Selective Hearing

Cool night air filled Audrey's lungs as she stood beside the iron gates of Summit Garden, waiting on the curb for her rideshare app to confirm a driver. The suburban enclave sat miles from the city center, leaving the quiet private road wrapped in deep shadows and the rustle of overgrown oak trees. She pulled her coat tighter, watching the status screen spin on her phone.

A few yards back, tucked beneath the overhanging branches of the tree line, a black Maybach sat parked with its headlights switched off.

Inside the quiet cabin, Vance Hawthorne leaned back against the dark leather seat. He lowered his wrist, his watch glowing faintly in the dim interior as his sharp eyes tracked the slim figure standing beneath the amber streetlight.

"Just got home, and she's heading out again?" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Ten minutes crawled by before headlights swept over the asphalt. A silver sedan pulled to the curb, Audrey slipped into the back seat, and the car vanished down the private drive into the darkness.

By midnight, Audrey was stretched across the worn sofa in her rented apartment, savoring the quiet sanctuary she had fought so hard to secure. She unlocked her phone to inspect her savings account. Just one more solid legal retainer, and she could finally pay off this modest home in full.

Ever since turning eighteen, she had refused to live under Robert Mercer's roof. He had paid her college tuition solely to protect his public image, but she had walked away the day she earned her degree. Her family felt like strangers now, bound by blood but drained of warmth. To Robert, she was never a daughter. She was merely an asset on a ledger, a bargaining chip to patch the leaks in his failing business. Calling off her wedding to Adrian meant severing all ties with her father for good. There would be no middle ground and no polite reconciliation.

Audrey set her phone on the nightstand, closed her eyes, and let exhaustion pull her under.

At five o'clock the following afternoon, Audrey pushed through the heavy glass doors of the downtown courthouse. The late-afternoon sun hit the sharp lines of her tailored black suit as she shook hands with her client and watched him walk toward the parking garage.

Her phone buzzed against her palm before she reached the bottom step. Robert's name flashed across the screen.

She answered without breaking her stride.

Robert did not bother with pleasantries. "Drey, bring Adrian over for dinner tonight. Gwen cooked all your favorites. Don't be late."

He hung up before she could offer a reply.

Audrey lowered the phone and let out a dry, humorless chuckle. There was no chance she would reach out to Adrian or beg him to play the dutiful partner for an evening. If she had to drop the truth on Robert, she would do it in person, face-to-face.

She stopped by a French bakery near the station, picked up a fresh strawberry shortcake, and drove straight to the Mercer estate.

The heavy front door swung open, and Gwen stepped into the foyer. "Ms. Audrey, you're back."

Gwen was the only soul in the cold house who ever greeted her with genuine warmth. Every time the older housekeeper used that respectful tone, Sienna would make a point of rolling her eyes.

Audrey handed over the bakery box with a faint smile. "Gwen, I brought you some strawberry cake. Thought you might like a slice."

Gwen held the box close, her eyes softening as she looked at Audrey's face. "Thank you, Ms. Audrey. You're always so thoughtful. I really wish your mother were still here to see you."

Audrey patted the woman's shoulder gently. "Don't say things like that around here. If Helena or Dad hears you, they'll just make life hard for you."

She stepped out of the kitchen and turned toward the main living room.

Robert stood near the marble fireplace, holding a scotch glass. The moment his gaze fell on her dark blazer and trousers, his expression turned sour. "Couldn't you at least change out of those work clothes before coming home?"

Audrey walked forward, unbuttoning her jacket cuff. "Didn't you order me to get here early?"

"Go wash your hands. Adrian's already here," Robert muttered, nodding toward the sitting area.

Audrey stopped in her tracks. Adrian was already there, lounging on the plush sofa with his legs crossed, looking like he owned the entire room.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you here?"

Robert shot her a warning glare before turning to Adrian with an oily smile. "Adrian, don't take it to heart. Drey just blurts out whatever crosses her mind. You know how she is."

Adrian offered a calm, patient smile that looked sickeningly staged. "Robert, I actually like Drey just the way she is."

"Gross," Audrey muttered under her breath, turning her head away.

Robert scowled, his tone turning harsh. "Do you have any manners left in you?"

Audrey shrugged her shoulders, her expression blank. "You two enjoy your dinner. I'm still full from earlier, so I'll pass."

She turned on her heel and headed straight up the grand staircase.

Audrey walked down the second-floor hallway and reached for the brass handle of her old bedroom door. She gave it a firm push, but the wood hit something heavy on the other side. She shoved harder, and a mountain of cardboard boxes collapsed forward, spilling across the threshold and knocking against her shins.

Audrey stood frozen in the doorway.

Her sanctuary had been turned into a dumping ground. Piles of packaging took up every corner. Bubble wrap, taped shipping boxes, ripped courier bags, and designer shopping cartons were stacked high onto her desk, her chair, and across the edge of her mattress.

"Oh, Drey, you just walk right into my room without even knocking?" Sienna whined, leaning against the opposite doorframe with a smug smirk.

Audrey turned around slowly, her voice flat. "Your room?"

Sienna tilted her chin up. "Look, your room is way bigger than mine. You never sleep here anyway, so why can't I use the space for my deliveries? Come on, Drey, you're not actually making a fuss over a few boxes, are you?"

"Sienna, you've got five minutes to clear your junk out of my space," Audrey said.

Sienna rolled her eyes and inspected her fresh manicure. "Make me."

Audrey did not waste another second on words. She leaned down, grabbed two large shipping crates off the floor, and hurled them through the air. They crashed into Sienna's doorway, scattering packing peanuts across the hallway floor.

"Drey, what are you doing? Are you nuts?" Sienna screamed, leaping backward as another heavy carton slammed against her baseboards.

Audrey grabbed three more parcel boxes, stacking them in her arms before launching them across the hall with clean, unhesitating force. "I wasn't before, but I'm more than happy to lose my temper right now."

The racket echoed down the stairwell.

Downstairs, Robert let out an irritated sigh and set down his glass. "Helena, go see what they're fighting about up there."

Helena stood up, plastering on a long-suffering smile. "Of course. Drey just can't seem to step into this house without picking a fight with Sienna."

Adrian adjusted his cuffs, leaning forward. "Robert, maybe I should head up and check on them."

Robert waved a hand dismissively. "No need. Stay right where you are. They've been bickering since they were kids. It's nothing new."

By the time Helena reached the top of the stairs, Audrey was kicking another bundle of cardboard out into the corridor.

Helena hurried down the hall, her voice sharp. "Audrey, what on earth do you think you're doing?"

Audrey wiped dust from her hands and met Helena's glare without flinching. "Sienna is graduating this year. She isn't a child anymore. Helena, you ought to teach your daughter how to behave. If she acts like this outside these walls, people will just treat her like the spoiled brat she is."

Sienna's face flushed crimson. "Mom, look at her!"

Helena stepped in front of her daughter, lifting her chin with an icy sneer. "Sienna is young. I didn't realize you were petty enough to throw a tantrum over some storage boxes. Next year, I'll speak to Robert about remodeling the entire villa. We might as well renovate this whole floor and wipe this room out."

Audrey's gaze turned razor sharp. This room was the only piece of her childhood left untouched, the final space that held her late mother's presence in this cold house.

"Forget the renovation. Why don't you have Dad buy Sienna her own house? Grandma probably wouldn't agree to you tearing up this place anyway," Audrey countered, her voice dropping into a quiet, cutting register.

Helena's jaw locked tight. The mention of Beatrice Mercer—the only woman whose word held true authority over Robert and the family estate—hit like a slap.

Helena glared at Audrey, her lips pressed into a thin, bitter line. "We'll see about that when the time comes."

Audrey turned back to her doorway and asked Gwen to help scrub the floor. She made a mental note to change the deadbolt on this door first thing tomorrow.

When Audrey came back downstairs, Adrian was standing near the front entryway, wrapping up a conversation with Robert.

Robert clapped Adrian on the shoulder with hearty affection. "It's getting late. Adrian came straight here from the airport after his business trip. Drey, make sure he gets proper rest when you two head home."

Audrey stepped off the bottom stair, her lips curling into a dry smirk. "Don't worry about him. He's got plenty of people waiting to take care of him."

Adrian stepped toward her, slipping a hand into his slacks pocket with an easy, practiced grin. "Drey, let's head out. We've got to get our marriage license tomorrow, remember?"

Sienna had just walked down the stairs behind them, and a flash of bitter jealousy flared in her eyes as she stared at Adrian's handsome face.

Robert let out a booming laugh, his chest swelling with relief and greed. "Tomorrow is fantastic. Getting the license signed is the best news I've heard all week."

He cleared his throat, glancing toward the front porch. "Adrian, why don't you wait in the car for just two minutes? I need a quick word with Drey."

Adrian looked between father and daughter, his smile lingering. "Sure thing. I'll be in the car."

The moment the heavy front door clicked shut behind Adrian, Robert turned around. The warm, proud patriarch vanished, replaced by a mask of dark, furious indignation.

Robert pointed a finger at her. "Drey, you need to watch your tone with Adrian. What kind of wife talks to her future husband like that?"

Audrey shrugged her shoulders, her eyes flat and empty of fear. "Not happy with my attitude? Well, I'm not marrying him anyway."

Robert stepped forward, his hand shaking with rage as he pointed directly at her face. "What did you just say? Repeat yourself."

Meeting his fury with cold clarity, Audrey snapped, "I said, I'm not marrying him. Clear now?"