Cruel Awakening

A dark, half-smile touched Dominic's face as he regarded Nadine, the cunning manager of the Apex Club. He arched an arrogant eyebrow, his dark gaze locking onto hers. "Nadine Foley, since when did you become such a bleeding-heart saint that you would speak up for a stranger?"

A sudden, sharp knock echoed at the heavy oak door before she could formulate a response.

Nadine smoothly set her elegant teacup down on the polished mahogany desk. "I am no saint, Dominic. However, Audrey is quite resilient. It would be a pity for business if the girl dropped dead on my doorstep."

She swayed her hips as she walked over to the door to answer the knock. Dominic was left alone with his brooding thoughts. The raw, regretful words Audrey had spoken while kneeling in the snow remained etched in his mind. Her hollow voice served as undeniable proof of just how drastically the woman's spirit had changed.

Nadine exchanged a few hushed words with the staff member waiting out in the hallway. She turned back to the room and froze at the sight of Dominic's tense, rigid posture.

"She has fainted," Nadine reported softly.

The delicate teacup in Dominic's hand shivered slightly. It was a microscopic betrayal of his supposed indifference. He immediately locked his eyes on Nadine. "What about Gideon?"

"I heard he was so worried that he personally sent her to the hospital himself."

Dominic pursed his lips tightly, his handsome face settling into an unfathomable, dark expression. "Send two people to follow them immediately."

Elsewhere, Audrey's unconscious mind was trapped in a fiery, suffocating nightmare. She was forced to relive the brutal beatings she endured daily in prison at the hands of the chubby boss. In her frantic dream, the penitentiary went up in flames, trapping everyone who had ever bullied her. Just as she believed she had found freedom from the raging inferno, her battered body convulsed.

She jolted awake, gasping for air. She opened her heavy eyes to the harsh, sterile reality of a hospital room. An IV drip was strapped to her pale arm, feeding cold fluids into her veins. Before she could orient herself to the bright lights, a low, chilling voice startled her.

Dominic was sitting casually on a nearby leather sofa. His long legs were elegantly crossed. His piercing eyes brimmed with mockery as he sneered at her fragile state.

"You learned nothing during your two years in prison, Audrey. You only mastered the manipulative art of making other men feel sorry for you."

Knowing deep down that he had already reached the limits of his tolerance, Audrey chose to remain silent. She stared at the stark white blanket covering her legs.

This passive reaction only served to ignite his towering rage. He barked at her across the quiet room. "Keeping quiet?"

Turning her head slowly against the crisp pillow, Audrey looked at him with cracked, dry lips. "Mr. Caldwell, since you already have your own twisted answers to everything, there is nothing I can say that would change your mind."

Her underlying, quiet rebellion darkened his expression. Rising aggressively to his feet, Dominic closed the distance in two massive strides until his tall, imposing frame enveloped her small hospital bed. He reached out and brutally grabbed her chin in a painful, suffocating grip, forcing her to look up at him.

"Your pathetic appearance makes me retch," he stated in a voice as cold as ice.

The grip sent agonizing pain through her jaw, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of crying out. Just as the frigid, oppressive air in the room became unbearable, a sudden, sharp knock at the door interrupted the tension.

Upset by the intrusion, Dominic abruptly released his bruising grip on her face and sat back down on the sofa. "Come in," he called out coldly.

Gasping for breath, Audrey rubbed her throbbing jaw. She expected to see a nurse walking in to check her vitals. Instead, the heavy door opened, and it was Gideon who walked into the room.