Chapter 2

I froze like a deer in headlights, my brain screaming for a lie, but my mouth wouldn’t move. I couldn't summon the courage to answer his question, not while those storm-gray eyes were boring into me, searching for the truth I had buried five years ago. The air in the ballroom felt like it was turning to lead. I couldn't breathe, and my head felt light, a dangerous buzzing sound starting in the back of my skull.

“Autumn. Whose. Child. Is. That?” Eric asked again, enunciating each word with a lethal precision.

He stepped closer, invading my air space until the scent of his expensive cologne—sandalwood and cold rain—completely surrounded me. It was an intoxicating scent, one that used to make me feel safe, but now it felt like a trap. The room felt like it was closing in, the golden walls of the Kingston estate becoming the bars of a cage.

“Uncle, what are you talking about?” Chloe piped up, her voice sounding thin and confused against the heavy silence Eric had created. “Autumn has a child? That’s crazy.”

Chloe laughed, a nervous, high-pitched sound, trying to diffuse the situation. She looked between us, searching for the joke, but Eric didn't move. He didn't even blink. He remained focused on me, his predatory gaze never wavering.

“Answer the damn question, Autumn,” he said, his voice dropping into a register that made my skin prickle.

He continued to walk into my space, forcing me to take a step back until I felt the heat of the onlookers' stares on my skin. I felt suffocated. By now, I was sure he had drawn the attention of a few guests, the elite vultures of London waiting for a scandal to break. I could almost hear the whispers starting.

“My nephew,” I blurted out, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. “The baby is my brother’s child. I’m just... I'm just helping him out.”

I felt a wave of nausea. I was trying to de-escalate the situation, but lying about my own son’s paternity felt like a new low. I had sunk so far just to keep the truth from the man standing in front of me.

“Nephew?” Eric and Chloe asked simultaneously.

One voice was filled with shock, the other with a sharp, dangerous surprise. I had momentarily forgotten that Chloe had actually met my elder brother. Back when we were in university, they had talked briefly during a video call I’d had with him. The memory flashed in her eyes, and I knew I was on thin ice.

“Is he your elder brother’s—”

Before Chloe could finish her statement, Eric cut her off with a sharp gesture of his hand.

“Chloe, go attend to your guests,” Eric said.

He shut down any further questions she might have had with a coldness that made her flinch. I was thankful for the reprieve, but I knew it was premature to celebrate. Being alone with Eric was far more dangerous than being questioned by Chloe. I had escaped one interrogation only to be led toward a much more brutal one.

“But Uncle—” Chloe started to protest, using that childish, pouting side of her that I had grown soft to over the years. It reminded me so much of how we used to be—two girls against the world.

“I said go attend to your guests,” Eric dismissed her.

I watched his face, knowing that when it came to Eric, those sweet protests never worked. His heart was like a glacier—beautiful, but frozen solid. I watched Chloe stomp off, her white silk dress disappearing into the crowd. I wished more than anything that I could go with her, but I was stuck here, pinned under the weight of this man’s gaze.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Eric whispered into my ear.

His breath was hot against my skin, sending a traitorous jolt of electricity through my body. He didn't even give me time to think about it before his hand clamped around my wrist. He began dragging me off, his grip firm and unyielding, leading me through the house toward heaven knows where.

We walked through the maze of the estate, passing by service people who kept their heads down, until we stopped at a heavy Mahogany door. My feet were killing me in my heels, and I cursed him silently. He was still a selfish prick who never thought about anyone else, treating me like a rag doll instead of a person.

He unlocked the door and shoved me inside. I heard the lock click behind us with a finality that made my stomach drop. I really wished it was Chloe interrogating me right now, not him.

“So,” he said, stalking toward me with a slow, terrifying grace. “Do you mind telling me whose child that is?”

I backed away from him, my heart hammering against my ribs, until I hit the edge of the large oak desk behind me. I had nowhere left to run. He caged me in, placing an arm on each side of me, his body so close I could feel the heat radiating off his chest.

“I already told you, Mr. Kingston, he is my nephew,” I said, averting my gaze. I wanted to look at anything but him. I focused on the gold cufflinks on his sleeves, the way his knuckles were white as he gripped the desk.

“You are not a very convincing liar, Autumn.”

His voice was a low growl. He reached out, his fingers catching my chin and forcing my gaze back toward him. Those dark gray eyes stared back at me—the same eyes that I saw every morning on a little boy back home. It was like looking into a mirror of the secret I was trying so hard to keep.

“I am going to give you one more chance to tell me the truth, Autumn,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “Whose child is that?”

“I already told you, Mr. Kingston, he is my nephew,” I said, my eyes finally focusing on his. I tried to make my voice steady, but the lie felt heavy on my tongue.

We stared at each other for several long, solid seconds. The silence in the room was a restless whisper, thick with the history we shared. Before I could pull away, he grabbed the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair.

“You more than anyone know how much I despise being lied to,” he said, drawing my face closer to his until our noses were almost touching.

I struggled in his grasp, trying to free myself from the magnetic pull he still had over me, but he was too strong. I saw his eyes trail from my lips back to my eyes, a look of pure, unadulterated hunger flashing there.

I struggled to free myself, but his strength far surpassed mine.

“Don’t fight this,” he whispered.

He leaned in, his lips just a breath away from mine, and for a second, I forgot why I was running. Then, a sharp knock shattered the stillness. It repeated itself a few more times, insistent and loud.

Eric let out a ferocious growl, the sound of a predator being interrupted. He turned toward the door, his eyes flashing with irritation. “You better have a good reason for disturbing me!” he barked.

“Uncle Eric, grandpa is here. He wants to see you,” a voice said from behind the door—someone I assumed was another relative.

“I will be right there,” Eric said, dismissing him.

But the young man was insistent, calling out again that he needed to come now. Ultimately, Eric gave an annoyed sigh. He untangled himself from me, the loss of his body heat leaving me feeling cold and exposed. He walked up to the door, straightening his suit and smoothing his hair before fixing me with a final glare over his shoulder.

“This isn't over,” Eric said. He opened the door and walked out, leaving me alone in the dark office.

My heart was a restless whisper in my chest. I had managed to avoid him for now, but I knew the truth was a ticking time bomb. How much longer could I keep my baby boy a secret from the man who shared half of his dna?