Chapter 007

​EVELYN’S POV

​“She is my fiancée, Miss Glenn,” he introduced courtly.

​The bald man looked at him with a surprised expression before glancing over at me with a bright smile. I reciprocated, flashing a charming grin, and I could feel Williams' arm tighten around my waist, his grip bordering on painful.

​“Nice to meet you, beautiful Miss Glenn.” Alan stretched out his hand for a handshake.

​Before I could lift my hand, Williams intercepted. He grabbed Alan’s hand in a crushing grip, embarrassing the man instantly. I resisted the urge to laugh at the display of territorial dominance.

​I took a sip from my glass of red wine, staring coquettishly at the bald man over the rim. Alan smiled nervously, clearly sensing the danger radiating from my "fiancé."

​“Nice to meet you too, Mr...?”

​“Alan. Call me Alan,” he responded immediately.

​I nodded with a polite smile.

​“Would you excuse us for a moment?” Williams spoke. His voice was calm, but it was laced with a cold, underlying anger.

​Alan immediately backed away, smart enough not to provoke the Tyrant any longer.

​I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction seeing his face turn colder once we were alone.

​“If you're going to seduce every man in the room like the little slut you are, try not to be too obvious about it,” he whispered without hesitation.

​My smile vanished. I stomped my stiletto heel hard onto his polished dress shoe.

​He let out a soft groan but managed to keep his composure, though his jaw clenched tight. I stood so close to him I could feel his hot breath fan against my face. To an outsider, it looked like an intimate moment between lovers.

​“Listen, I don't know what your problem is, and I don't really care,” I hissed, trailing my fingers up his broad chest to stare deep into his eyes. “But I won't hesitate to gut you if you ever get on my nerves again.”

​I tried to read his expression, but he was a brick wall—impenetrable.

​“Oh, someone is feisty,” he whispered, leaning down until our lips were an inch apart.

​“You don't want to mess with me, Mr. Carter,” I warned.

​Almost immediately, the music shifted. It was time for the couple's dance.

​“Let's dance, Sweetie,” he smirked.

​He snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him, and we slowly began moving to the rhythm. I could already feel the jealous eyes of the socialites boring into my skin as we glided across the floor.

​“If you're doing all this to get out of the marriage, I'm sorry to disappoint you, my love. We are getting married,” he murmured near my ear. “Your family will crumble without my help, and your father will end up behind bars once he's been investigated.”

​What a sly hound. He knew exactly where to hit.

​“I don't care about that family,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

​He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Yet you're willing to marry me just to help them? If I didn't know better, I would say you were a righteous saint.”

​I rolled my eyes. “I decided to keep you around because you're going to be useful to me in the future.”

​I smiled brightly as we moved in perfect synchronization.

​“A gold digger, then?” His lips brushed against my cheek, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

​The music finally stopped. He let go of me immediately, disappearing into the crowd to speak with an associate, leaving me all alone in the midst of hungry socialites.

​A waiter walked past me, and I picked up another glass of red wine.

​“Look who we have here.”

​My attention was drawn to a shrill voice behind me. It was a group of socialites, led by a blonde woman who looked like she had plastic surgery done in a basement.

​“If it isn't the Young Miss of the Glenn family,” another sneered. I resisted the urge to laugh at her ridiculous hairstyle.

​“And you are?” I asked with a bored expression.

​They glanced at each other in surprise.

​“Is this some kind of joke?” the blonde asked.

​“What? Am I supposed to know who you are?” I asked nonchalantly.

​That seemed to piss them off even more.

​“Are you trying to act all high and mighty now just because you were brought here by Master Williams?” the one who looked like a clown spoke up.

​I chuckled softly. “You're so pathetic, I feel sorry for your date.” I turned to the blonde. “And as for you... you should fire your stylist. You look like a mosquito from the Bahamas.”

​I could see them fueling up with rage.

​“How dare you!”

​The one with the brown hair stepped forward, raising her hand to smack my face. I was ready to catch her wrist and snap it, but she suddenly froze and moved backward in fear. Her eyes were fixed on someone behind me.

​“Scram,” Williams said with a hoarse, deadly voice.

​They all scattered like roaches when the lights turn on.

​“You didn't have to scare them like that,” I said, suppressing a laugh.

​“And you didn't have to act like a prick to everyone,” he scoffed, standing close to me again.

​His hands were shoved into his pockets as he stared at the podium with an uninterested expression. I had a feeling he wasn't really here to party. He glanced over at me, and a wicked glint flashed through his eyes.

​“Smile, my love,” he muttered.

​I looked at him like he had grown horns. “Love?”

​I was confused, but I wasn't prepared for his next move. He leaned in swiftly and pressed his lips against mine.

​My eyes widened in shock. I tried to pull away, but his hand clamped onto the back of my neck, holding me in place. It wasn't a gentle kiss; it was dominant, claiming.

​When he finally pulled back, he smirked, wiping a smudge of my lipstick off his mouth.

​“Good one.”

​I felt anger build up inside me. “One more move like that, and I'm going to kick you until you drop.”

​“Keep smiling,” he threatened under his breath.

​I looked over his shoulder and saw a photographer lowering his camera.

​“Scheming bastard,” I muttered. “You just wanted a photo op.”

​“Something's off about you, Rosetta.” He narrowed his eyes at me, studying my face. “You aren't the woman I remember.”

​I shrugged, looking away. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

​He didn't press further. “Come with me. It's time for the auction.”

​He walked toward a secluded part of the hall, and I followed suit, surprised. Everyone else had returned to their seats, but Williams led me upstairs to the VIP lounge.

​“How come no one mentioned anything about an auction?” I asked as we entered the lounge. It was heavily guarded by his men. From here, we had a perfect view of the podium below.

​“This is a private auction where the elite bid for the rarest items,” he explained.

​His assistant walked in and handed a tablet to Williams. “The bidding will start soon, Boss.”

​I nodded, but my attention was drawn to the VIP box across from ours. A man was sitting there in the shadows. I couldn't see his face clearly, but he gave off a chilling, negative energy—similar to Williams, but darker.

​I narrowed my eyes, staring intensely at him. He seemed awfully familiar. Why did I feel like I knew him?

​“Stop gawking at other men, it's disgusting,” Williams snapped, breaking my trance.

​“Excuse me, I need to use the ladies' room.”

​I stood up and headed for the door without waiting for his permission. I needed to breathe.

​I found the bathroom down the hallway and locked myself in. I splashed cold water against my face, thankful that my makeup was waterproof. I couldn't understand why I was suddenly feeling so anxious.

​“What is wrong with me?” I muttered, placing a palm against my chest. My heart was beating erratically.

​I took deep breaths to calm down. Just as I was about to leave the bathroom, I heard a voice in the hallway.

​A deep, raspy voice.

​I froze.

​It was a voice that haunted my nightmares. A voice I hadn't heard since the day I died.

​I cracked the door open to take a peek, but the man had his back to me. Even from behind, his posture was terrifyingly familiar.

​My legs went weak. My heart rate accelerated to a painful rhythm.

​It can't be...

​Suddenly, the air felt thin. I couldn't breathe. I clutched my neck, gasping for air, but my lungs refused to work.

​My vision blurred, and I fell to the ground with a loud thud.

​