Lacy Knighton had never been so furious in her life. After the humiliation she suffered on her birthday, Alistair Hale hadn't so much as apologized yet and it had been days.
Sure, she saw Aaron arrive with another woman at her party but he always had a date to these sorts of events. She wasn't terribly concerned. Alistair had promised him to her and he had never failed to follow through before.
All of her dreams came crashing down around her when Aaron knelt down and proposed to that wretched woman in front of all of her guests right before her father was about to announce their engagement. They couldn't very well announce it now!
What on earth was he doing?! No one else was fit to be Mrs. Hale but her! She had been training for it since she was a child. She was the most suitable one to stand by Aaron's side.
That redheaded tramp…where did she even come from?
Lacy wanted to march right out there and give her a piece of her mind but her mother held her back. She had an image to maintain, after all. It wouldn't do to go flying in there and destroy someone under the Hales' protection.
What a joke. She was the one who was supposed to be under the Hales' protection.
Once she calmed down enough, the first thing she did was look this woman up online. There wasn't much to be found; she was an incredibly private person. The only concrete bit of evidence she discovered was that Bethany Carlisle was the daughter of a prominent Harvard family in Boston.
No wonder Alistair Hale hadn't bothered to apologize. He was probably perfectly satisfied with this potential daughter-in-law, since she gave their family the opportunity to expend their influence into another major city.
Lacy would not stand for this. She had been waiting to marry Aaron Hale since she was thirteen years old. Nobody was capable of snatching him away from her now. She would find a way to destroy this Bethany Carlisle if it killed her.
The real question was how. Nobody in New York knew a thing about her and despite being a Harvard graduate she didn't really have any connections in Boston who could dig up information.
She had already tried Max, who was generally reliable at these sorts of things, but he surprised her by refusing.
"He's engaged! Let him be already," he said crossly. "You'll never be Mrs. Hale so don't embarrass yourself."
After that conversation she was so furious that she broke an antique crystal vase by hurling it across the room. Max had never refused her before. He couldn't still be delusional enough to believe that they would get married, could he?
Whatever. She didn't need him. She would destroy this woman herself. It would only be a matter of time before she came to New York to plan the wedding. She could make her move then.
Even with a sliver of a plan, Lacy's spirits were low. It had been the worst birthday of her life. Who wouldn't be depressed if the man they loved proposed to someone else at their birthday party?
She tried shopping to cheer herself up but even that didn't work because all of her friends were gossiping about Aaron's fiancée. It made her feel worse so she ended up in a high class bar downtown drinking Manhattan after Manhattan.
"A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be drinking alone. What's on your mind, sweetheart?" a smarmy voice asked from her left.
"Drop dead," Lacy snarled. The last thing she needed right now was being hit on.
"Well that isn't very ladylike. No wonder Aaron Hale doesn't like you."
She glanced up at the man, about to ask him what on earth he thought he was talking about but all words escaped her. He was gorgeous. Dark-haired and tall with a chiseled jawline.
She definitely would have remembered a face like that so he wasn't a part of her social circle. Then how did he know about her and Aaron?
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Graydon Meyer, at your service," he said with a dazzling grin.
Graydon Meyer…who hadn't heard of that name in New York City? He was a rising star in the tech field and had become a millionaire practically overnight after developing a couple of phone apps that made it big. He currently owned his own app development company.
Lacy's circle was made up of old money—people who had been established as wealthy for generations. Of course she had never met this man before. He was the worst kind of nouveau riche; people in high society rejected his kind.
"I've never met you. How do you know who I am?"
He shrugged and ordered a drink before answering. "Word gets around. You and I happen to have something in common."
"And what would that be?" she asked dryly.
She had nothing in common with this playboy at all. She was sophisticated while he was crass. Everyone had heard of his exploits involving models during Fashion Week. They were front page news in the New York gossip rags.
"We've been wronged by the Hales," Graydon said before taking a sip of his drink.
"Aaron's not at fault here," she said defensively. "It's that woman. He'll come to his senses eventually."
She had to believe that. He was cold to everyone, not just her. If he didn't care about her at all he wouldn't go out of his way to insult her at every gathering.
Lacy would have been more concerned if he flat out ignored her. She knew how he worked after years of observations. He ignored those unworthy of his notice. If he responded to you at all it was a good sign.
"Why don't I help you with that?"
Her eyes narrowed. "And how would someone like you be able to pull that off?"
He smiled dangerously. "I have my ways."
She stood and slammed a hundred dollar bill down on the bar to cover her tab. "You're barking up the wrong tree. I'm perfectly capable of winning his heart by myself."
Graydon had the nerve to laugh at her. "Aaron Hale doesn't have a heart. He'll never love anyone, let alone you."
Lacy stormed away in a huff. What did he know? Had he ever even met Aaron? He might not be the warmest person around but no man could resist her charms. She would win him over and prove that upstart wrong.