Chapter Four: To Prove a Point

Jane POV

Heavy double doors opened in the grand ballroom, and the dazzling crystal chandeliers temporarily left me unable to see as a hundred elite conversations erupted in my ears.

As we entered the ballroom, my hand clutched Raymond’s chunky, bulletproof arm, my fingers digging into the rich cloth of his suit jacket.

Everyone’s attention was focused on us at once, and a sudden silence fell over the room full of elites.

Men in dark suits immediately moved to the side to make room for us, heads bowing slightly as we walked by, while women in glittering diamond necklaces whispered behind their manicured hands.

I felt their eyes on my face, on my dress, and on the way my body took support from him while we walked.

He was in no rush, his chest out, his chin up and steady as I pushed through the crowd. My arm was locked against his body so there was no place for my hand to go if I tried to let go.

“Smile, Jane,” he said in a low, rumbling voice near my ear. “As people approach me tonight, you must look happy to be here.”

“I’m trying my best,” I said in a small voice to answer, forcing a stiff smile I couldn’t hold off.

“No. I don’t want you to try your best,” he responded, his voice falling in a cold, flat command. “I want you to smile.”

I adjusted my shoulders, opened my eyes wide, gave a quick nod, and tossed my head, spreading my smile as wide as I could.

An elderly man dressed in a grey suit approached us with a broad smile on his face, offering him a glass of champagne.

The man lowered his head and said, “Good evening, Don Hale.” His voice was polite, but fake. “It is an absolute honor to see you at the banquet tonight. The entire room has been waiting for your arrival.”

Raymond gave a slight nod, a slow one that was enough to accept the old man’s greeting. “Hi, Marcus. I hope you’re having a good time?”

“Much better now that you're here, sir,” said Marcus, his eyes darting down to my face for a split second, yet quickly back to Raymond's face, feeling too frightened to make the wrong first move.

I managed to keep my stiff smile as the man walked away into the crowd, and that was when another bunch of businessmen appeared right on his heels.

For twenty minutes, it was like that, and there was no end to the powerful people who were greeting and respecting the man by my side.

In an instant, a loud, booming laugh broke through the classical music in the background, and a tall man with short blond hair and a rugged face moved through the crowd.

He came straight up to Raymond, hands in his pockets, his posture so nonchalant compared to the men and women who had greeted us with fear earlier.

He stopped a few feet away, his smile wide on his face. “Raymond, you bastard. I didn’t think you would show your face at these boring charity events anymore.”

“Mason,” Raymond said, as he gave a faint, genuine smile. “It’s been what? Two years? I heard you were handling the northern borders.”

“I was, but the bosses called me back for this little gathering,” Mason replied, shaking Raymond’s hand before his eyes drifted over to me, his eyes sweeping down my body with a slow, calculating look.

“Well, well. Who do we have here? Raymond, is she one of your new toys? I thought you had stopped collecting girls and were only focused on spreading your territory.”

I felt it like a punch to the chest, and all the blood surged to my face, causing a hot wave of embarrassment.

I had never been insulted like that in my life, spoken about as if I were plastic left on a shelf.

It was an abrupt change, his voice turning flat and dangerous, the warmth dying out entirely as his hand tightened around mine. “She is my girlfriend, Mason,” he said.

“When did you decide to get a girlfriend?” he asked, his eyebrows rising as he let out a short, mocking laugh.

He tilted his head slightly and looked into my eyes. “What’s your name, honey?”

“My name is Jane,” I uttered, my voice firm and unyielding, refusing to let him see how much his words had sliced through my pride.

“Jane, huh?” Mason repeated, moving his eyes back to Raymond with a mocking smile. “C’mon, Raymond. You really don’t expect me to believe all of this? We both know you don’t do this whole romance thing. If she is really your girlfriend, then kiss her right now.”

“I see no point trying to prove anything to you, Mason,” Raymond replied, his voice even and flat.

“I know, I know you don’t have to prove anything,” Mason said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “But if she was truly your woman and not some pretty face you paid to stand next to you for the night, show me. I just need to be sure before I give her the respect she deserves. Kiss her now, in front of me.”

I felt like the ground should swallow me up. I felt like I should just run away, but before I could even flinch, his hand cupped my face.

His left hand held my jaw, while his right hand was resting on my cheekbone. He didn’t even let me catch my breath before he lowered his head and pressed his lips firmly against mine.

The kiss was quick, intense, and all-consuming. It was supposed to be a cover-up, a show put on for an untrustworthy person, but when his lips touched mine, it changed.

The world around us faded away; the classical music and the crowd's muffled chatter were silenced as the kiss became more down-to-earth, more weighty, more real.

Raymond slowly pulled back, his breath hot on my lips. When he released my jaw, he looked at me like he was looking at my soul.

Raymond stood upright, his voice loud and clear to echo across the near circle of guests when he lifted his eyes from my face. “I’m not doing this to prove a point to you, Mason. I’m doing this so that the whole world can know that she is my woman, and that anyone who disrespects her disrespects me.”

There was a collective gasp from the surrounding crowd, and I stood still, my lips burning from his mouth.

My mind was spinning, and I was in absolute shock that this man would claim me like that in front of powerful people of this city, with such force and strong words.

But reality returned in a flood to my veins as the seconds went by, and I pushed it back down, deeper into my heart.

This was just a cover-up, carefully designed for the cameras and bosses, a business arrangement that I had signed up for to save my dad’s life. The truth was he didn’t love me, and I didn’t love him.

I couldn't really focus in on what was going on behind me before I heard the rhythmic clapping coming closer again, and the crowd pulled back again to allow a woman to come through.

She wore a beautiful emerald-colored gown; her dark hair was pulled up into a complex 'do; she had a sharp, vicious smile on her lips that were a deep red.

The woman's voice dripped venom. “Well, well, well, I am glad to see the famous Raymond, Don of the Hale family.”