Darren's eyes locked on his father's face, that same man who had turned his back on his mother, on him and Aria, the moment they were cast out of the Hayes legacy. Not once had he called. Not once had he cared.
And now — this man had the audacity to crash Celeste's birthday celebration.
How dare he?
A Side They Had Never Seen
Celeste and Aria exchanged glances, their eyes wide as they witnessed something new — something cold and sharp like a blade in Darren's gaze.
He took a slow, deliberate step forward.
"You," he said, voice ice-cold, "are the man who abandoned us."
"Not once did you check if we were alive, if we were okay."
He glanced back at his mother and sister, their trembling hands tightening into fists.
"And now, you show up here — on her birthday — like you own this place?"
His tone cut through the murmurs in the hall.
The Hayes family stiffened, the room feeling suddenly smaller, charged with silent tension.
Addressing the 'Family'
Turning his gaze to the group behind his father, Darren's voice sharpened.
"You all had a choice. You chose to cast us out, to erase us."
"But we're still here. Stronger than you thought."
"So if you're here to threaten us, or remind us of the past — save your breath."
"Because the Kairos family isn't going anywhere."
The Message
For the first time, Darren showed his mother and sister the depths of his fire — the ice beneath the calm, the steel beneath the smile.
He wasn't just a smart young businessman.
He was a force.
And no Hayes would forget that.