CHAPTER 4

JOCELYN’s POV

The wedding was over. There were no champagnes, no guests, no “congratulations.” Just paperwork signed, rings exchanged, and me standing in a room with a man who was now my husband.

Daniel leaned back against the table, loosened his tie, and said, “We should release the photos.”

I turned my head sharply. “Excuse me?”

He looked so handsome in his tux. It was hard to believe he was mine. Were we going to spend our wedding night together? Had I bitten off more than I could chew? Was I going to choke?

“The wedding photos,” he repeated like I was the slow one. “The press eats this kind of thing alive. It’s the fastest way to send a message.”

No, I wasn’t looking for chaos, not yet. Doing this would raise questions that I wasn’t sure I was ready to answer.

I crossed my arms. “Absolutely not. I’m not handing my life to the tabloids.”

His smirk was slow and irritating. “And how exactly do you plan on making Ethan and Clarissa choke on their champagne if no one knows you just married the man Ethan hates the most?”

I glared at him. “There are other ways.”

“You are always on about other ways, but you never say them,” he countered easily. “You'd better let me handle this. If you were so smart, you wouldn’t have let them deceive you for long.”

My face rumpled as he spoke; this man just knew how to infuriate me. There was no opportunity he wouldn’t use to remind me of how stupid I had been.

I shook my head, not giving him the satisfaction of a reply, and walked out.

“Make yourself comfortable, wifey,” he called from behind, and I turned to him, raising my middle finger to him.

He didn’t even spare a glance at me. I got into the room and shut the door, needing a moment to breathe and to think. My phone had been turned off because Clarissa, Ethan, my uncle, and my aunt had been bugging me with calls.

All of a sudden, I heard the angry yelling of a familiar voice. Ethan!

I ran down the stairs at once to find Ethan storming in first, his face red with fury, with Clarissa right behind him, playing the concerned cousin.

“Jocelyn!” Ethan’s voice came out sharp. “What the hell is going on?!”

I didn’t move. “If you want an answer, you should be specific with your questions.”

Clarissa stepped forward with wide eyes and a soft, sweet voice. “We were all worried about you. You disappeared. Your phone has been switched off. We thought something had happened—”

I laughed, not in a kind way. “Were you all really worried?”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “What do you mean? This isn’t funny. You were supposed to marry me today, and instead, I woke up to find out you—”

“Married Daniel?” I finished for him. “Yes. It was a better deal.”

Clarissa’s face hardened for just a second before she smoothed it over. “Jocelyn, what is going on? Why are you acting all weird? This is unlike you; you’ve never been the type to make reckless decisions.”

“Reckless?” I tilted my head, watching her carefully. “Is that what you call sleeping with my fiancé?”

The silence in the room hit like a slap.

Clarissa blinked, and her perfect composure faltered while Ethan’s head snapped toward me, stunned.

“What did you just say?” Ethan stammered. “What are you talking about?”

“Enough of the pretense,” I said out slowly, “I know you’ve been sleeping with Clarissa.”

Clarissa’s hands tightened around her purse strap. “What the hell is wrong with you, Jocelyn? You must be confused—”

“Don’t,” I cut in. “Don’t you dare lie to me. I saw and heard both of you talking about my shares, about how you’d keep seeing each other after the wedding. I heard everything.”

Ethan’s expression didn’t change much, and that infuriated me more than anything.

“Why are you quiet now? You can’t deny it anymore?” I pressed.

“There’s nothing to deny,” he said flatly. “So now you're married, Daniel, to spite me? Congratulations, Jocelyn, you’ve just tied yourself to a man worse than I am.”

Clarissa’s tone turned sharper. “I understand you are angry, but think about what you’re doing. This marriage to Daniel? It’s not going to end well for you. He doesn’t care about you. At least Ethan—”

“At least Ethan what?” I snapped. “Had the decency to betray me to my face and with my cousin of all women?”

The door opened at that moment, and Daniel walked in. He didn’t even look at Ethan at first.

His eyes went straight to me, a chill going down my spine. “Baby, did you invite these people over?”

“No,” I said, tilting my head toward Ethan and Clarissa.

Daniel’s gaze finally slid to them, and his mouth curved in a slow, dangerous smile. “Well, so the happy couple themselves decided to pay us a surprise.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “How dare you, Daniel? Jocelyn is mine, how dare you?!”

Daniel scoffed. “She is yours? But you chose to mess around with a woman not as beautiful as her. Well, I’m glad you did. Now this woman is mine, and I get to treat her better than you did.”

“I’ll make you regret this. You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, Daniel.”

Daniel stepped closer, his voice almost amused. “On the contrary, Ethan. I know exactly what I’ve done.”

Clarissa tried to step forward, tone saccharine again. “Daniel, this doesn’t concern you—”

“This concerns my wife,” he cut in smoothly. “Which means it concerns me entirely.”

Ethan’s face darkened. “She’s not your wife! She’s—”

“Not your problem anymore,” Daniel said sharply. His voice didn’t rise, but the steel in it shut Ethan up.

I took a step closer to them, my voice low and steady. “Both of you thought I’d just disappear quietly and let you take what’s mine. That’s over. I will take you both down. You won’t just lose Campbell Group, you’ll lose everything.”

Ethan’s lips curled in a half-smirk, but I saw the feeling of doubt in his eyes. “Don’t make empty threats, Jocelyn.”

“They’re not threats,” I shot back. “Consider this your only warning.”

Daniel’s hand rested lightly at the small of my back, his presence steady. “I’d listen to her if I were you. This is only the beginning.”

Clarissa’s perfect facade cracked for just a second. “Jocelyn, we are family. Come back with us, so we can talk things out. You have—”

“Get out,” Daniel cut in smoothly. “I need the two of you out of my house now.”

Ethan didn’t look like he was ready to leave. “I'm not leaving here without her.”

“Boys!” Daniel called his security men, and they walked over to us at once. “Take them out of here.”

I turned and began to walk away.

Ethan called after me. “Jocelyn, this isn’t over!”

I didn’t look back. “Of course, Ethan,” I said over my shoulder. “It’s just starting.”