Bang!The doors to the event room burst open."Something happened to Lydia!" a man shouted as he stumbled in, panic all over his face.The words hit like a bomb.The room—decked out in flowers, ribbons, and romantic music, buzzing with excitement over the proposal—instantly went still.The man in the spotlight, still down on one knee, ring in hand, spun around in shock."What did you just say?"Quade Zimmer, his blue-dyed hair as loud as his voice, blurted, "Mrs. Lancaster just called—Lydia's been in a car accident! She's at the hospital right now!"The words had barely left his mouth before chaos erupted—chairs scraping, heels clacking, people rushing for the door.It wasn't an exaggeration to say Lydia Wallace was the it girl of their circle—beautiful, talented, fragile in that heartbreaking way that made people want to protect her. Everyone adored her, pitied her, worshipped her.And now that their goddess was hurt?No one had the heart to keep celebrating a proposal everyone already knew the answer to.Even the guy proposing dropped everything and bolted."Jasper—"The voice that called his name came from behind—soft, barely more than a breath.That was when everyone finally realized: the woman being proposed to hadn't said a single word this whole time.Somebody must've hit the lights in the chaos, because the room dimmed. The only glow came from the soft wall lights.In the corner, half in shadow, half in light, stood Claudia Lancaster. Her beauty wasn't the sweet, gentle kind—it was sharp, striking, unforgettable.But right now, her calm was unnerving. Her expression gave away nothing."You don't want to hear my answer?" she asked quietly.Just a minute ago, Jasper Fenton had asked her to marry him.Now, halfway out the door, he froze.He didn't even try to explain. "Claudia, I'm sorry. I have to go to the hospital. Go home first, okay?""What if I don't let you go?" Her voice stayed steady. "Jasper, you know I hate her."Jasper sighed, exasperated. "Claudia, not now. This isn't the
