Chapter 26
848 Words
Chapter 26: No Escape
The silence in the room felt suffocating.
Kian’s eyes remained fixed on Monica.
Waiting.
Hurting.
Demanding the truth without saying it directly.
And Monica—
stood frozen between them.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Because no matter where she looked—
someone would get hurt.
“She is here by choice.”
Alexander’s calm voice still lingered in the air.
Kian’s jaw tightened instantly.
“Then let her say it.”
The pressure snapped tighter around Monica.
She opened her mouth—
then closed it again.
Because the truth wasn’t simple anymore.
She didn’t know what she was supposed to say.
That she missed Kian?
She did.
That Alexander affected her?
That was true too.
And that realization terrified her more than anything else.
“Kian…” she started softly.
But before she could continue—
Alexander stepped forward.
Measured.
Controlled.
Dangerously calm.
“There’s no reason to make this more difficult than it already is.”
Kian finally looked directly at him.
“And you think locking her in a palace makes things easier?”
Monica’s breath caught.
Alexander didn’t react emotionally.
Didn’t raise his voice.
“She has security. Stability. Protection.”
“She had freedom before this.”
The room went still.
For the first time—
something colder entered Alexander’s gaze.
“Freedom,” he repeated quietly.
Kian stepped closer.
“And what exactly are you offering her?”
Alexander’s expression remained unreadable.
“A future.”
“And if she doesn’t want it?”
Silence.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Monica could feel the tension building too quickly now.
“Kian, stop—”
But neither man listened.
Alexander’s eyes returned to Kian calmly.
“She understands the importance of what’s happening.”
“No,” Kian snapped. “You made sure she had no choice.”
The air shifted instantly.
Monica saw it.
The subtle change in Alexander’s posture.
The warning underneath his calm.
But when he spoke—
his voice remained controlled.
“You’re speaking emotionally.”
“And you’re treating her like property.”
That did it.
The room became dangerously still.
Monica stepped forward immediately.
“Kian—”
But Alexander spoke first.
“She is not property.”
A pause.
“She is the future Princess of Montclair.”
The words landed like a direct strike.
Monica froze.
Kian stared at him in disbelief.
“What?”
Alexander didn’t look away.
Didn’t soften it.
“Preparations for the formal engagement announcement have already begun.”
The room fell silent.
Monica felt her heartbeat stop for a second.
“…What?”
For the first time that night—
Alexander looked directly at her.
“It was already being arranged before your arrival.”
Monica’s chest tightened sharply.
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“You were going to be informed.”
“That’s not the same thing!”
Emotion finally broke through her composure.
Real emotion.
Kian looked furious now.
Actually furious.
“You planned her entire future without even asking her?”
Alexander’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“This is bigger than personal feelings.”
“No,” Kian said coldly. “You just want control.”
The tension snapped hard enough that even the staff outside the room shifted uneasily.
Monica suddenly felt trapped.
The room.
The palace.
The pressure.
Everything closing in too fast.
“Stop,” she whispered.
Neither man moved.
“Stop.”
This time louder.
Sharper.
Silence finally fell.
Monica looked at Alexander first.
Breathing unevenly.
“You moved me here without asking.”
A pause.
“You announced me in front of people.”
Another breath.
“And now you’re telling me my engagement is already planned?”
Alexander held her gaze steadily.
“I’m trying to secure your future.”
Monica laughed softly.
But there was no humor in it.
“You mean you already decided it.”
For the first time—
Alexander said nothing.
And somehow—
that answer hurt more.
Kian stepped toward her immediately.
“Monica, come with me.”
Her chest tightened painfully again.
Because part of her wanted to.
Instantly.
But another part—
the dangerous, confusing part—
still remembered Alexander’s kisses.
His voice.
The way he looked at her.
And that confusion made her feel sick.
“I…”
No words came out.
Kian saw it.
And the realization in his eyes was devastating.
Because now—
he understood something had changed.
Not fully.
Not completely.
But enough.
Alexander noticed too.
And for the first time that night—
something almost possessive entered his gaze.
“You should rest, Monica,” he said quietly.
Kian looked ready to explode.
“Don’t talk like she belongs here already.”
Alexander’s response came immediately.
Calm.
Certain.
Unshaken.
“She does.”
Silence crashed into the room.
Monica’s breath caught sharply.
Kian stared at Alexander with pure disbelief.
Then back at Monica.
And the pain in his eyes nearly broke her.
Because suddenly—
this wasn’t just a love triangle anymore.
It was becoming a war.
And she was standing directly in the middle of it.
- Writer
