Chapter 5 - Teach You A Lesson

Tessa’s POV

I pushed open the glass doors of the hotel, my hands trembling as I walked down the marble stairs. When I looked up, Roman was staring at me like he’d just made a deal he regretted.

I’d signed the contract. I’d gotten more compensation than I had ever imagined. And when the time came, he’d take the baby. This was supposed to be good, I told myself.

“Tessa,” Roman called out. “I’ll be leaving now.”

One of his bodyguards opened the car door for him. He slid in, adjusting his dark glasses.

Then his eyes narrowed, a flicker of realization crossing his face. “What happened to your lips?” he asked darkly.

“What do you mean?” I tried to sound confused.

“Your lips are bruised,” he said, reaching up to tilt my face so he could inspect me. “What happened?”

My fingers brushed over my lips, and the sting burned into my flesh where Grayson had hit me.

“It’s nothing,” I said quickly. “I fell, that’s all.”

He looked at me like he knew I was lying but didn’t want to press.

“You must be more careful now that you’re carrying my child, Miss Quinn.”

“Yes, Mr. Blackwood,” I said softly.

He nodded once, tapped my shoulder, and then his car drove off without another word.

I turned to leave and froze.

Across the street, a figure stood beside a black sedan, the sunlight catching on his face just enough for my stomach to drop.

Grayson.

I didn’t know how long he’d been there or what he’d seen, but the way he was standing — rigid, his jaw set, it made my skin crawl. His arms hung at his sides, his fists clenched like he was holding himself back from breaking something. Or someone.

He started walking toward me, each step slow but deliberate, like someone chasing after it’s prey.

“Grayson?” My voice came out thin and trembling. “What are you doing here?”

“Really? What am I doing here?” He folded his arms across his chest. “The real question is what’s a cheap thing like you doing coming out of a hotel you can’t afford?”

I scoffed, already tired. “You know what, Grayson? That’s enough. Why are you following me?”

“Following you?” His laugh was low and sharp. “Please. I’m here to see the manager of this damn hotel, who just happens to be my—”

“Just stop!” I cut him off before he could finish. “You and I are over. You made that clear when you made me choke on my own blood. Now leave me the hell alone.”

His eyes narrowed. “Who was that?”

“What?”

“The man touching your face like you meant something to him.” He stepped closer, his gaze hardening. “Who was he?”

“That’s none of your business.” I turned to walk away, but his hand shot out, clamping around my arm.

“Stop!” I screamed. “Let me go.”

“Answer me. Who was he?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I yanked, trying to break free, but his grip only dug in harder. “Let me go now.”

His jaw flexed, his eyes dark with something ugly. “That’s the father, huh? So that’s the man you’ve been spreading your legs for? Is this the hotel where you screamed his name in bed?”

I tried to pull away, but his fingers were like iron around my arm. His voice dropped to a low, venomous threat. “I told you, if I ever saw you again, I’d make your life hell.”

Before I could react, he dragged me toward his car. My feet scraped against the pavement, my protests useless against his strength. He shoved me inside like I weighed nothing.

“Grayson, stop!” I clawed at the door handle, but it was already locked. “Open the damn door.”

His mind was set, his eyes hard as stone. “You think I’m just gonna let you get away with everything? Not when you look like that.”

“Like what?” I snapped, my voice shaking despite my best efforts.

“Pregnant. Stupid. And lying through your damn teeth.”

He slammed his door shut and started the engine. My stomach twisted. “Where are you taking me?”

“To teach you a lesson,” he bit out. “One you’ll never forget.”

“What kind of sick idea do you have now?” I blurted.

He didn’t answer, he just kept his eyes on the road, one hand loose on the wheel, the other tapping impatiently against his thigh.

The hospital came into view, and my pulse spiked. “Why are we here?”

He didn’t even look at me as he pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. “Get out. Let’s go pay daddy a visit.”

I hesitated for half a second before he yanked me out, his grip bruising my arm as he dragged me inside. Every step toward my father’s room felt like walking into a nightmare.

The moment we reached the bed, Grayson ripped the covers off my father.

“This is the man who raised you? Pathetic.”

My father’s eyes fluttered open, confusion written all over his face. “Tessa, what’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on. Your daughter is a filthy bitch, and she’s gonna pay for it.”

Then Grayson’s fist came down, connecting with my father’s jaw.

“Grayson, stop!” I screamed, shoving at him. He turned, slammed me into the wall. Pain shot through my shoulder.

“You think you can humiliate me?” he snarled, kicking over the tray table, sending food and metal clattering to the floor.

My father groaned, clutching his face. I lunged toward him, but Grayson shoved me back again before landing another punch. Blood streamed from my father’s nose.

“Please, stop! You’re upset with me—leave my dad out of this!” I begged.

“Shut up!” he barked. “Shut the fuck up, Tessa!”

I knelt beside my father, helping him sit up, but Grayson knocked him down again.

Grayson wasn’t going to stop and I didn’t know what to do.

My hands shook as I reached for my phone, Roman’s number flashing in my mind. I pressed call, my heart racing, as Grayson took another step toward my father.

**********

Roman’s POV

The car rolled to a stop in front of the Blackwood mansion. I barely stepped through the doors before my mother’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

“So you remember you have a home? We rarely see you around anymore, Roman.”

Salima Blackwood — my mother, stood at the entrance like she’d been waiting for this moment.

I dropped my keys on the marble counter, unbothered. “Last I checked, I’m running a billion-dollar hotel.”

She crossed her arms, her silk robe clinging to her like she’d stepped straight out of a magazine cover. The years hadn’t dulled her beauty or her ability to make me feel ten years old again.

“You’ve been dodging my calls. Again.” She snapped.

“That’s because I’m busy, Mom. And I always know what you want to say.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Busy burying yourself in work or women?” she raised a brow.

I smirked. “Why not both?”

Her sharp inhale told me I’d hit a nerve. She hated when I played the unbothered devil.

“Then, if that’s the case, one of those women should’ve given me what I want by now.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I walked over to the minibar and poured myself a glass of bourbon.

“Mother, you make it hard to give you an heir when we both know that child would be nothing more than a ticket to an empire I don’t want.”

She squinted at me. “One day, Roman, that mouth of yours will cost you something you can’t buy back.”

I leaned on the counter, meeting her eyes. “And one day, Mother, you’ll accept that I’m not the boy you raised. I’m the man keeping our family untouchable.”

We stared each other down. Same eyes. Same stubbornness.

And then—“You know, I heard that Grayson’s girlfriend got pregnant.”

“Oh, did she now?” I chuckled. “Then that’s good news for him. It means you can finally leave me alone.”

“The child isn’t his,” she blurted.

I coughed, something between a laugh and shock. “Oh wow. That must suck. Whose is it?”

“No one knows yet. Not even Grayson.” She shook her head.

“Shit,” I muttered.

“Roman…” she walked over to the bar. “You need to take this seriously. Not just for yourself but for me. I need this for my claim on that family. You know how they treat us. How they treat me like I don’t belong.”

My jaw tightened. I knew exactly how she felt. My mother was the mistress of my father—Bernard Thorne—and the only woman who’d ever managed to keep the man on a leash.

She stood across from me now, her arms folded, her eyes glassy.

“I want a grandchild before I get any older,” she said, breaking the silence with that unapologetic tone. “Can’t you see the wrinkles on my forehead?”

My mouth twitched into a smirk. “Don’t worry, Mom. You’re not getting old. You don’t look a day over sixteen.”

She arched a brow. “Be serious, Roman.”

“I am serious.” I leaned back, swirling the liquor in my glass. “And you don’t need to worry. You’ll get your grandchild soon.”

Her eyes sharpened. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then,” she said, leaning forward slightly, “when do I get to meet the girl?”

My smirk deepened. “Soon. Very soon.”

Before she could press further, my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen, and the smirk faded into something colder. Tessa?

“Not even twenty-four hours,” I muttered. “And she’s already bothering me.”

Without a second thought, I declined the call and slid the phone face down.

“Now, Mom… let’s talk baby names.”

**********

My heart dropped. Did Roman hang up on me, or was it a mistake?

I called again, this time silently praying.

Grayson’s head snapped toward me.

“What are you doing?” he said, taking slow steps forward.

“Stay away from me!” I yelled. “And leave my dad alone.”

Grayson froze, his eyes narrowing as they caught the glow of my phone screen. In two strides, he was in front of me, ripping the phone from my grasp and hurling it across the room.

“If that’s your lover,” he growled, his voice low and deadly, “tell him he’s next.”

My breath hitched. “You’re insane.”

A slow, dangerous smile tugged at his lips. His hands slowly wrapping around my neck.

He leaned closer, his breath hot on my cheeks.

“And you Tessa, you’re finished.”