Chapter 4 4

Ansley grabbed a thick towel and pressed it against her wet face. She took a deep, shaky breath.

She unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out into the dim hallway.

The dining room was empty. A maid was silently scrubbing the red wine stain out of the white tablecloth.

Ansley walked softly down the hall toward the guest bedroom. As she passed the heavy oak doors of the study, she noticed they were cracked open an inch.

Eleanor's shrill voice sliced through the gap.

Ansley's feet stopped moving. Her body acted on its own. She pressed her back flat against the cold hallway wall and held her breath.

Through the narrow crack, she saw Eleanor pointing a shaking finger at Emery.

"Are you insane?" Eleanor hissed. "We sent her away five years ago because your obsession with protecting her crossed every acceptable line! You are suffocating her, Emery, and if you keep this up, it will destroy your engagement with Brigette!"

Ansley's breath caught in her throat. She pressed both hands against the cold wall, her fingers trembling as the weight of Eleanor's words hit her. For five years, she had believed she was banished because she was a burden, a mistake. But it was Emery? His overbearing control had been the real catalyst?

Arthur's voice joined in. "The Logan family will never agree to this marriage if they find out the heir to the Holcomb fortune is willing to blow up a billion-dollar merger just to keep his adopted sister locked in a golden cage."

Emery stood with his back to the door, staring out the window.

"Cut my trust fund dividends," Emery said. His voice was so cold it froze the air. "See what happens."

He turned around. The look in his eyes was pure, unhinged madness.

"If either of you touches one hair on Ansley's head," Emery whispered, "I will burn this entire family to the ground."

A cold chill spread through Ansley's veins. The perfect, protective older brother she had loved for years was suddenly casting a terrifyingly dark shadow. His protection wasn't a shield; it was a cage. And she had just walked right back into it.

She couldn't stay here.

She turned around. She reached down and pulled her high heels off her feet. Holding them in one hand, she ran down the hallway in her bare feet. The thick carpet absorbed the sound of her panic.

She reached the foyer. She grabbed her trench coat off the hook.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway behind her.

Emery walked out of the study. His eyes immediately locked onto Ansley.

He closed the distance between them in seconds. He reached out and grabbed her wrist. He yanked her backward.

The high heels slipped from Ansley's fingers and crashed onto the marble floor.

Emery slammed her back against the wall. He leaned down, his face inches from hers. His eyes searched her pale, terrified face.

"How much did you hear?" Emery demanded.

Ansley shook her head frantically. She forced her eyes to look confused. "Hear what? I... I just remembered Kegan needs me at the hospital."

Emery's grip on her wrist tightened. His fingers dug into her skin, bruising the flesh. He didn't believe a word she said.

Ansley squeezed her eyes shut. The pain in her wrist was sharp, but she kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly, the phone in her coat pocket started ringing.

The loud, obnoxious ringtone shattered the terrifying silence. Emery's hand flinched.

Ansley used that split second of distraction to rip her wrist out of his grip. She shoved her hand into her pocket, pulled out the phone, and hit accept on speaker.

"Ansley!" Leo's panicked voice filled the foyer. "Cade just got an interview with Aegis Group! He's taking the algorithm to their headquarters tomorrow morning!"

Ansley stared right into Emery's dark eyes.

"I'll be there tomorrow," Ansley said loudly into the phone. "I'll intercept him at Aegis."

She ended the call. She lifted her chin. The fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, hard wall.

"I have to go to work," Ansley said, her voice completely dead. "Congratulations on your engagement, Emery."

Emery flinched. The mention of the engagement hit him like a physical blow. A flash of pure agony crossed his face, and his arms dropped to his sides.

He didn't try to stop her again.

Ansley didn't bother putting her shoes on. She pushed the heavy front door open and ran out into the hallway barefoot.

She slammed her hand against the elevator button. The doors opened. She stepped inside and watched the doors close, blocking Emery from her sight.

The second the elevator started moving down, her legs gave out. She slid down the metal wall and hit the floor, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.