Chapter 5 SCENE 5

CALHOUN'S POV.

The moment I stepped through the door, everything smelled the same-old money, polished wood, my mother's signature lavender oils that cling to every hallway like an invisible warning. Home sweet home, I guess. Or whatever version of home I've always forced myself to accept.

Meeting the Steward had already drained the little patience I had left in me. It should have been the last thing I did today, yet fate decided to twist itself around my neck and pull me straight into the one situation I was trying to avoid: seeing my so-called fiancée again.

I let out a tired exhale and dropped onto the luxurious dark leather couch, the kind that swallows your weight in seconds. I shrugged my jacket off and tossed it carelessly beside me. My parents would have frowned at that. "A man of stature doesn't toss his clothes," Dad would lecture. But I didn't care. Not today.

This-this whole madness-is what Mom and Dad want. They want to decide who I'll spend my eternity with. They want the perfect daughter-in-law, the perfect alliance, the perfect story that fits their polished image. And I've always played along because I'm an only child, because expectations were placed on me like chains, because the Calhoun legacy mattered more to them than my actual life.

But something inside me snapped today.

And it all started with that kiss.

Honestly, I thought I could just marry Beth, endure her presence, and get the damn thing over with. Settle into the role they carved out for me. But the kiss in the restroom with Maddie... God, that was heart-lightning. That shit hit deep-electric, wild, wrong in all the right ways. I wanted to f**k her senseless right there and then, consequences be damned, if that bloat-faced stranger hadn't interrupted.

And yeah, I noticed him when I walked out. I didn't say anything because I knew it would become Maddie's problem. People always have something to say when it comes to her.

To be honest, I fell for Maddie the first time I saw those teary, scared eyes-back in middle school. She'd run to her cousin crying after being bullied, her small shoulders shaking like she was trying to hold the whole world in. Jeremy couldn't do anything, and nobody expected me to do anything either. But something inside me cracked that day. Something sharp and protective.

How could someone else lay a finger on her?

I still remember the heat in my blood. I dragged her behind me, marched up to those idiots, and made her watch me beat the hell out of them. Her eyes were the same then as they were today in that restroom-fragile yet burning, scared yet stubborn, and somehow soft in a way that makes you want to destroy anything that threatens her.

The memory had barely settled before the door suddenly flew open.

Steven barged in like a tornado, voice loud enough to echo. "Heya! What's poppin'?!"

I didn't even flinch. He never knocks. He's been crashing into my life like this since we were kids. We're basically brothers-same chaos, same scars, same stupid impulsive decisions.

I sat up slightly. "Hey, dude."

He kicked the door shut with his heel and gave me that shit-eating grin. "So... how was your meeting with your dearest and beloved wife-to-be?" he sing-songed before bursting into laughter.

That's Steven for you. Everything is a damn joke.

I shot him a glare but couldn't help the smile tugging at my lips. "Is that what they call it now? I thought it was a business proposal."

Steven cracked up. "Says the business mogul!"

I chuckled under my breath. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to call it a marriage."

He threw himself onto the couch opposite mine, sprawling like he owned the place. "So what's she like?"

I studied him for a second, then asked, "Do you know Madeline-Maddie?"

His face lit up in instant mischief. "Ohhh... you mean the crybaby from middle school? The one insanely obsessed with you? Or-wait-is SHE the one you're marrying?"

"If you stop blabbering like a parrot, maybe you'd hear me out."

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I'm listening. Spill."

"So... that's the family I'm getting married into."

Steven's eyebrows shot up. "Wait. Does she have other siblings? Apart from Jeremy? Obviously, he's a guy."

I nodded slowly. "That's what I thought, too. You should've seen how flabbergasted I was when Cinderella descended the stairs."

"Hold on-she has a sister?" Steven leaned forward. "How come I've never met her? I come to Hillenbury every year."

I stood up and stretched. "Well... from what I've heard, she's too social. Elegant personality. Basically the princess of the family."

"And that's... not enough reason for us to know her?" Steven scoffed.

I shrugged. "She's all that. Plus, she was betrothed to me. They sent her to an all-girls elite school."

Steven shot to his feet dramatically. "Who knew you-Calhoun of all people-would end up marrying a virgin after screwing around with anything in a skirt?"

I laughed. "Who knows if she's a lesbian?"

Steven slapped a hand over his heart. "Oh my gosh, man! That's harsh... and kinda hot."

We both laughed before silence settled, thick and heavy.

Then Steven broke it with a low whistle. "So... what are you gonna do? Because from everything you've said... you liked the wrong sister."

I frowned. "Who said I liked Madeline? She's the one obsessed with me, remember?"

He poked my shoulder. "What do you think I am? A buffoon? You wouldn't suck a girl's injury for fun, dude."

I shrugged. "Maybe I did."

Steven's glare sharpened.

"Fine," I sighed. "Okay. Yes. I liked her. I wanted to let go of those feelings for my parents' sake. But after the kiss at the-"

"WAIT." He held up both hands. "You kissed Madeline?!"

"Technically... she kissed me."

Steven groaned and collapsed back onto the couch. "Oh boy. You're dead. So what now? Are you two hooking up or what?"

"I want that badly," I admitted, sitting down again. "But I know how much this marriage means to my parents."

Steven nodded, face serious for once. "Can't you like... ask for a switch?"

I shot him a glare. "Beth has been trained for years to be my wife. But Madeline..."

The words fell off.

He leaned forward. "Look, man. I've known you since preschool. I know how long you've been swallowing your parents' shit. Don't you think it's time to stand up for yourself? You own your money now. Your businesses. Your estates. What are you still scared of?"

He wasn't wrong.

I stared at my hands, thinking of everything I'd worked for all these years. The late nights, the deals, the pressure. All that grinding just for them to still control me like a puppet.

Steven watched me quietly.

"You're right," I finally breathed out. "I'm done playing the good son. We all know how bad I am."

He grinned. "There you go. For a second I wondered where the Calhoun I grew up with disappeared to."

"I might as well tell Beth off tomorrow," I muttered.

Steven raised a brow. "You don't even need to see her. Just talk to your parents."

"I know. But our parents arranged this date to 'get to know each other.' So..." I shrugged.

Steven stood up. "Good then. Tomorrow is your chance. Go blow it up." He smirked. "See you later."

He left the room as loudly as he entered.

Silence wrapped around me again, but it felt different now-heavy, charged, determined.

Tomorrow will probably be my last day in Texas. There's no need to come back after this. Not once I make my decision clear.

But honestly?

Being kissed like hell in a restroom...

Yeah.

That was worth coming back for.