Chapter 13- The Dark Side Of Jaden

The car screeched to a halt in front of Jaden’s mansion, the tires grinding against the gravel. Anna’s heart pounded in her chest, a mix of fear and confusion swirling in her gut. The cold night air cut through her, but it wasn’t enough to cool the heat of panic building inside her.

Jaden’s jaw was clenched tight, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. For a moment, neither of them moved. The silence between them was suffocating, the weight of what had just transpired hanging in the air like a storm ready to break.

“Get out,” Jaden commanded, his voice hard and unyielding.

Anna hesitated, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn’t understand why he was doing this. What did he want from her? She had no idea what would happen next, but everything about this situation screamed danger.

“I don’t understand, Jaden,” Anna stammered, her hands shaking as she reached for the door. “Why are we here?”

Jaden’s eyes snapped to hers, his cold gaze like ice. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he grabbed her wrist, yanking her out of the car with a force that sent a jolt of fear through her. She stumbled, her breath quick and shallow, trying to keep her balance as he dragged her toward the mansion’s massive doors.

“Move,” he growled.

Anna’s heart raced as they crossed the threshold into the grand foyer. The marble floors felt cold beneath her feet, but it was the chill in the air that made her shiver. The house, with its towering ceilings and vast, empty spaces, felt suffocating. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was stepping into some kind of trap.

“Jaden, please,” she said, her voice trembling. “I don’t understand. I thought I still needed to work. I thought I had to keep working to help pay for my bills. You know that. I didn’t think it was wrong.”

Jaden’s face was a mask of fury, his expression hard as stone. He didn’t speak for a long moment, as if letting her words sink in. Then, finally, he snapped.

“Didn’t I tell you, Anna?” His voice was ice-cold, each word biting like a whip. “Didn’t I say I would cover all your sister’s bills? Didn’t I promise to take care of everything? And yet, here you are, still working at that damn club like it’s all on you. You think I’ll just sit back and let you ruin everything I’ve worked for?”

Anna’s breath hitched. She opened her mouth to explain, but Jaden silenced her with a sharp look.

“Don’t you dare try to explain yourself,” he snarled. “You’re mine now, I warned you, and this is what happens when you piss me off.”

Anna felt the panic rise in her chest. She wasn’t sure how she could handle the anger in his voice, the way he looked at her like she was nothing more than a mistake that needed to be fixed. She had made a misstep, and now she feared it might cost her more than she could handle.

Jaden’s eyes darkened as he took a step closer to her, his presence overwhelming. “You think you can do whatever you want, huh? You think you have control over your life? Well, let me make one thing clear, Anna. If you ever piss me off again, if you ever make a mistake like this again, don’t think for a second that I won’t use your sister against you.”

Anna gasped, the blood draining from her face. “You wouldn’t, you can’t—”

“I can and I will,” Jaden interrupted, his voice low and menacing. “Don’t you forget, Anna. I still have power over you. And that means I can make things difficult. Very difficult. Don’t test me.”

Her mind was racing, the full weight of his words crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. The idea that Jaden could use her sister as leverage against her. It was too much. He was too much.

He stood there for a moment, letting the silence stretch between them, before his voice cut through the tension like a knife.

“Starting from this moment, you’re no longer permitted to live in that—what do you call it?—scrap of an apartment you call home. You’ll be living here. With me. Under my roof. And don’t even think about stepping foot out of this house without my permission. Understand?”

Anna’s throat tightened, and she nodded slowly, her mind reeling. This was happening. Jaden was taking control of her life in a way she hadn’t anticipated. She had no say in the matter anymore. The weight of his words hit her with brutal force, leaving her breathless.

“You don’t get to make decisions for yourself anymore,” he continued, his voice calm but deadly. “Everywhere you go, everything you do, will be at my discretion. Don’t even think about sneaking away from me. If you do, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

She swallowed hard, her chest tightening as his words echoed in her ears. The power he held over her felt suffocating, like a noose tightening around her neck. She wanted to scream, to argue, but the fear in her chest held her back. She didn’t know what Jaden was capable of, and that terrified her more than anything.

“You’re mine, Anna,” Jaden said again, his voice rough, as if the words themselves tasted bitter on his tongue. “You’ll do as I say, or I’ll make you regret it.”

The finality in his words left no room for argument. There was no choice, no escape. Anna was trapped in his world now, a world where she had no control, no say in her own future.

As the weight of what was happening settled over her, Jaden took a step back, his eyes scanning her with an unreadable expression. He didn’t wait for her response before turning on his heel and walking deeper into the mansion.

Anna stood frozen, her mind reeling with the overwhelming realization of what she had just stepped into. There was no turning back now. The man she had reluctantly become engaged to had just taken full control of her life. And with that control came a price—one she wasn’t sure she could pay.

She was his. And Jaden Blackwell always got whatever he wanted.