Contracted hearts

Confrontation

Chapter Four

A tiny, strangled gasp escaped my throat as we stared at each other. The same man I had shared a bed and my body with last night, the one who had made me forget my worries for a while. I could tell from where he sat that he was the most important personality in the room, and then it hit me that he was a part of this sickening world. Why did I have to seek solace in the arms of someone from the very world I was trying to escape from? Irony and betrayal washed over me. He knew nothing of my situation, but it didn't matter. The fact that he was here made him just another man with an agenda, just like my father.

The applause died down, but his gaze on me hardened, turning from surprise to a burning intensity. I tried to pull my hand away from my father’s grip, but he tightened his hold, making me trapped. “And the second great union of the night,” the announcer’s voice boomed, “The successor of the Crawford empire and the only daughter of George Laurent. I give you… Julian Crawford and Layla Laurent!”

A loud hum of excitement rippled through the room as everyone’s eyes fell on the head of the table. It was Julian Crawford and by his side sat a striking blonde woman. She was radiant in a red strapless gown, her smile wide and full of genuine affection as she glanced adoringly at him. A suffocating realization hit me like a physical blow. Julian was not just a powerful man, he was the future of the Crawford empire, and he was going to get married off to Layla Laurent, the daughter of my to-be husband. I was going to become the mother-in-law to Julian Crawford, my one-night stand. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I felt my knees buckle.

Layla Laurent suddenly reached over and placed a hand on his arm, gesturing affection and ownership and my heart hammered against my ribs, yet his eyes never left mine. Layla, noticing Julian's unwavering gaze, followed his line of sight to me and her smile faltered with a mix of curiosity and subtle disapproval. My father, too, noticing the exchange, leaned in, his voice a low hiss in my ear. "Stop staring, Ava. Behave."

Suddenly, Julian rose from his seat, his chair scraping against the floor with a jarring screech that silenced the room. All eyes turned to him, and the air crackled with tension as he stood tall. A cold dread seized me as he opened his mouth to speak. "Isn’t it such a shame," he began, his voice low and dangerous, "that we're all here to celebrate…this."

"Julian!" A sharp warning came from a man who was clearly his elder, but Julian didn't flinch. Instead, he met the furious glare of my husband-to-be, George Laurent. George's jaw was clenched, his knuckles white where he gripped his glass, but Julian seemed to relish the silent fury directed at him.

"But it's not just a shame," he continued, his voice cutting through the frigid silence. "It's completely ridiculous." His gaze slid from George to me, a smirk on his lips. "Another young woman for George Laurent? What a joke. She looks like she’s seen a ghost." He let out a single, harsh laugh that held no humor, and a few board members shifted uncomfortably, the air growing thick and suffocating with tension.

A truly devilish smile then bloomed across his face. "Maybe we should hear from her. After all, she's a woman who..." His words hung in the air, and my mind supplied the rest...a shameless woman who had spent the night with him.

He was going to reveal our secret. He was going to ruin me. Suddenly, with a strength I didn't know I possessed, I ripped my hand from my father's grip and bolted out of the room. Behind me, the room flew into chaos and my father's voice called after me. "Ava! Where are you going? Get back here!" but I didn't look back. I ran out of the conference room and into the vast hallway, the sound of my heels echoing against the marble floors.

My mind was in a haze. Where was I supposed to go now? Back to my hideout? Back to the small, one-bedroom apartment that had become my sanctuary for the past three months? Or was I supposed to go back to my father, to my dying mother, and to the arranged marriage I had just run out on? I felt a tear slide down my cheek as I stepped out of the elevator.

"Leaving so soon, Miss?" his voice suddenly cut through the quiet lobby and I froze. I knew who it was even before I turned and now, his voice would haunt me forever. He stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets, a cold and calculating look in his eyes. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read them. "What do you want, Julian?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Julian," he mused, a small, humorless smile on his face. "So you know my name. A shame you didn't share yours." He took a step closer, and I instinctively took a step back. "But that's not why I'm here, Ava Deveraux."

"Why are you here?" I snapped, trying to ignore the way my name sounded on his tongue. “Easy miss, you wouldn't want to use that tone over here. We’re not in a certain hotel room.” His words taunted me and I shuddered. Could he have told everybody about it? “Did you tell them?” The question burst out before I could stop it, and he chuckled, the sound of his deep rich laughter sending shivers down my spine.

"You're a coward, Ava Deveraux." His words hit me like a physical blow, and I felt a fresh wave of tears well up in my eyes. "What do you know about me?" I choked out, my voice trembling. "What do you know about my life? You have no right to judge me, we both did it without knowing," I cried. He took another step closer to me and this time, I didn't move. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. “You ran away from me this morning. Maybe you should just keep running before I tell everyone. You don't belong here, Ava Deveraux.”

He looked at me for one last moment, then turned without another word. I stood frozen in place as he strode down the steps, his tailored suit cutting a sharp silhouette against the setting sun outside where a sleek black car was already waiting. He pulled the door open, got in, and disappeared down the road, leaving me alone with a racing mind.