Chapter 7- Jaden's Fury

Anna’s apartment door slammed open with such force it rattled on its hinges, the sound echoing through the small space like a gunshot. Anna jumped, nearly spilling the cup of tea she had been holding. She turned, her heart dropping into her stomach when she saw Jaden standing in the doorway, his expression a thunderstorm of rage.

His dark eyes were like a predator’s, sharp and unrelenting, pinning her in place as he stalked inside. The air seemed to chill around him, his presence suffocating in its intensity.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous, the kind of tone that made her instinctively want to step back. But she held her ground.

“Excuse me?” Anna said, forcing her voice to remain steady, though her hands trembled slightly.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Anna.” He closed the door behind him, his movements deliberate and slow, like a lion circling its prey. “You met with Daniella.”

Anna swallowed hard. Of course, he knew. It shouldn’t have surprised her, not when Jaden seemed to know everything. “She reached out to me,” she said, trying to keep her tone calm. “I thought it would be better to hear her out than—”

“You thought it would be better?” Jaden cut her off, his words dripping with cold fury. “You thought it would be better to go behind my back and meet with the woman I told you is my ex-fiancee,”

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“You weren’t trying to what, Anna?” He stepped closer, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. “Betray my trust? Undermine the rules of this arrangement? Because that’s exactly what you’ve done.”

Anna felt her pulse quicken, her fear threatening to overtake her. But she couldn’t let him intimidate her. “I wasn’t betraying you,” she said firmly. “She wanted to talk, and I thought—”

“You thought wrong.” His voice was as sharp as a blade, cutting through her explanation. “Do you have any idea how reckless that was? Daniella is manipulative, vindictive, and dangerous. You’ve given her exactly what she wanted—a reason to escalate this.”

“She already hates me,” Anna shot back, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “I don’t see how one conversation changes anything.”

Jaden’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides. “You don’t see?” he said, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper. “Do you think this is a game, Anna? Do you think Daniella will just play nice because you smiled and listened to her pathetic sob story?”

Anna’s stomach twisted at the implication in his words. “What are you saying?”

Jaden leaned in, his face mere inches from hers, his voice dropping to a lethal tone. “I’m saying that if you ever do something this stupid again, if you ever go behind my back or break the rules of this contract, I won’t hesitate to make your sister pay for it.”

Anna’s breath caught, her heart slamming against her ribs. “You don’t mean that,” she said, her voice trembling despite her efforts to sound strong.

“Don’t test me,” Jaden said coldly. “You signed that contract, Anna. You agreed to follow my rules, to play your part, to keep your head down and do what you’re told. You don’t get to make stupid decisions. Not when it affects me, my family, and my reputation.”

His words were like ice, freezing her in place. “Lily has nothing to do with this,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“She has everything to do with this,” Jaden snapped. “You wanted my money for her treatment, didn’t you? You wanted me to save her life. Well, consider this your reminder: her life is in my hands now, Anna. And I don’t take kindly to betrayal.”

Anna’s hands curled into fists at her sides, her anger battling with her fear. “You’re a monster,” she said, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

Jaden’s lips curled into a cold, humorless smile. “I’ve been called worse. But you don’t have the luxury of caring about that, do you? Because no matter what you think of me, you need me. And you need to remember that.”

The silence between them was thick and suffocating, the weight of his words pressing down on her like a physical force.

“Do I make myself clear?” Jaden asked, his voice softer now but no less threatening.

Anna nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

“Good.” He stepped back, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt as though the entire confrontation had been nothing more than a business meeting. “I don’t care how scared or upset you are, Anna. You signed up for this, and now you’ll play your part. Or Lily will pay the price.”

His words hung in the air like a death sentence, and Anna felt the sting of tears threatening to spill over. But she refused to cry in front of him. She refused to give him the satisfaction.

Jaden turned to leave, but before he reached the door, Anna found her voice.

“I’m doing everything you asked,” she said, her voice trembling but defiant. “I’m playing my part, sticking to the rules, pretending to be someone I’m not—all for Lily. Don’t forget that, Jaden. Everything I do is for her.”

Jaden paused, his hand on the doorknob. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of something in his expression—regret, guilt, humanity. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual mask of cold indifference.

“Good,” he said simply, and then he was gone, the door closing behind him with a heavy finality.

Anna stood frozen in the middle of her apartment, her emotions swirling like a storm. Fear, anger, desperation—they all fought for dominance, leaving her breathless and shaken.

She sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. The weight of the situation pressed down on her, suffocating and inescapable.

Jaden’s words echoed in her mind, a cruel reminder of the impossible choice she had made. She had sold her soul to save her sister, and now she was trapped in a world of lies, manipulation, and danger.

But no matter how much she hated Jaden, no matter how much she feared him, she couldn’t let herself break. Not when Lily was counting on her.

With a shaky breath, Anna wiped her tears and squared her shoulders. She would endure this, no matter the cost. For Lily.

And she would find a way to survive Jaden Blackwell’s ruthless world—no matter what it took.