Chapter 361: Cry About It, William

I felt my fingers tense up, but Damien looked totally calm, which was so infuriating.

"Oliver isn’t a distraction, and my engagement wasn’t your choice to make in the first place," he said.

"That engagement was set up for the good of this family!"

"Then I’m sure the family will figure out how to cope with the tragedy of my not marrying someone I don’t love."

William’s face turned a shade of red that was quite alarming.

"You’re throwing away everything we’ve built for some scholarship kid who’s clearly just been biding his time to latch on to your money!"

There it was again, I let out an exhausted sigh and rolled my eyes.

The same old accusation, polished by time but just as ugly as I remembered. I had heard different versions of this before, usually from people who thought their financial privilege made their opinions more important than anyone else’s.

Evidently, four years hadn’t improved William’s imagination one bit.

I was about to say something when Damien’s hand gently settled on the back of my neck, his thumb brushing against my skin.

He wasn’t holding me back; he was just there, a reminder that I wasn’t alone.

Something inside me steadied.

"Are you done?" I asked William.

It caught him off guard, and he actually paused enough to look at me properly.

"What did you say to me?"

"I asked if you were finished because I’d like to respond, and I’d hate to interrupt another one of your rants about how unfortunate it is that the world doesn’t revolve around your preferences."

"How dare you talk to me like that?!"

I raised my eyebrows in response. "Would you rather I speak to you like a man I respect? That would require a significant improvement in your character."

Damien’s fingers flexed slightly on my neck, and when I glanced his way, I saw a look that seemed a bit like pride.

William, on the other hand, appeared to have lost all his words.

"You insufferable little—!"

"Careful," Damien interjected, his voice suddenly serious. "You came into my home and insulted my partner. You will not threaten him."

Ignoring the warning, William turned his rage back at me.

"You think you belong here just because he lets you sleep in his bed and drink his coffee, faggot? A few expensive clothes and a comfy apartment don’t make you one of us!"

Faggot?!

Nah, if not of the respect I had for Damien... I was pretty sure my fist would have been in this motherfucker’s face already judging by my temper.

But I held myself back.

I glanced at the coffee table where my mug was next to Damien’s before focusing back on him.

"Honestly, William, if being part of your family means treating people like you treat your own son, I’d rather stay tragically middle-class."

William opened his mouth, but I cut in before he could insult me again.

"You spent years trying to convince Damien that loving me was a mistake, and when that failed, you threatened my fucking career and my father’s treatment until he thought leaving me was the only way to protect us! You turned two people who loved each other into bargaining chips because you couldn’t handle the idea of your son making a choice you didn’t approve of!"

The room fell silent, and even William seemed momentarily lost on how to respond.

"I am not a possession you can buy off, or a mistake you can erase, or some desperate social climber grateful for your family’s leftovers, I don’t a flying fuck about the Lockwood name!" I asserted, holding his furious gaze. "I built my own life even before Damien came back into it, and I’ll keep building it no matter what you think. You can insult my background all day if that makes you feel like a powerful son of a bitch, but it won’t change the fact that your son chose me, and I chose him."

William looked genuinely shocked, as if the scholarship kid-turned-man had just crossed some line by standing up for himself in front of him.

I smiled, but it wasn’t warm.

"And before you threaten my father again, you should remember Damien has already made it clear what happens if either of you tries to use him against us, I’m not interested in your damn money, your approval, or your family name, so you can stop waving them around expecting them to intimidate me."

Evelyn hadn’t said a word through all this.

Her silence was even more unsettling than William’s rage, as she watched me with a cold, calculating expression. When our eyes finally met, she held my gaze with the same contempt she had four years ago, but this time I didn’t look away.

"You seem quite confident," she said finally, her voice low enough that everyone had to lean in to hear.

"I’ve been told it’s a bad habit."

Her lips tightened into a thin line. "Confidence is easy when you have nothing to lose."

"Then it’s lucky I don’t need your permission to keep what matters to me."

For a brief moment, there was a flash of something sharp on her face, as if she had expected me to feel intimidated, defensive, or maybe even plead for her tolerance.

Instead, I stood firmly in the home Damien and I shared, wearing his affection as comfortably as I did his clothes, refusing to act ashamed of either.

William turned back to his son, deciding I wasn’t worth dealing with directly.

"End this embarrassment now, Damien." he demanded. "You’ll dissolve whatever arrangement you have with this boy, and you’ll go through with the Sommers engagement! You have a responsibility to this family, Damien, and I won’t just stand by while you throw everything away because you can’t control your personal life!"

Damien’s demeanor shifted.

The casual amusement vanished, replaced by the cold, unyielding authority I’d seen him use in boardrooms and negotiations. But this time, there was no audience to impress, no justification needed.

"The engagement is over," he stated. "The legal process is in motion, and Isabella has been given the chance to protect her interests. I will not marry her, and I won’t discuss this as if you have any say in my decision."

William looked as though he’d been slapped. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"No."

"Then why are you acting like some rebellious child?!"

"Because, clearly, even after four years, you still haven’t figured out that I can make decisions without your permission."

Damien stepped closer to me, taking my hand, his eyes locked on his father.

"Oliver isn’t just a phase. He’s not a distraction, and he’s definitely not someone I’ll outgrow. He’s the person I love, and the one I plan to build my life with. You don’t have to like him, but you will respect him while you’re in my home."

His tone stayed calm, which somehow hit harder than any loud argument. "If you can’t do that, you can leave."

William just stared at him.

For a few seconds, I genuinely thought he might have a heart attack, his face registering pure disbelief as if gravity had ceased to exist for him.

"You’re telling me to leave?!"

Damien glanced toward the door. "Would you like me to have security escort you out, or can you find your way yourself?"