None Of Your Business

The sharp crack of Robert's palm across Audrey's cheek echoed through the foyer. The force whipped her head to the side, sending a stinging heat through her jaw, but she did not drop her gaze or flinch. A red handprint bloomed across her fair skin.

Robert stood before her, his face purple with rage and his chest heaving with heavy breaths. "How dare you!"

Audrey straightened her posture, meeting his furious eyes with steady steel. "Why wouldn't I dare? What is there for me to fear? He doesn't love me, so I don't want to marry him. Can't I just say no?"

Robert stepped closer, his hands shaking in panic. "Love? What does love have to do with anything? Do you even realize my company is hanging by a thread? If you marry into the Hawthorne family, we get our lifeline. If you refuse, we go under."

Fate had never granted Robert a son. His younger daughter, Sienna, knew how to flatter him and lift his mood. Audrey, however, had always been stubborn.

Audrey let out a dry chuckle. "Then let it go bankrupt."

To Audrey, the company had been running on fumes for years. Letting it fail was no tragedy.

Audrey kept her voice flat. "Once the company goes under, I can support you with my own salary. You won't need anyone else."

Robert looked ready to choke on his own bile. "Save your breath. Your little paycheck wouldn't cover my expenses for an afternoon. Audrey, you'd better think twice. If it weren't for the old family agreement, do you honestly believe the Hawthorne family would ever accept you?"

Audrey tilted her head, her lips curling into a mocking smile. "Well, why not just give the engagement over to Sienna?"

Standing near the staircase, Sienna froze, her eyes widening with sudden greed. "Are you serious? You won't regret that later?"

Audrey did not offer her half-sister a second glance. She picked up her handbag from the entryway table, pulled open the heavy front door, and strode out into the cool night air.

Outside, Adrian was leaning against his car, a lit cigarette held between his fingers. The moment he saw her exit the house, he stubbed the ember out against a nearby metal trash can and tossed the butt away.

He walked toward her, his gaze drifting across her face. As the porch light caught her features, he paused, noticing the stark red handprint blooming against her skin.

Adrian knit his brows together. "Did Robert hit you?"

He reached out to touch her cheek, but Audrey swatted his hand away.

Audrey took a step back. "None of your business."

Adrian dropped his hand, his eyes darkening with irritation at her usual stubborn pride.

Adrian spoke in an authoritative tone. "Get in the car. We'll get our marriage license tomorrow. I missed Valentine's Day, but I'll make it special tomorrow."

Audrey looked at him with chilling calm. "Adrian, we don't need to do this. I told you we're over."

Adrian flared up instantly, his irritation giving way to anger. "Audrey, enough. Giselle is my sister. No one could replace you. How many times do I have to spell it out for you?"

Audrey met his gaze without backing down. "You know she's not your birth sister. You're not family by blood. Can you swear you'll never see her again?"

Adrian looked away, his jaw tightening.

Audrey saw right through his silence and scoffed. "See? You can't do it, and neither can I. Just thinking about what's between you two makes my skin crawl."

Enraged by her disgust, Adrian grabbed her arm, shoved her into the passenger seat, and slammed the door shut.

He walked around the hood, dropped behind the steering wheel, and hit the gas. "You can feel however you want, but breaking up is never happening."

The engine roared as the sedan tore into the dark streets, tires screeching against asphalt. Audrey gripped the armrest as her stomach twisted into knots. Recent stress had flared her gastritis, and the sudden speed brought nausea to her throat.

Audrey cast a cold glance at the man beside her. "I'm not looking to die tonight. Slow down, or I'll call the cops."

Adrian glanced sideways, catching sight of her bloodless lips. Remembering her chronic stomach issues, he begrudgingly eased his foot off the accelerator, letting the car slow down to a steady pace.

A heavy silence hung between them for the rest of the drive. When they arrived at the Summit Garden house, Audrey stepped out and headed straight upstairs to the guest room, closing the door behind her with a dull thud.

Adrian trailed after her, hesitated outside her door for a brief moment, and retreated to his own room. Neither of them touched the master bedroom.

Audrey sat on the edge of the mattress, rubbing her stomach. She forced herself to open her laptop, answered her clients' pending inquiries, and organized her legal files for the coming week before shutting the screen.

Her temples throbbed with a dull ache. She unlocked her phone and checked her alternate social media account, where the only person she followed was Giselle.

A red notification dot glowed on the following list. Audrey tapped it, opening a post Giselle had published just minutes ago.

In the photo, Giselle smiled delicately, showing off a breathtaking diamond necklace resting against her throat. The caption read: [My brother got me the Heart of Angel as a welcome-back gift. What do you guys think? Isn't it gorgeous?]

Audrey stared at the screen. The Heart of Angel diamond necklace had sold at Crownstone Auction House for fifteen million dollars last week. It turned out Adrian was the generous buyer.

A knock sounded at her door. Audrey put the phone aside, stood up, and pulled the door open.

Adrian stood in the hallway, holding out a generic velvet box. "Saw this at the mall while I was away. Figured you'd like it, so I got it for you."

If Audrey had not just seen Giselle's post, she might have thought he was trying to make amends. Now, the cheap jewelry felt like an insult.

Audrey took the box, flashing a thin, humorless smile. "Wow, what a surprise. Hope it didn't break the bank."

Adrian frowned at her snarky tone. "A few hundred thousand won't break the bank."

Audrey moved to shut the door, but Adrian stepped forward, planting his shoe in the doorway.

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Got another gift for me?"

Adrian raised an eyebrow back. "Nope. Just a reminder. We're getting our marriage license tomorrow."

As he spoke, Audrey's phone screen lit up in her hand. A taunting direct message from Giselle popped up: [Drey, are you with Adrian right now? With a call from Giselle, he'll ditch you in a second. Wanna try it?]

A second later, the message was deleted.

Adrian looked annoyed by her silence. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

Audrey gave him a faint smile, her eyes locked on his. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Adrian repeated, his impatience growing obvious. "We're getting our marriage license tomorrow. Don't sleep in—"

Before he could finish, his phone started ringing.

Adrian pulled it out, and the moment he saw the screen, his entire demeanor shifted from annoyed fiancé to tender protector.

He answered the call immediately. "Hey, Gigi. Where are you? What's wrong? Stay right there, I'm coming right now."

Without a single backward glance or a word of explanation to Audrey, he turned and rushed downstairs. Moments later, the front door slammed, and the sound of his car sped off into the night.

Audrey stood by the doorway, looking out into the empty hall. "Marriage license? What a joke."

Audrey set the jewelry aside for a consignment store, then pulled out two massive suitcases.

She meticulously packed away every single item she had ever purchased for their shared home. She stripped the luxury sheets, the duvet covers, the scented candles, and the bath products from the room, packing them into boxes.

Then she walked into Adrian's bedroom.

Inside his expansive closet, rows of designer shirts and silk ties hung along the racks—items she had bought for him over the years. Audrey stripped the shirts from their hangers and cleared the tie racks, packing everything away. What she had given him, she took back.

Dragging her heavy luggage downstairs, she paused at the bottom of the steps.

The maid, Martha, stepped out from the dining room with wide, stunned eyes. "M-Madam, are you going on another business trip?"

Audrey flashed a faint, liberated smile. "I'm moving out. I probably won't be coming back."

Martha stood in stunned silence, watching Audrey walk out the front door and disappear into the night.

Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian knelt beside a plush sofa inside a private lounge.

Giselle huddled into the corner of the cushions, looking fragile and pale. Tears fell like delicate pearls from her red-rimmed eyes, splashing onto Adrian's hand. Seeing her weep brought a sharp, overwhelming pain to his chest.

Adrian carefully pulled the weeping girl into his strong arms. "Gigi, why are you always so careless? You know your health isn't great. Why didn't you just stay with Mom and Dad?"

Giselle wiped her face with the back of her hand, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "I know, Adrian. I know I'm useless. But what can I do? You're the only person who actually cares about me in this house."

"Come on, don't cry," he murmured, gently setting aside his cotton swab. "It's alright. I've got your back, always."