Chapter Four
1522 Words
Ivy
"Public apology interview... no." I scratched it out hard.
"Charity appearance... maybe." Another line through it.
My hand dragged through my hair in frustration as the pages filled with crossed-out ideas. I'd accepted a challenge I couldn't walk away from. One week. That was all Cole had given me. Impress him in seven days, or he'd kick me out of the house and when that happened, my job would be gone too.
I leaned back against the headboard and closed my eyes. "Take a deep breath, Ivy. You've got this. This is a piece of cake for you."
One week or not, I'm not going anywhere.
I bent forward again and kept writing, ideas stacking on top of ideas, none of them good enough. A groan slipped out of me before I finally tossed the pen across the bed and pushed myself to my feet.
My phone buzzed. I picked it up and read the message.
Mr. Harland: Make sure you report directly to Bernard with updates. He's your boss now.
I rolled my eyes. As if I didn't already know that. If only he knew how hard things already were.
A yawn escaped me as I walked out of my room and headed toward the kitchen. My stomach growled. Cole hadn't even bothered to give me food. Wicked man.
I stepped into the kitchen and slowed. Minimal. Clean. White counters. Stainless steel appliances that probably cost more than my rent. There wasn't a single thing out of place, yet everything screamed luxury.
"Not bad," I muttered.
I walked over to the refrigerator and stopped. My brows creased and I squinted my eyes at the piece of paper that was stuck to the fridge door.
Kitchen Rules.
"No touching anything labeled."
"No cooking after 8 p.m."
"No moving items from their assigned places."
"No using the coffee machine without permission."
"No eating food that isn't yours."
"No—"
I laughed bitterly. "Are you serious?"
Disbelief sink in. This man really didn't want me here.
"This wouldn't make me stop," I muttered a smile curving up my lips.
I reached for the fridge handle and pulled. The door didn't budge. "What the—" I stepped back, then tried once more, yanking it.
Locked. I scoffed loudly. "What the hell?"
"So you found the rules."
Cole's voice floated in from behind me, calm and irritatingly steady."They're there for a reason."
I spun around and folded my arms over my chest. "What exactly is your problem? Do you expect me to starve to death in this house?"
He stepped fully into the kitchen, his eyes flicking around the space before he shrugged. "How is that my problem? You came here on your own. You don't expect me to feed you when you're not the one making money for me."
My jaw clenched. So this was who he really was now.
"Wow," I said flatly. "You really have issues."
He didn't even flinch. "I'll allow you to use the kitchen," he said. "But my things? No. You can call me selfish if you want."
I laughed, sharp and humorless shaking my head. "You're indeed selfish, self-centered and completely unmannered."
I stepped closer, looking him straight in the eye. "You know what? This little stunt won't work on me. You'll have to try harder."
I shoved past him and walked out of the kitchen, my hands clenched tight as anger burned through my chest.
Cole Dawson wasn't just difficult. He was a problem. And I sure as hell wasn't backing down.
I moved down the aisle, tossing in whatever caught my eye, into my basket. Bread. Noodles. Instant coffee Juice.
"Who the hell locks a fridge? Wicked man. Crazy man. Who raised you, huh?" I muttered, earning a strange look from a guy near the snacks section. I ignored him and kept going.
The convenience store was still dressed up for New Year. Banners hung crookedly from the ceiling. Shiny posters screamed Happy New Year in bold letters.
Great. Just great. There really wasn't much difference between this and that night.
That i***t Nathan can have all the free time in the world to sleep with Lana now. And my mother could rethink her obsession with early marriage. Love? I'd dumped that straight into the trash. All I had left was my job and I wasn't losing that too.
I dumped the basket on the counter and waited while the sales girl rang everything up. To distract myself, I pulled out my phone and opened i********:.
Big mistake. Nathan's face filled my screen.
Smiling. Arm wrapped around Lana. Comfortable. Shameless.
Something slammed into my chest. For a second, I honestly wanted to jump into the picture and strangle him. He didn't even have many likes.
Pathetic.
"What an asshole," I muttered.
"Your bill," the girl said, sliding the total toward me.
I pulled out my card, paid, and grabbed the bag. As I stepped back outside, the cold air hit my face.
I let out a breath. "You win this time, Cole," I murmured. "But I'm coming back stronger."
**
I dragged the big bag up to Cole's front door, my arms already aching. Whoever said revenge was sweet had clearly never hauled luggage this heavy up someone else's driveway. I stopped, caught my breath, then pressed the doorbell. Again and again
"Unbelievable," I muttered, shifting the bag and nearly losing my balance.
"What the hell—" Cole's irritated voice cut off mid-sentence as his eyes dropped to the oversized bag sitting at his doorstep.
I straightened, lifted my chin, and flipped my hair over my shoulder. Without waiting for permission, I dragged the bag forward.
He reacted fast, grabbing my arm and shoving me back. "Hey where do you think you're going?"
I yanked my arm free, glaring at him. "What's wrong with you?"
His eyes flicked to the bag. "What is that?"
I smiled sweetly and glanced at the bag, then back at him. "This? My food. My stuff. Kitchen utensils."
I tilted my head. "Since someone made it very clear he doesn't want me touching his precious things and came up with those childish kitchen rules, I decided to stop by my place and bring my own. I'm not stingy you know." I ended with a tight lipped smile.
Something dark flashed in his eyes. Anger. Good.
Inside, I smiled even wider. You really thought I'd give up, Cole? Too bad. I don't quit.
I dragged the bag again, stepping fully inside. Then I paused and looked back at him.
"Oh and I'll need the door password," I added casually. "So I don't have to keep summoning you back and forth. Unless you enjoy that."
I smiled and turned toward the kitchen.
I barely made it two steps before his footsteps followed. "You're crazy if you think I would allow this."
His words irritated me but I swallowed refusing to give him that satisfaction. Instead, I let out a small laugh.
"This is exactly why you're stuck like this," I said lightly. "Too much ego. Too arrogant. No wonder—"
He was suddenly in front of me. His hand closed around my arm, tight enough to make me wince. Pain shot through my skin and my breath hitched.
"Watch your mouth," he said through gritted teeth anger flashing in his eyes. I froze startled the pain in my arm growing more with his tight hold.
He leaned closer, his grip still firm. "Just because I let you into my house doesn't mean you get to talk to me any way you like."
Pain throbbed through my arm, sharp and hot, but it didn't stop my mouth. If anything, it pushed the words out faster.
"Then maybe stop acting like a man who wants everyone to bow to him," I snapped. "With this attitude, you'll lose everyone who ever cares about you."
His eyes darkened instantly. In one swift move, he pushed me back against the counter. The edge dug into my lower back as his face hovered inches from mine.
"Don't!" he spat. "Don't f*****g talk about things you know nothing about. Don't talk about pain when you've never lived it."
The anger in his face wasn't just anger. It was something deeper. Raw. It caught me off guard. Fear crept into me. My throat tightened. My voice came out strained as I tried to free my arm from his hold. "You're... hurting me."
His jaw clenched, muscles ticking, but his hand didn't loosen. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
"Daddy?"
The single word sliced through the tension. Both our heads snapped toward the kitchen doorway.
His daughter stood there, clutching a toy to her chest. Her big eyes were fixed on us.
Cole released me instantly. He straightened, the anger vanishing like it had never existed, replaced with something guarded and cold. "Stay in your lane," He uttered coldly in a way that somehow made my skin tingled.
Then he turned and walked away with her, leaving me stunned, my arm still aching, my chest tight with anger, fear and confusion.
- Writer
