6: Auden’s Words

MIREYA

His words hurt me badly, leaving a freezing ache in my chest. Right on cue, the sky completely opened up, and the rain started pouring against the windshield of the SUV in a deafening, chaotic rhythm. I looked at his unyielding face, and I hated myself because I didn’t know why I craved him more. The colder he became, the more my body screamed for the protection he had offered me just hours ago.

"Drop me off," I choked out, gripping the door handle. "Right here. Pull over."

He didn't drop me off. He paid me completely deaf ears, his hands gripping the steering wheel as he shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. The vehicle surged forward into the dark, rainy evening.

I scoffed, my voice dripping with bitter frustration. "Oh, so now you're ignoring me? You just said you didn't want anything to do with me, Mr. Rothwell. Well, guess what? I don’t want anything to do with you either! Drop me this instant!"

"Sit down and put your seatbelt on, Mireya," he commanded, his deep voice.

"No! Let me out!" I yelled, turning in my seat to glare at him. "You don't get to dictate where I go after pushing me away!"

He didn't look at me, but his jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked. "Look at what sex has done. Look at how you speak to me now. You don’t respect me anymore, do you?"

"Respect you?" I laughed, a loud, broken sound. "You're the adult, Auden. It’s not my fault we ended up in that bed. It’s yours for not controlling yourself!"

The interior of the car fell into a suffocating, dangerous silence, the weight of my words hanging between us.

I didn’t mean to disrespect him. The words had just tumbled out of my mouth, fueled by the agonizing rejection burning in my throat and the terror of the blackmail video Phills was currently holding over my head. I stared out the passenger window, watching the city lights blur into streaks of neon through the torrential downpour.

Auden let out a long, slow breath, his voice losing its anger and replacing it with a cold, absolute authority.

"Just because I warned you to stay far away from me does not mean I will allow you to walk through the heavy rain in the evening. I am delivering you home safely."

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have anything left to say. The fight completely drained out of me, leaving me hollow. My mother’s legacy was hanging by a thread, my boyfriend was an abusive, cheating blackmailer, and the only man who made me feel safe was currently treating me like a catastrophic mistake.

The SUV navigated the roads of the residential district until the headlights illuminated the big iron gates of my father's compound. Auden brought the vehicle to a smooth halt right in front of the entrance.

The engine idled, a low purr beneath the sound of the rain. I didn’t say anything to him. I didn't offer a thank you, and I didn't look back to see if his dark eyes were watching me. I simply unclicked my seatbelt, opened the  door, and stepped out into the freezing, relentless downpour. The door clicked shut behind me, and the SUV zoomed into the dark night.

The rain soaked through my dress in a matter of seconds, plastering my hair to my face as I hurried across the brick courtyard toward the front doors. I pushed the door open, stepping into the warmth of the foyer, gasping for air as water pooled at my feet.

I didn't even have time to wipe the rain from my eyes.

Crack.

The force of the slap caught me entirely off guard. Once inside the compound, my stepmother slammed her palm against my cheek, hitting me so hard my knees buckled. I stumbled against the wall, my vision blurring as a taste of blood filled my mouth.

"You worthless, ungrateful child." Evelyn shrieked, her face twisted into a demonic mask of pure fury. "Who the hell just dropped you off in that expensive car? And why did you embarrass Phills at the restaurant?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, my cheek throbbing violently. I ignored her entirely, pushing past her shoulder. "Get out of my way, Evelyn. I'm going to my room."

"You are going nowhere!" she roared, lunging forward and grabbing the fabric of my wet dress, physically wrenching me backward. She blocked the road to the stairs, her chest heaving as she turned toward the open front door. "Marcus!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, calling the heavy-set estate gateman inside.

The gateman hurried into the foyer, his uniform dripping wet. "Yes, Madam?"

"Kick her out," Evelyn pointed a finger directly at me. "Take this garbage and throw her out under the rain right now! Lock the gates!"

"Evelyn, stop!" I gasped, panic finally breaking through my numbness. "It's pouring outside!"

"I don't care if you drown!" she hissed, stepping closer until her venomous breath hit my face. "Phills called his father, and his father called your dad. The banking merger is completely on hold because you decided to throw a tantrum at dinner! You are ruining this family's survival!"

The gateman looked at me with a flash of pity in his eyes, but he couldn't defy the woman who signed his paychecks. He tightly gripped my upper arms, dragging me backward toward the open double doors as the storm raged outside.

"You listen to me, Mireya!" Evelyn shouted over the roaring thunder, as I was shoved back out into the freezing downpour. "The doors to this house remain locked to you tonight! You have exactly one option if you want to save your mother's precious company!"

She stepped to the edge of the threshold, a cruel, triumphant smirk on her face as the rain began to splash against her expensive shoes.

"You either go back and apologize to Phills right now, and spend the night in his bed, or you can watch me burn Aura & Veil Luxury to the ground by tomorrow morning."