Kenzie squeezed Hunter's hand back, hoping to convey some strength to him through it, and walked a bit closer to his side.
"It'll be okay, Hunter," she whispered as they neared his father. "I'll be right here, and I'm not going to leave your side no matter what happens with him."
Hunter forced a smile towards Kenzie, squeezing her hand back, hoping she’d understand that he was thanking her.
Slowly, he started to walk towards his father, Kenzie right next to him.
Noah McArthur was a tall, muscular man. He had wrinkles on his face from scowling too much, but he still looked like he was in his thirties despite being in his early forties. The man wore no mask; his eyes bore into Hunter’s, cold as ice, containing no love.
“Noah,” Hunter finally said when he stopped in front of him.
“Son,” Noah greeted him back, nodding his head in acknowledgment. “Still no respect, I see.”
“You reap what you sow,” Hunter shot back, his voice cold.
“Wonderful party, my son,” Noah looked around as he said that, but his eyes went back into Hunter’s soon. “I have held such high expectations of you. You are blessed with a wonderful future, blessed with a luxurious life, yet you run towards what pleases a peasant.”
“I feel really sorry for you, father,” Hunter mocked. “You’ve had your ego, your head so far up in your ass, you can’t even appreciate anything in life. Greed can only get you somewhere. But it can’t get you far enough.”
His father’s eyes turned cold.
“Do not speak with me this way, Hunter McArthur,” Noah said in a cold voice, danger blazing like sirens.
“What’re you gonna do about it? Hit me?” Hunter asked, before frowning and pretending to think. “Oh, wait, sorry, my bad. You’ve already done that, throughout my childhood.”
If Noah was affected by that statement, he didn’t show it. Nobody seemed to listen in on their conversation and gossip— those who knew pretended they didn’t hear. Hunter knew it was only because of their fear of Noah.
Finally, the man’s eyes landed on Kenzie’s.
“This doesn’t seem to be Keira,” the man commented. “But then again, that one died.”
Hunter’s hand squeezed Kenzie’s tightly, but he did not show that the comment bothered him.
“McKenzie Rhodes (I hope I said that right 🤔),” Hunter replied. “My girlfriend. I didn’t really think it was that important to introduce Kenzie to you, but well, Arch convinced me otherwise. Anyway, if you’ll excuse us, I want to have the first dance with my girlfriend.”