Chapter 2

Griffin stood there, a dark suit against the pulsing chaos of the club, an oasis of rigid control amidst the joyful anarchy. His presence was an unwelcome chill that spread through the crowded room. Chloe, spotting him, muttered a quick apology and vanished into the throng, leaving me exposed.

My hand was still resting on the male model's arm, his muscles warm beneath my fingers. Griffin's gaze, sharp and unforgiving, immediately locked onto my hand, then flicked to the man beside me. The air around him seemed to crackle with silent command.

"Leave," he said, his voice low, but it cut through the club's roar like a surgeon's scalpel.

The model, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, visibly swallowed. He hesitated for a split second, then mumbled an apology and disappeared. Coward.

I snatched my hand away from Griffin's grasp, the contact burning my skin. "What do you want, Griffin?" I asked, my voice flat.

He didn't answer my question directly. His eyes, usually so guarded, were now a storm of barely contained fury. "What are you doing here, Hayden? And dressed like that? You know the kind of place this is."

I laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. "Oh, I know exactly what kind of place this is. It's a place where I can be myself. A place where I'm not judged for every breath I take."

Before I could say anything else, he grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh. "We're leaving." It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. He dragged me through the crowd, past curious stares and flashing lights, out into the cool night air.

He practically shoved me into the sleek black sedan that waited at the curb. The door slammed shut with a sickening thud, trapping me inside. I immediately reached for the handle, but he was faster. His hand clamped over mine, preventing my escape.

"Let go of me!" I snarled, struggling against his grip.

"What do you think you're doing, Hayden?" His voice was cold, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "Running away? From your responsibilities? From us?"

"There is no 'us' anymore, Griffin!" I spat, my voice laced with venom. "And my responsibilities don't include being your docile little ornament!"

He released my hand, but his gaze remained fixed on me, piercing and unyielding. "You will calm down. And you will remember your place. My family, our family, has rules. Rules you seem determined to break. You will write a proper apology, a self-reflection, and you will understand your mistakes."

My blood boiled. Rules. Always rules. "Your rules are a cage, Griffin! I'm not some pet you can train!"

"You are my fiancée," he stated, as if that explained everything. "And you will conduct yourself as such. You will marry me. You will be my wife."

"No," I said, the word a whisper, but it echoed loudly in the confines of the car. "I won't. I refuse to marry you."

His eyes widened fractionally. It was a subtle shift, but I saw it. A flicker of genuine shock, quickly replaced by something I couldn't quite decipher. Good. Let him be shocked. Let him feel something other than cold control.

A part of me wanted to scream the truth, to tell him about the swapped engagement, to watch his impeccably composed world shatter. But a more vindictive part of me wanted to savor the moment, to let him stew in his own confusion. He deserved to find out later, when it would hurt him more.

So I softened my voice, a calculated move. "It's just... I'm still upset about the accident. I'm just acting out. You know me, Griffin. I get dramatic sometimes. It was just a fit of pique."

His face remained impassive, but the tension in his jaw loosened a fraction. "Pique or not, Hayden, such outbursts are unacceptable. They reflect poorly on you. And on me." He paused, his gaze sweeping over my club clothes. "Go home. Get some rest. We will discuss this later. And you will present me with that self-reflection tomorrow morning."

I knew better than to argue. For now. As the car pulled up to my father's mansion, I made a show of smoothing my dress, a small, defiant gesture. I slid out of the car, slamming the door harder than necessary. He said nothing, his eyes following me as I walked up the driveway.

Just before I entered the house, I turned back. He was still watching. I offered him a saccharine-sweet smile, the kind Charlie perfected, then winked. A blatant act of provocation. Something I would never have done before the crash.

His jaw tightened again. I saw his knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. But he didn't say anything. He just watched me until I stepped inside, the heavy oak door closing behind me.

Hayden POV: