first time since they gathered at the table. She forced a smile to her face. "The women need to get to know you, indeed and an old spark could be reignited for all we know." Her eyes landed on Lilly, his ex wife. Lilly blushed while snickering foolishly and her gaze fell to her plate. "I also think of it as a lovely idea." "Me too!" Blake added. Her bright eyes were even brighter than before when they first met. If it weren't the stories-- which were actually the truth about her-- that Ryan had heard about her, he would have believed she was a good wife as well. She seemed eloquent with her back straightened

Gathered around the table were four of the most beautiful women in the city-- Lilly included. She held looks to make a man stop and stare-- dressed nicely yet casually. Blake Hathaway was putting on a skimpy floral printed dress-- something others might only feel comfortable wearing if they were alone at home-- but a red heel to match the cherry earrings on her ear clung to her feet. Her hair was always worn down to rest on her shoulders and her face was beautified with make up. She looked just as cheerful as she did when they first arrived and she had engrossed herself with making small conversations with the other ladies around the table. Aria Campbell was also in a dress except lengthier than Blake's. It was a bright orange short sleeved dress that reached down to her knee and a pair of black flats were fastened on her small feet. Her long brown hair that had been let loose the day before was made into a neat ponytail and her features were lightly decorated with make up as well

"There is an event today, I came to tell you that." Logan Hayes broke the silence between them the moment he remembered what he had come in for. Ryan's brow arched. "An event?" "Yes sir. Today, the grandchildren of the Jacobs family are to gather and decide on the prompt of this year's Christmas celebration but there is also Mr Johnson's sixtieth birthday celebration. He willingly asked his daughter to compete to be your bride because our families have been distant friends for a while." Logan Hayes explained.Ryan's eyes squinted. "Distant friend's?" "Yes, young master Jacobs. The Jacobs and the Johnson family got together a few decades ago for business, about five decades ago. Your grandfather and his father. It helped both families grow and both men became accustomed to each other. "Now, Mr Johnson is not very fond of us but he believes that a family worthy of his father's is worthy of his own.""So he doesn't like us but he doesn't hate us either?" Ryan asked with a slight rais