Ryzel, the very reason behind this entire mess, lounged comfortably on his VIP couch, a smug grin playing on his lips.
He reveled in the chaos unfolding before him.
He liked this.
He enjoyed watching women fight over him.
But then, his smirk vanished.
Because across the room, he caught sight of Ceres.
And she was walking straight toward them.
Beside her, Diana wore an unimpressed, tight-lipped expression, while Zeus remained composed as ever, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
Following closely behind them were several members of Zeus's group.
As they neared, the bouncers were still struggling to restrain Ciena, who continued her hysterical outburst.
"Sissy, calm down," Ceres urged gently, attempting to pacify her enraged half-sister. "We can talk about this properly."
But the moment Ciena heard Ceres's voice and saw her standing there, her fury escalated.
Without a second's hesitation, Ciena slapped her.
The sharp sound echoed through the club.
Gasps filled the room.
"What the fück, bitch?!" Diana exploded, eyes blazing as she took a step forward.
"Ciena! Why did you do that?!" Nissan demanded, staring in shock at their elder sister.
"Love," Zeus was immediately by Ceres's side, concern etching his features as he gently cupped her face, checking for any sign of injury.
"I'm... I'm fine," Ceres murmured, still visibly stunned by the slap.
"Of course, you're fine!" Ciena spat, her voice shrill with accusation. "Because this was all part of your plan!"
The murmuring among the onlookers grew louder.
"Sis, I don't understand what you're talking about," Ceres said, her voice laced with sadness, eyes shimmering as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Oh, drop the act, Ceres! Stop pretending!" Ciena seethed. "You pretended to want to throw me a bachelorette party, but in reality, you just wanted me to see this! Because you planned all of this!"
A fresh wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.
"I know you knew Ryzel was going to be here," Ciena accused, eyes blazing. "Because there's no way he and his friends would've been allowed inside if you hadn't let them in!"
"Hey, Ciena." Diana's voice, though low and steady, carried an unmistakable warning. "You better stop talking before you regret every word that leaves your mouth."
"You... you bitch!" Ciena shrieked at Diana. "You two planned this together with your little minions! Because you're both manipulative witches!"
"Sis, please don't say that," Ceres's voice cracked with emotion. "You can insult me, but don't drag my friends into this. They did nothing wrong. If you want to blame someone, then blame me."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought them back.
"Yes, I knew about Ryzel's bachelor's party," Ceres confessed. "I overheard that Rafael and his friends were going to throw him a surprise one. But when I found out they planned to take him to a strip club, I asked Rafael to change the venue."
Gasps rippled through the audience as Ceres continued, her voice steady despite her pain.
"I was thinking of you, Ciena. I didn't want you to be hurt if you found out Ryzel had gone to a strip club just before your wedding. So I suggested they do it here instead, somewhere more decent, and they could invite anyone they wanted. And yes, I really wanted to throw you a bachelorette party because your big day is coming up, and you still didn't have one. So when Rafael messaged me that they were inside, I told you I'd throw one for you."
Ceres inhaled shakily, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I knew you wouldn't enjoy it if it was just my friends. So I thought... if your party and Ryzel's party were combined, maybe... maybe you'd be happy."
Silence.
Then, hushed whispers.
The crowd murmured about how ungrateful Ciena was for lashing out and hitting Ceres when all she had done was try to make her happy.
"You're such a liar!" Ciena screamed, her rage reaching its peak. "You just want to ruin my wedding! You want to ruin my life!"
She thrashed against the bouncers holding her back, and in a burst of raw fury, she broke free.
A murderous gleam flashed in her eyes as she lunged toward Ceres, hand raised, ready to slap her again.
But before she could strike...
Zeus swiftly pulled Ceres behind him, shielding her with his body.
And before Ciena's hand could even swing down...
A loud slap cracked through the air.
But this time, Ciena was the one who got slapped.
The impact sent her reeling back in shock.
And when she finally looked up...
It was Ryzel who had hit her.
A stunned hush fell over the entire room.
Still in disbelief, Ciena's eyes met Ryzel's.
Her lips parted, trembling. "R-Ryzel..."
But what she saw in his gaze was not affection.
It was pure, unrestrained fury.
And before she could react, Ryzel grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back.
"Don't you fücking dare lay a hand on Ceres again," he growled, his voice venomous, his grip merciless.
Then, with a harsh shove, he let her go, sending her staggering backward until she collapsed onto the floor.
"What the hell, Ryzel?!"
Gideon immediately shrugged off his jacket.
He knelt beside Ciena, draping it over her shoulders to cover her now-exposed underwear, a result of her torn dress.
"The catfight was one thing," Gideon said darkly, his sharp glare directed at Ryzel. "But manhandling a woman... fiancée or not... is another thing entirely."
He gently tried to help Ciena stand, but instead of showing gratitude, she yanked her shoulders away from him and shot him a glare filled with pure hostility.
The onlookers, who had initially shown concern, were now watching with disdain. Ciena's rude behavior toward Gideon, who had done nothing but help her, only added to the growing distaste in the air.
Her lack of self-awareness was staggering, but she didn't seem to care.
"Are you serious, Ryzel?!" she screamed, her earlier fear completely replaced by anger. "You're defending her over me?! That woman orchestrated this entire thing! She's trying to destroy us! Can't you see that?!"
"She's not the one ruining 'us,' Ciena!" Ryzel shouted back. "Because there was never an us to begin with!"
Gasps echoed across the club.
The room fell into complete silence.
"Have you forgotten our agreement?" Ryzel asked mockingly, his drunken slur making his words even more venomous. "All we ever had was sex!"
"Sex?! Sex?!" Ciena let out a hollow laugh, her body trembling with rage. "We're getting married at the end of the month, and you're telling me it was just sex?!"
"Because that was the plan all along!" Ryzel snapped, his intoxicated state stripping away all filters from his mouth. "Didn't you tell me to break up with Ceres? Didn't you convince me to call off our engagement so she'd come crawling back to me? So she'd beg me not to leave?! You were so damn sure she would! You swore she'd do anything I said!
"But what happened?! She didn't even care!
"And who was it that told me to flaunt another woman in her face? To prove that I could replace her any time I wanted?! That's why I proposed to you! Because that was part of the plan... to make her jealous! The engagement was nothing but a show!
"And now?! Now, because I listened to you, she's engaged to another man!
"This is all your fault! So I'm ending this right here, right now. There will be no wedding because that was never part of the real plan!"
The stunned silence that followed was suffocating.
Every pair of eyes in the room was on Ciena.
Even Ceres had never expected this... that it had been Ciena's idea all along.
Diana was the first to break the silence. She turned to Ciena, her voice dripping with disgust.
"What a fucking revelation," she spat. "Wow. You're an even bigger snake than I thought."
Ciena's face turned ghostly pale.
Diana took a step closer, her voice laced with pure contempt.
"Not only did you manipulate Ryzel into breaking up with Ceres, but you lied to Uncle Romos and Aunt Cielo about your father being dead just so they'd have no choice but to take you in.
"You bit the very hands that fed you.
"And after all of that, you still have the audacity to play the victim? To act like we're trying to sabotage your life when you've been doing that to everyone else from the start?
"You tricked everyone. You wrapped them around your little finger.
"But you know what? Maybe we should be thanking you for Ryzel and Ceres' breakup," Diana said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Because if you hadn't pulled that manipulative stunt, my best friend might have never found real happiness."
She crossed her arms, her smirk widening.
"So, congratulations, Ciena," she sneered. "You actually did something right for once."
The words hit like a slap. Ryzel, who had been glaring at Ciena, shifted his gaze toward Ceres. She still stood behind Zeus, her expression unreadable. But something in her eyes made his stomach twist painfully. The anger in his features wavered, replaced by a mixture of regret and longing.
"Babe, I'm sorry." Ryzel's voice cracked, raw with desperation. He took a step forward, reaching out as if to touch her... to bring back what he had lost.
He never got the chance.
Zeus moved faster than anyone could react, throwing a brutal punch straight to Ryzel's face. The impact sent him crashing onto the club floor, groaning in pain.
"You fücking stay away from my woman," Zeus growled. His dark eyes burned with fury as he pointed at Ryzel. "I warned you before... I won't hesitate to break your face again."
Zeus turned away, his hand finding Ceres's wrist with a possessive yet gentle grip. "This party is over!" he announced, his deep voice cutting through the stunned silence of the club.
His gaze landed on Rafael. "Send her home," he ordered, nodding toward Ciena without sparing her a second glance.
Rafael gave a curt nod, understanding the unspoken command. Ciena, who had been frozen in place.
Diana, still brimming with satisfaction, grabbed Nissan's hand and tugged her toward the exit. "Let's go," she muttered, not even bothering to look back.
Zeus wrapped his arm around Ceres's shoulders, guiding her toward the door with a quiet, protective strength. As they walked, she glanced back at Ciena, who stood motionless.
Ceres tilted her head slightly. Slowly, deliberately, she smirked... making sure Ciena saw it.