The Driver's Forbidden Love

Chapter 4

"His girlfriend. Any problems?" Sera's voice was ice-cold as she clung to his arm, her fingers curling possessively around his.

She'd seen the girl approach and hadn't wasted a second — without thinking, she'd darted out of the car.

The girl, seemingly unfazed, shot a flirtatious look at Javan. But Sera wasn't bothered by her smile. She didn't care.

"Baby, when will our ice cream be ready?" Sera asked, turning to Javan, her tone light but carrying an undercurrent of something more — almost possessive.

Javan raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled. He wasn't sure where this sudden shift had come from, but Sera gave him a signal to play along.

He chuckled, keeping things light. "Soon, my love."

His words settled something inside her, and she felt that same unwelcome throb again. She cleared her throat quickly, trying to suppress the flutter of warmth she didn't want to examine too closely — unsure why hearing him call her that made her chest tighten.

When the ice cream was ready, Javan handed her a cone, vanilla and chocolate swirled together. They walked back to the car in silence.

The moment the door shut behind them, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"What was that?" he asked, glancing at her with amusement and curiosity.

Sera tilted her head, feigning ignorance. "What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes too wide, her voice too casual.

"You called me 'baby,'" he said, leaning against the steering wheel with a grin. "Why? Wait… don't tell me you were jealous?"

Sera scoffed, though there was a slight tremor in her voice, as if she weren't entirely convinced by her own words. "Jealous? Of what? Don't flatter yourself. You're not that important to me." The words came out too quickly, as though she were trying to convince herself more than him.

She crossed her arms, glancing out the window to hide the flush creeping up her neck. "I just didn't want you wasting my time with some random girl flirting with you. It's nothing serious."

He raised an eyebrow, watching her closely. "Nothing serious?" he repeated.

She turned to look at him, lips pressed together tightly. For a moment, a crack showed in her composure — but she quickly masked it, her usual coldness settling back into place.

"Now," she said, facing forward again, "be a good driver and do your job properly. Just because you bought me ice cream doesn't mean anything."

Javan bit back a smile. "Okay, ma'am."

He pulled into Mr. Jones's driveway and parked at the garage. As usual, Sera got out without a glance in his direction.

Bianca appeared in the doorway like a dark cloud over an otherwise bright day. She walked over and took Sera's handbag from the seat. Just as she turned to leave, she hesitated, then looked back at Javan, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she stepped toward him.

"Will you be free tomorrow?" she asked, her voice low but direct. "I'd like us to have lunch together. I… have something I need to tell you."

Javan blinked, surprised by her forwardness. "I think so. Tomorrow, then."

She gave a soft, calculating smile before turning to head back inside.

Once indoors, Sera slumped onto the couch and kicked her heels across the room without a second thought. The sharp clack of them hitting the wall did little to ease the tension in her chest. Bianca rushed in, collected the heels, and disappeared into her room, returning moments later with a pair of flip-flops she placed gently at Sera's feet.

Her parents were eating dinner at the dining table, but company was the last thing she wanted. Still, she walked over, leaned down, and kissed their cheeks, offering nothing more than the bare minimum of warmth.

"How was your date, honey?" her mother asked between bites, a prawn dangling from her fork.

Sera grabbed a glass of juice and took a long sip, hoping it would cool the frustration building inside her. "Horrible," she said sharply, unable to hide her irritation.

The moment she spoke, Mr. Jones's eyes locked on hers. He stopped eating, his expression turning serious, the air around them growing heavy.

"What happened?" His voice was low, concerned — but Sera could feel the weight of authority behind it.

"Edward is a psychopath," she muttered, gripping her glass. She didn't care about being delicate the way she'd been taught. "He was—"

"He didn't propose today?" Mr. Jones cut her off, the question hanging in the air like a judgment.

"Proposed?" She blinked, confusion settling over her like fog. She stared at her father, half-wondering if she'd missed some major part of a strange game. "What the hell is going on? Did I miss something?"

Mrs. Elizabeth paused, lowering her fork. She glanced at her husband, then back at her daughter, her expression calm — almost too calm. "Edward was supposed to propose today. You two will be married in two months."

The floor seemed to drop out from under Sera. She stood so fast the chair scraped loudly against the floor.

"Married?" she nearly choked on the word. "I'm not marrying that fool!"

Mr. Jones's eyes hardened. "Sera, sit down," he said, his voice controlled but edged with warning. He wasn't asking.

"No!" she snapped, hands shaking with rage. "I'm not sitting down. What is going on here? Are you serious?"

Mrs. Elizabeth's voice softened, but it brought no comfort. "Sera, please. Sit down." Something in her tone made Sera's skin crawl — not just calm, but resigned.

Before she could respond, Mr. Jones slammed his fist on the table hard enough to rattle the glasses.

"Sit. Down." His voice boomed with unmistakable authority. He wasn't playing games anymore.

Sera flinched, her heart pounding. For a moment everything blurred. His words echoed in her mind, and despite herself, she sat back down, breath coming in shallow gasps, tears threatening to spill.

"We are your parents, Sera," Mr. Jones continued, his voice now cold. "Whatever decisions we make for you, you have no choice but to obey. You are marrying Edward. That is final."

She shot back to her feet, fists clenched, chest rising and falling with each furious breath. "You can't make me marry him!" Her voice cracked with anger. "I refuse!"

Before she could reach the door, her father's voice rang out, fury barely contained. "Sera, don't you dare walk out on me!"

She ignored him and bolted from the room, not caring where her feet took her. She ran straight to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her, collapsing onto the bed as her heart broke with every sob. Her chest felt crushed, her thoughts spiraling.

" I can't marry Edward. I can't."

The tears came faster, and she let them fall, her body shaking with the force of it.