“I am not fucking being with”—I jab a finger in Blaise’s direction— “that.”
Blaise smirks, lifting his glass and taking a small sip, his eyes glinting with amusement, like he’s enjoying every second of this fucking disaster.
“You’ll do as you’re told,” my dad bites as his face flushes a deep, angry red.
Blaise steps forward now, and I feel my body tense instinctively.
“You made it just in time,” he says as his gaze moves over my outfit, taking it all in.
“In time for what?” I ask, confusion flickering across my face.
Blaise doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he reaches into his pocket, pulling something out and when I see it, my stomach drops, and my eyes widen in disbelief. He flips open the lid, revealing a sparkling diamond ring that glints cruelly under the light.
“It’s our engagement party,” Blaise sneers.
My breath hitches, and my eyes snap to my dad’s. Tears well up instantly as I shake my head, my plea quiet but desperate.
“No—”
“You’ll do as you’re told, Ebony,” my dad repeats, his tone colder now, more final.
“NO, I WON’T!” I shout as my anger flares, wild and uncontrollable, and it makes him straighten, his jaw clenching.
“I’m not marrying that piece of shit! You can’t make me—I’m done!”
I move to push past him, but his hand snaps out, grabbing my upper arm with a brutal grip and yanking me back.
“Ebony!” he growls, the warning in his tone echoing through me, but all I see is red.
“Fuck you, Dad! I fucking hate you!” The words rip out of me, my chest heaving with rage. “How can you do this to me? Your own daughter!”
“Because it’s for your best interest!” he fires back.
“MY best interest?” I scoff. “You mean YOUR best interest.”
For a moment, we’re locked in a battle of furious stares, his eyes blazing with fury while mine overflow with defiance.
“You don’t give a fuck about me!” I croak, the words spilling out now, unfiltered, unstoppable. “This isn’t about me—it’s about business. You’re willing to sell your own fucking daughter off for a deal.”
His chest heaves, his lips part to say something, but I cut him off.
“Mom would never have allowed this. She would have fucking killed your ass for destroying her daughter’s life!”
He loses it suddenly, his hand striking my face with such force that my head whips to the side, my hair falling like a curtain over my stinging cheek. The sharp, metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, and before I can even think, his fingers grip my face harshly, forcing me to look at him.
Tears stream down as I breathe harshly, my chest heaving while his face is inches from mine, his eyes burning with anger.
“Don’t ever talk about your mother like that in front of me again,” he growls. “This is about your future. Your fucking kids'future. Put your selfish, childish bullshit aside and stop living in your little bubble for once. This is reality, princess.”
I don’t say a word, and his grip tightens for a second, then his voice drops to a near whisper.
“You have no future with him, Ebony. He can’t give you what you fucking need. You know that don’t you? It’s all a fucking fantasy. That little cunt is lucky I haven’t blown his kneecaps off with my shotgun already. He’s lucky I love his mom. But love?” He sneers, his breath hot and whiskey infused against my face. “Love isn’t always enough. Not when it comes to my daughter.”
I don’t need him to say the name—I already know he’s talking about Rook.
“You keep this shit up, keep defying me for him, and I’ll do what I’ve always wanted to do.” His grip loosens slightly, his tone chillingly casual now. “I’ll end him. It’s your fucking choice. Choose wisely.”
With that, he shoves my face away and turns, walking off as if nothing happened. I stand there, frozen for a moment, my whole body rigid. Slowly, I wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand before Blaise steps closer, looming over me like a shadow.
