The moment Nara and Hellen disappeared into the crowd, Keigh felt the weight settle on his shoulders again, heavy, cold, familiar. The hall had emptied enough for the noise to fade into a dull hum, leaving him standing alone at the foot of the stage.
He inhaled once, grounding himself, then turned toward the private suite where he knew his parents would be waiting. The corridor was quiet, every step echoing like a countdown.
When he finally entered the room, his father didn't even look up. He stood by the bar counter, pouring himself a drink with slow, deliberate movements. His mother sat on the sofa, posture elegant but stiff, her expression tight with disappointment.
"Keigh," she said softly. "We need to talk."
He shut the door behind him.
"Yeah," he replied, voice low. "I figured."
His father finally turned, glass in hand. His eyes were sharp, always sharp, like he could dissect Keigh with a glance.
"That stunt on stage," his father began, tone calm in a way that was more threatening than shouting. "Walking away from us? Embarrassing us in front of business partners? Care to explain?"
Keigh clenched his jaw.
"I wasn't going to parade myself as some obedient showpiece. I told you before that I'm not interested in this arrangement with Fiona."
His mother let out a quiet sigh, as though the topic exhausted her.
"Keigh, you're almost thirty. You've been avoiding your social obligations for years. We only want stability for you. Fiona comes from a respectable, compatible family,not..."
"I don't care about 'compatibility,'" Keigh cut in, voice steady but firm. "I don't want her. I never have. And I'm not marrying someone for the sake of your alliances."
His father's expression hardened.
"This is not about romance. This is strategy. Power. Standing. The Alarics are offering partnership...."
"I don't want their partnership,we can definitely do without them" Keigh snapped, startling even himself with the sharpness of his voice.
Silence vibrated through the room.
His mother frowned, softer but still insistent.
"Then at least tell us what is influencing this stubbornness. You've never been this reactive over an arrangement before."
Keigh looked away for a second, thinking of Nara, of her anxious eyes, her quiet strength, the way she laughed when she forgot to guard herself. The thought of his parents dragging her into this mess made something fierce rise in him.
He met their eyes again.
"I'm not explaining myself," he said simply. "But I'm not marrying Fiona. End of discussion."
His father set his glass down with a sharp clink.
"Your behavior tonight makes you look weak," he said. "Running after some woman the moment we step away from you..."
Keigh's eyes narrowed.
"Careful."
His father studied him for a long moment.
"So it is about a woman."
Keigh didn't answer but the silence was answer enough.
His mother folded her hands neatly in her lap.
"Keigh, sweetheart, you're letting your emotions cloud judgment. This girl, whoever she is, she will complicate things. Relationships like that…" She hesitated. "They don't last. What you need is security."
Security. As if Nara wasn't the first person in years who made him actually feel something real. Something grounding. Something that didn't feel like a cage.
His father stepped closer, voice low.
"We are telling you this because we know what's best. You've been drifting, uninvolved, detached. The Alarics will anchor you. Fiona adores you. That girl will do anything for you."
"And that's the problem," Keigh muttered. "She doesn't care who I am. She cares what I represent."
His father's eyes sharpened.
"Whatever fantasy you're entertaining, it ends now. You owe us cooperation. You owe this family."
Keigh lifted his chin, calm and steady.
"I don't owe you my life."
His father's jaw worked, fury simmering beneath the surface.
"Then you leave us no choice."
That sentence landed like a warning.
A threat.
Keigh's gaze didn't waver.
"Do whatever you think you need to do," he said quietly. "But I'm not bending. Not this time."
He turned and walked toward the door.
Behind him, his mother whispered anxiously,
"Let him go. He'll come around…"
But his father's voice followed him out cold, calculated, dangerous:
"He'll learn. One way or another."
And Keigh knew then that this wasn't ending quietly.
Not for him.
Not for Nara.