Chapter 4

Callum violently shoved Kloe's wrist away, his face twisting in disgust as if he had just touched rotting garbage.

Kloe stumbled backward, her heels catching on the stone. She fell back into the arms of her terrified friends. Her face drained of all color.

"M-Mr. Wyatt," Kloe stammered, her voice trembling violently. She tried to force a sickeningly sweet smile. "This is just a misunderstanding. She was-"

Callum reached into the breast pocket of his suit. He pulled out a pristine white silk handkerchief. Slowly, methodically, he wiped the fingers that had just touched her skin.

He didn't even look at her.

"Is this the Holder family's upbringing?" Callum's voice was dangerously quiet, but it carried across the dead-silent garden. "Screaming like a rabid dog in public?"

Kloe's face turned a sickly shade of green.

Being questioned about her upbringing by Callum Wyatt in front of New York's elite was a social death sentence. There was no coming back from this.

The socialites holding Kloe instantly let go of her arms, taking massive steps backward as if her stupidity was contagious.

Aubrey stood behind Callum. She stared at the broad, immovable line of his shoulders. Her chest tightened with an agonizing mix of longing and panic.

She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't let him tie his name to hers.

Aubrey took a deep breath, ignoring the stabbing pain in her foot, and stepped out from behind him.

"My father died before I was born," Aubrey's voice rang out, clear and cold, cutting through the whispers. She stared directly into the crowd. "I am no one's illegitimate daughter."

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers. This directly contradicted the rumors the Holder family had been feeding the press for years.

"You're a liar!" Kloe shrieked, desperate to regain control.

Callum tossed the silk handkerchief into a nearby trash bin. He let out a dark, terrifying scoff.

He turned his head, his eyes sweeping over the crowd like a blade.

"Miss Aubrey's words are the absolute truth," Callum declared, his tone leaving zero room for debate. "If I hear one more rumor about her bloodline, the legal department of Wyatt Corp will personally dismantle your family's assets. Are we clear?"

Absolute silence.

No one breathed. No one moved. No one in their right mind would risk their family empire to challenge the Wyatt monster.

Aubrey froze behind him, her blood turning to ice inch by agonizing inch. No... it wasn't supposed to happen like this. She had spent four grueling years pushing him away, tearing her own heart out just to keep him out of this exact mess. But now, in less than three minutes, he had leaped straight into the center of her meticulously built battlefield and detonated a bomb. He was tying his name to hers in front of New York's most dangerous predators. Her chest tightened with sheer panic. Her entire plan was spiraling violently out of control.

Kloe stood frozen, her whole body shaking. She knew she was ruined.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke the tension. Beatrice Vance rushed into the garden, followed by four massive security guards.

Beatrice took one look at Aubrey's pale face and bare feet, then glared murderously at Kloe.

"Escort Miss Holder out," Beatrice ordered the guards, her voice dripping with authority. "She is clearly unwell."

Two guards grabbed Kloe by the arms, half-dragging the humiliated, sobbing heiress out of the garden and into the night.

Beatrice turned to Aubrey, her eyes softening. "Aubrey, your foot. Let me call the family doctor right now."

"I'll take her home."

Callum's voice cut off Beatrice's sentence. It wasn't an offer. It was a command.

Aubrey's stomach dropped. "No," she said quickly, stepping back. "I can call an Uber. I don't want to bother Mr. Wyatt."

Callum didn't even acknowledge her refusal.

He stepped into her space, bent his knees, and scooped her up into his arms.

"Ah!" Aubrey gasped, her hands flying up to grip his broad shoulders to stop herself from falling. Her face burned hot with sudden embarrassment.

The crowd gasped again, eyes wide with shock. The untouchable, ruthless Callum Wyatt was carrying a controversial actress like a bride.

Callum ignored them all. He carried Aubrey across the garden with long, powerful strides, heading straight for the massive black Maybach idling at the estate gates.

The driver scrambled out, pulling the rear door open.

Callum practically shoved Aubrey onto the leather seat. He climbed in right after her.

The heavy car door slammed shut, sealing them inside.