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CHAPTER 13

ROMAN

I slammed the study door shut and marched straight to the sideboard. Eschewing the finer brandy, I reached into the cabinet and snatched up a bottle of whiskey. I grabbed a crystal glass and moved over to the fireplace, splashed a generous portion of whiskey into the glass and shot it back. I repeated the gesture a second, then a third time. About halfway through my third glass, I threw the whole thing into the fire, relishing the brief but satisfying blue flame flaring up.

Goddamn her.

I leaned my forearm on the marble mantelpiece and stared into the flames. In this moment, it wasn’t enough to watch the fire turn a log into ashes. I wanted the whole fucking world to burn.

For the first time in my entire jaded life, I had actually come close to feeling a true emotion. I had almost believed what I had said in my proposal. Only to have her say no.

No one says no to me. No one.

Goddamn her.

I reached for the bottle of whiskey and took a swig straight out of the bottle.

How dare she say no?

The moment that detestable word left her lips, I rose and walked out of the theater. Aurora followed in my wake, begging for me to listen to her reasons. I refused. I put her in the limo and ordered the driver to take her home. I had then walked the streets of London for what felt like hours. I watched happy couples pass me by and wanted to tear their stupid fucking heads off. I wanted to learn their names and ruin their entire stupid fucking lives just for the hell of it. Stupid fucking…

Goddamn her.

I pulled on the bow tie that was strangling me. I then wrenched on the collar button so hard it popped off. It didn’t help. I still couldn’t breathe.

Goddamn her.

I would make her pay for this.

I didn’t quite know how yet, but my cruel little kitten was going to pay.

I clenched my fist as I continued to stare into the flames.

The study door behind me softly opened.

I knew it was her. Still I refused to turn.

“Roman, can we talk?” Her voice sounded strained.

“No.”

She sniffed. “I’m really sorry.”

“Dammit, Aurora. Not now.”

I was angry, and fast on my way to becoming drunk. I may be a bastard, but even I never wanted to subject her to seeing me inebriated. It was something I swore would never happen after I learned about her mother and stepfather’s alcoholic ways. It was why I only indulged in a small brandy in the evenings and had given up my habit of opening a bottle of fine wine with dinner. It wasn’t her age. Although she was legal to drink, it was her aversion to watching a man drink that stopped me.

She sniffed again. “I just wanted to say goodbye. Eleanor is on her way over to pick me up.”

I spun on my heel. My eyes narrowed. She had changed out of her dress and was now wearing a simple pair of yoga pants and trainers with a jacket on. At her feet was a small pink duffel bag. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Her eyes widened. “I… I… said that Eleanor was coming to get me. She goes to university not too far from here.”

I crossed the room.

Aurora cried out and raised her arms as if to protect her face from a blow.

The movement made me see red. I may have spanked her for sexual gratification, but I had never laid a hand on her in anger, not like that. I picked up the bag at her feet. I crossed back to the fire and drew my arm back.

Aurora followed me and grabbed at my arm. “Roman, no!”

Shrugging her off, I tossed the bag into the flames.

Turning back to her, I placed my hand around her throat and walked her back until she collided with the wall. Releasing her before I did something I regretted, I sneered, “You’re not going anywhere, do you understand me?”

“You’re scaring me, Roman,” she sobbed.

I punched the wall above her head.

Aurora screamed.

“You should be scared, Aurora. You. Should. Be. Very. Fucking. Scared.”

She raised her hands up, palms out. “Please, just let me go.”

“Never,” I snarled.

I claimed her mouth. I didn’t want to kiss her. I wanted to punish her. I palmed her breast and squeezed as I tasted her fear. Her whimpers finally stopped me. Breaking free, I swiped at my mouth with the back of my hand. “Get out of my sight.”

“I’ll wait for Eleanor outside.”

“The hell you will. Get your ass upstairs and in our bed.”

“Roman—”

“So help me God, Aurora, if you don’t obey me this instant, I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

In that moment, the hollow sound of the front door brass knocker reverberated throughout the house.

Aurora’s eyes widened.

I stormed across the room and shouted over the study threshold to my butler. “Send her the fuck away.”

“But Roman?—”

My glare silenced her.

I slammed the study door shut.

We waited in silence until I heard a car driving away.

I turned my back on Aurora and stared at the fire. “Go to bed.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she obeyed. I didn’t worry that she would try to leave again. Her friend Eleanor was a final detail that I had neglected to take care of but would soon. Other than her, Aurora had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. I had taken everything else from her.

She had nothing.

And yet, despite that, I had offered her the world… and she still rejected me.

I took several deep breaths. This was just a minor, unforeseen setback. My pawn had made an unexpected move in the middle of our game. That was all. I would regroup and come up with a new strategy.

Aurora would be my wife.

Even if I had to burn the entire fucking world down around her to make it so.