Chapter 14: Who you belong to

Aurora's POV

The car rolled to a smooth stop, its tinted windows shielding me from the chaos outside. I didn’t know where we were going until the heavy bass of music vibrated through the ground beneath my heels. Lord Logan stepped out first, his tall frame cutting an intimidating figure under the dim glow of neon lights. He extended his hand toward me, his expression unreadable as always.

“Come,” he said simply.

My heart pounded as I placed my hand in his. The instant our skin touched, an electric tension surged through me part fear, part something I refused to name. He guided me out, and the chill of the night air hit me like a slap before we descended a narrow flight of stairs.

The door at the bottom creaked open to reveal an entirely different world an underground casino buzzing with life. Crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over velvet draped walls. Men in tailored suits and women in glittering gowns crowded around poker tables and roulette wheels, their laughter mingling with the clinking of glasses. The scent of expensive cigars hung thick in the air, and something darker lurking beneath the glamour.

Logan’s grip on my waist tightened as we walked in, as if he sensed my urge to bolt. Eyes turned to us immediately. Whispers rippled through the crowd like wind over water, their sharp gazes assessing me with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. I could practically hear their thoughts: Who is she? Why is she with him?

“They’re all… staring,” I muttered under my breath.

“Let them,” Logan said coldly, his deep voice slicing through the music. “They need to know who you belong to.”

Belong? The word sank into me like a stone in water. My pulse quickened, but I said nothing.

As we moved deeper into the casino, I caught snippets of conversations in a language I didn’t understand Italian, I guessed. The words sounded elegant but dangerous, like knives wrapped in silk. Logan exchanged greetings with several men, his tone sharp yet courteous. They laughed with him, but there was no warmth in their smiles.

He led me to a private lounge tucked behind a red velvet curtain. A circular booth lined with leather awaited us, along with a bottle of champagne chilling in a silver bucket. I slid into the seat, my dress whispering against the leather, while Logan sat very close to me.

“Drink,” he ordered, pouring the golden liquid into two crystal flutes.

I shook my head. “I don’t drink.”

His eyes locked on mine, dark and unyielding. “You will tonight, it's not like you have a choice.” 

“You can't decide for me, you don't own my life”

““Your life was mine to claim the moment I decided, and becoming my wife is a priviledge you should be happy about, do you know how many woman who want to be Mrs Drew?” he said calmly, as if stating a fact of nature.

“You’re a monster,” I whispered, my voice trembling with anger and fear.

His lips curved into the faintest smirk. “Then learn how to live with your monster, darling.”

Something about his tone told me this wasn’t a request. I hesitated, then lifted the glass to my lips, letting the bubbles sting my throat as I swallowed. It wasn’t bad, sweet, with a sharp edge that mirrored the man sitting across from me.

“So… what is this place?” I asked cautiously, trying to sound casual even as fear curled in my stomach.

Logan’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “A gathering. Friends, business partners… people who understand loyalty.”

There was something chilling in the way he said that word loyalty. My gaze wandered over the crowd again. These weren’t ordinary people. Their laughter was too loud, their smiles too sharp. And every now and then, I saw a flash of metal tucked under a jacket, or the gleam of a tattoo curling around a wrist.

I leaned closer to Logan, lowering my voice. “These men… they’re dangerous, aren’t they?”

He chuckled softly, the sound laced with menace. “Dangerous? Tesoro, they’re the safest men you could meet as long as you’re on their side. But you don't have to worry about them you’re with me”

My skin prickled. I didn’t know what tesoro meant, but the way he said it made me shiver.

Before I could respond, a woman approached. She was tall, elegant, and stunning in a blood red dress that clung to her like a second skin. Her green eyes gleamed under the dim lights as she bent down to kiss Logan on both cheeks, her perfume wrapping around us like a suffocating fog.

“Logan,” she purred, her voice sweet as honey but sharp as broken glass. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

Diva. I didn’t need to look up; I recognize her voice the moment she spoke, that voice gave been tormenting me for days, her last words the other day had been on my mind. My stomach knotted as her gaze slid over me, slow and assessing, before a thin smile curved her lips.

“And this must be…?” she trailed off, feigning curiosity.

Logan’s hand closed over mine, his fingers like iron. “My wife Aurora, you met her some days ago” he said calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

The word hit me like a punch to the gut. Wife. I still wasn’t used to it, and the way Diva’s smile froze made the air around us turn razor sharp.

“Well,” she said after a beat, her laugh ringing hollow. “Congratulations.”

She straightened, her eyes flicking to me one last time, full of unspoken threats, before gliding away like a queen dismissing her subjects.

I exhaled shakily, only realizing then that I’d been holding my breath. Logan noticed; of course he did. His thumb brushed over my knuckles in what might have been a comforting gesture if it hadn’t felt like a silent claim.

“Relax,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. “As long as you stay mine, no one will touch you.”

I wanted to scream that I didn’t want to be his, that this wasn’t my world but the words lodged in my throat. Because deep down, I knew something I didn’t want to admit: in this room full of predators, Logan was the deadliest of them all.