Chapter 18
606 Words
Chapter 18
Shaina’s Point of View
The tension in the mansion lingered like an unshakable shadow. Even after my father and Lilian left, their words still echoed in my mind.
They want you.
I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the shiver that ran through me.
Cloud had been quiet ever since. Not distant—just dangerously calm.
And that terrified me more than his anger.
I sat on the edge of our bed, watching as he stood by the window, staring into the night. His sharp jaw was clenched, his hands buried in his pockets.
I swallowed hard. “Cloud…?”
He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he let out a slow, controlled exhale before finally turning to me.
His blue-gray eyes burned with something I couldn’t quite decipher.
“Are you afraid?” he asked, his voice soft but firm.
I hesitated. “Of what?”
He took a step closer. “Of me.”
My breath hitched. “Why would I be afraid of you?”
Cloud’s lips curled into a bitter smirk. “Because after what they tried to do to you, I’m no longer holding back.”
I stared at him, my heartbeat quickening.
“What… what do you mean?”
He sat beside me, his fingers grazing my wrist before gently taking my hand. His warmth was comforting, yet his grip was steady—unwavering.
“I’ve already made arrangements,” he murmured.
A chill ran down my spine. “Arrangements?”
He met my gaze, his expression unreadable. “Your father and Lilian just declared war against me. And I don’t lose.”
I sucked in a breath. “Cloud—”
“I won’t let them use you,” he interrupted, his voice like steel. “I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you.”
A lump formed in my throat. “What did you do?”
Cloud leaned in slightly, his thumb brushing against my knuckles. His voice was lower now, more intimate.
“I’m making sure that the investors who wanted you?” His smirk was cold. “They’ll regret ever saying your name.”
I gasped. “Cloud—”
He cupped my chin gently, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “No one takes what’s mine, Shaina.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, but not from fear.
From something else.
I should have stopped him. I should have told him to let this go.
But deep down, a part of me felt… safe.
Because for the first time in my life, someone was fighting for me.
And that someone was Cloud.
Meanwhile…
Lilian’s Point of View
I slammed the door to my husband’s office, my frustration boiling over.
“This is all your fault!” I snapped.
My husband—Shaina’s father—leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. “Calm down, Lilian.”
“Calm down?” I scoffed. “You just let Cloud Whitley declare war on us! Do you have any idea what he’s capable of?”
He exhaled sharply. “I underestimated him.”
“No, we underestimated him,” I corrected, pacing the room. “And now, thanks to you and your pathetic attempt to control Shaina, we’re about to lose everything.”
He scowled. “We haven’t lost yet.”
I glared at him. “Then fix this.”
He stood, his expression dark. “I will.”
But even as he said it, I wasn’t convinced.
Because deep down, we both knew—
Cloud Whitley wasn’t someone you could manipulate.
And now, he had his sights set on destroying us.
- Writer
