Chapter 12- You're Mine Now

The club was busy as usual when Anna clocked in. The bass thumped through the floor, the music loud enough to drown out the world, but it was familiar, comforting in a way. She adjusted her apron, took a deep breath, and forced a smile on her face. The night ahead promised nothing more than serving drinks and dodging drunk patrons. It was nothing she hadn’t handled before.

But tonight would be different.

When Jaden stormed into the club, it felt like the air shifted. The doors practically shook as he walked through, his presence demanding attention, sucking the air from the room. Anna froze, her hands frozen mid-pour as she caught sight of him. His eyes locked on hers, sharp and intense, a silent promise of fury in his gaze. He looked furious. His jaw was clenched so tightly, she swore she could see the muscles twitching beneath his skin.

“Anna!” Jaden’s voice cut through the noise, as cold and searing as ice. He was headed toward her with the kind of purposeful strides that made the crowd part in fear. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Anna’s stomach dropped, and her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected him to find her here—hell, she hadn’t even thought about him finding out. She had a job to do, but now it felt like the weight of the world was crashing down on her.

“I—” Anna’s voice faltered. “I work here, Jaden.”

“You work here?” His voice was low, dangerously calm, like the moment before a storm hits. “Is this some kind of joke, Anna? Are you trying to ruin my image?”

Anna’s cheeks flushed, but she held her ground, even as the weight of his glare bore into her. “I don’t see how my job is any of your business.”

Jaden’s eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched at his sides. “Of course, it’s my business. You’re my fiancée, Anna. Have you forgotten that?” His words were sharp, each one like a cut, each one deeper than the last.

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but the words stuck in her throat. She hadn’t thought about what her being here could mean for Jaden’s reputation. She had only thought about keeping her sister alive, keeping things normal, keeping the bills paid. She hadn’t expected Jaden to show up here, to confront her like this.

“I didn’t think—” she started, but he cut her off.

“Clearly, you didn’t think at all!” Jaden’s anger surged, his voice rising above the music, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage. “The media is watching everything right now. And what do you think they’ll say if they see you working at some low-class club like this? It’ll destroy everything we’ve built. My reputation, our reputation—gone in an instant.”

Anna’s heart hammered in her chest, a mixture of guilt and frustration boiling inside her. He was right, and she hated that he was. The last thing she wanted was to cause him problems. But she wasn’t the type to back down, especially not when it came to her family.

“I didn’t know,” she said, her voice barely audible over the pounding bass of the music. “I didn’t know it would matter so much.”

“Of course, it matters!” Jaden’s voice turned icy, his words freezing her where she stood. “Do you have any idea how important this is? This engagement, this whole damn charade? I didn’t bring you into this just to have you ruin everything for me!”

Anna bit her lip, feeling the sting of his words. He didn’t see her. Not really. He only saw a piece of the puzzle he was trying to fit into his life, a necessary accessory to his plan. She was a tool to him. Nothing more.

“I didn’t ask for this, Jaden,” she whispered, her throat tight. “But you know why I'm doing this,”

Jaden’s gaze flicked to hers, and for a moment, his anger seemed to falter. But it didn’t last. He stormed forward, grabbing her arm with a force that made her wince. “You think I want to do this?”

Anna’s heart skipped a beat. She tried to pull away from him, but his grip was firm, unyielding. “Jaden—let me go.”

He didn’t listen. He tugged her toward the door, his anger blazing, his grip like iron around her wrist. “We’re leaving. Now.”

The club seemed to fall away as Jaden dragged her through the crowded space, the people stepping aside with nervous glances, no one daring to stop him. Anna’s mind raced, the situation escalating faster than she could process. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Outside, the cold night air hit her like a slap in the face. Jaden shoved her into the backseat of his car, the door slamming shut behind her. Anna looked up at him, her chest tight, her heart pounding.

Jaden climbed into the car beside her, his face hard, unrelenting. The silence between them was suffocating, the tension so thick it was almost tangible. Anna didn’t dare speak. She didn’t know what to say.

Jaden’s eyes flicked to hers, cold and unblinking. The silence in the car was deafening, broken only by the soft hum of the engine. Anna could feel the heat of his fury searing her skin, but she refused to look away. She wasn’t going to let him see how much his words hurt. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“I’ve had enough of your recklessness, Anna,” Jaden muttered, his voice low and dangerously calm. He leaned closer, his eyes never leaving hers. “You think you can just do whatever you want without consequences? You think I won’t do something about it?”

Anna’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t speak. The words were lodged in her chest, stuck, trapped by the intensity of his gaze.

Jaden’s lips curled into something resembling a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m going to show you how I deal with people when they piss me off.”

Before Anna could react, Jaden slammed his hand onto the door, making her jump. The sound was sharp, a final warning. His jaw clenched as his gaze turned dark with an unspoken promise.

“You’re mine now, Anna,” he growled. “And you’ll learn the hard way what happens when you mess with me.”

The car door slammed shut with a deafening finality, and the world outside seemed to close in around her. The walls of the car felt like they were closing in too, trapping her in this cage of his making. Anna’s mind raced, trying to process the dangerous turn of events.

But there was no escaping it. Jaden wasn’t done. And whatever he had planned next she wasn’t ready for it.

The engine roared to life, and the car sped off into the night, carrying her further into the unknown.