7: Auden Returned

MIREYA

I couldn’t go back to Phills. I meant every single word I had thrown in his face at the restaurant. Let Evelyn burn my mother’s fashion brand to the ground—I would find another way to save it, but I would never crawl back into the bed of a blackmailing cheater.

Shivering violently under the relentless, freezing downpour, I pulled out my phone. My fingers shook so badly I could barely type. I dialed Bernard’s number. I needed a distraction, something loud enough to drown out the noise in my head, and Bernard was notorious for his wild, non-stop partying.

I stayed under the rain, clutching my arms around my soaked dress, and waited for him to pick me up. Twenty grueling minutes later, his modified sports car roared down the street, splashing through the puddles before screeching to a halt in front of me.

"Mireya? Holy hell, you're drenched to the bone!" Bernard yelled over the engine, pushing the passenger door open. "What happened to you?"

"Just drive, Bernard," I choked out, climbing into the seat, leaving a pool of water behind me. "Take me anywhere."

He didn't ask questions. Bernard took me straight to an underground warehouse party on the edge of the city. The bass was vibrating through the concrete walls, the air thick with sweat and smoke.

I didn't care about the cold anymore. I walked straight to the bar and drank shot after shot until the burning in my throat matched the burning in my chest.

Within an hour, I got completely wasted. The world blurred into a chaotic spin of flashing lights and pounding music. I stumbled onto the packed dance floor and just let go, dancing a lot with strangers—mostly men. I didn't care who they were.

I just wanted to forget my sorrows. Their hands brushed against my waist, their bodies pressing close in the crowd, providing a hollow, temporary heat.

Things were going smoothly, a perfect, mindless blur, until the alcohol completely took over my limbs. I tripped, catching myself against a tall, muscular stranger, and suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The men around me started to quarrel, their voices rising aggressively over the blaring bass as they argued over who would get to dance with me next.

"Back off, man, she was dancing with me first!" a guy with a backwards cap yelled, shoving another man away.

"She can barely stand, bro, she's coming with me," a heavier set man countered, his grip slamming firmly onto my wrist.

They dragged me between them like a prize, their rough hands pulling my arms in opposite directions. The sudden violence of their movements sent a jolt of panic through my drunken haze.

"Stop... please," I begged them, my voice swallowed entirely by the pounding electronic music. "Leave me alone. Let go."

They completely ignored me, their shouting match escalating as a crowd began to form around us. They dragged me closer to the exit, their grips tightening until bruises were practically forming on my skin. I tried to pull back, but my legs felt like lead, the alcohol turning my body into a useless weight.

Suddenly, a sharp, authoritative voice cut through the chaos. "She’s coming with me. Move."

A tall man in a tailored silk shirt stepped into the circle. The two men arguing turned on him, glaring fiercely, but the newcomer didn't even flinch. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills, and tossed them carelessly at their chests.

"Leave her," he commanded.

The two guys looked at the money on the floor, then back at his cold expression. Sensing the danger, they grabbed the cash and quickly melted back into the crowd.

I let out a ragged breath, leaning against a speaker to keep from falling. I was too drunk to fight back, my vision doubling as I frantically looked around the flashing lights for Bernard. There was no sign of him. He had abandoned me in the middle of this nightmare.

The man who had bought me out turned around, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face. He stepped into my space, his fingers wrapping tightly around my upper arm. His eyes scanned my damp hair and the ruined dress clinging to my skin.

"Well, look what we have here," he murmured, his grip unyielding as he pulled me toward the back exit of the warehouse. "You are so young and fresh. Sexy and hot. I think I’ll have you all to myself tonight."

I struggled against him, planting my heels into the concrete, but the alcohol had completely stripped away my physical strength. My hands pushed weakly against his chest, but he barely even felt it. He took me straight out of the party, dragging me through the metal exit doors and into the dark, damp alleyway behind the warehouse. 

"Let me go!" I cried out, my voice cracking as tears of frustration. "I said stop!"

"Shut up and keep moving," he growled, pulling me toward a black sedan parked in the shadows.

"Release her. Now."

The deep, chilling baritone echoed down the alleyway like a strike. It was a familiar voice—one that made my entire body stiffen instantly.

We both turned toward the mouth of the alley. Standing beneath the dim glow of a flickering streetlamp was Mr. Rothwell. He looked imposing, his dark eyes burning with a anger that could freeze water.

The man holding me immediately let go of my arm, his entire predatory demeanor evaporating into thin air. His face went completely pale as he recognized the powerful billionaire standing before him. He stepped back, lowering his head, and bowed deeply to Mr. Rothwell.

"M-Mr. Rothwell," the man stammered, his voice trembling with terror. "I... I didn't know she was with you, sir. I apologize. I was just—"

"Scram," Auden commanded.

The man didn't need to be told twice. He turned on his heel and practically sprinted out the opposite end of the alley, his footsteps disappearing into the night.

Auden closed the distance between us in big strides. He reached out, his large, warm hands securely holding me by my waist to keep my shaking body from collapsing onto the wet pavement. He stood there, staring down at me, his jaw clenched, his chest heaving with an anger he was actively trying to suppress.

I looked up into his dark, piercing eyes, the absurdity of my life hitting me all at once. The alcohol completely stripped away my filter, and a hysterical, broken laugh bubbled up from my throat. I leaned my weight entirely into his solid chest, looking right at him.

I wrapped my trembling fingers around the lapels of his expensive coat, as I smiled up at him.

"Daddy," I giggled, my voice slurring heavily as the darkness began to take over my mind. "You came."