The air in my parents' living room was thick with cigar smoke and fury. My father paced like a caged animal, my mother perched on the edge of her chair with her pearls clutched tight in one hand as if they could strangle me from across the room.
Jeslyn stood by the window, arms crossed, her jaw so tight I half-expected her teeth to crack.
And me?
I lounged back on the velvet sofa, one ankle crossed over the other, sipping a glass of water like it was champagne. I smiled, because I knew smiling drove them insane.
"You've humiliated us, Raine." My mother's voice dripped with acid. "Do you have any idea what you've done to this family's name? To my name?"
I tilted my head. "You wanted me married. Now I'm engaged. Seems like a win to me."
Her face flushed a dangerous red. "Don't you dare mock me! Don't you dare pretend this is legitimate! Adrian Throne is a vulture. He's been circling us for years, waiting for the perfect chance to sink his teeth in. And you…." her voice broke with disgust "God you've handed yourself to him on a silver platter."
"Better than handing myself over to a cheater, who cheated on me with my own sister no less." I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended.
Jeslyn spun around from the window. Her eyes were blazing, bitter, dripping with something uglier than anger—jealousy. "Don't you dare drag me into this. Don't you dare make this about anyone but your pathetic choices."
I laughed, cold and cruel. "Pathetic? Remind me again quickly who was on their knees for my fiancé while I was out planning a wedding?"
Her face snapped like a whip, but before she could strike back, my mother slammed her hand on the coffee table.
"Enough!" Her voice was sharp enough to rattle the glass in my hand. She turned her fury on me, her gaze cutting like a blade. "You've always been trouble, Raine. Always. Do you think your grandfather handed you this company out of love? No. He handed it to you to test you. And mark my words, when you fail to secure a proper marriage, that company will pass to Jeslyn, just as it should have being from the very start."
The words sliced straight through me. My grip on the glass tightened. "What?"
My mother leaned forward, eyes burning. "You think you're special? You think you're worthy of his legacy? No. You are a placeholder. The will was clear. If you are not married within a month, the company defaults to Jeslyn. And you will be left with nothing."
The room tilted, the ground yanked from under me. For a heartbeat, I couldn't breathe. My chest locked tight, panic clawing at the edges.
Jeslyn's smile was venomous. Sweet and smug. She savored the words like wine.
"Face it, Raine," she sneered. "You were never meant to lead. Grandfather just wanted to watch you fail. And now you have."
I stood, my water slamming onto the table hard enough to slosh. My hands shook, but I forced my voice steady. "I will not fail. Not this time."
My phone buzzed. I glanced down, ready to ignore it but Adrian's name lit the screen.
My stomach dropped.
Jeslyn arched a brow. "Who is it? Your knight in shining armor?"
Without thinking, I answered—on speaker.
And Adrian's voice filled the room, deep, low, and commanding.
"Raine. Pack your bags. You live with me now."
The silence that followed was deafening. My father's face turned to stone. My mother's lips parted in horror. Jeslyn's smug smile faltered, the first crack of fear breaking through her mask
And me?
I felt my throat close. Because this wasn't a request. It was a decree.
My prison door had just slammed shut.
And the worst part?
Some twisted, traitorous part of me wanted to see what the inside of Adrian Throne's cage looked like.