Chapter 4

Ava froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument. "Kneel."

Summer and Lucy rushed forward. "Ethan, please," Summer pleaded. "It was a chaotic situation. Ava is hurt."

"A scratch," I countered, my gaze fixed on Ava. "Chloe took a cut to the face protecting me, while my head of security was shielding a man who wasn't in any danger. This is not a negotiation. It's a command."

Ava' s jaw clenched. She stared at me, her eyes filled with a pride that had always captivated me but now only filled me with disgust. "I will not marry you, Ethan," she said through gritted teeth, as if that were some kind of threat.

"I am no longer asking you to," I replied evenly. "But you are still in the employ of the Miller family. And you will follow my orders. Kneel. Or your family will bear the consequences of your insubordination."

I walked over to the fireplace mantle and picked up the old riding crop that had belonged to my grandfather. It was a tool of discipline, rarely used, but its meaning was understood by everyone in the room. I ran my thumb over the worn leather. In my past life, I couldn't even bear to scold her. Now, I felt nothing but a cold resolve.

I walked toward her. She held my gaze, her body rigid with defiance. I raised the crop.

The first strike landed on her shoulders with a sharp crack. It was a sound that echoed the breaking of my own past. She didn't flinch. She didn't make a sound. Her pride was a fortress.

I raised it again.

"Stop!"

Ben Carter threw himself in front of Ava, spreading his arms wide. The second blow landed squarely across his back. He cried out, a theatrical gasp of pain, and stumbled forward.

"Don't hurt her!" he yelled, turning to glare at me. "If you want to punish someone, punish me!"

Ava' s eyes, which had been cold and defiant, now filled with frantic concern. "Ben! Are you alright?" She reached out to him, her hands hovering over his back.

"I'm fine, Ava," he said, his voice laced with heroic suffering. "I won't let him hurt you." He looked at me with pure hatred. "You're a monster, Ethan."

"Am I?" I asked softly. I watched as Ben dramatically collapsed to his knees, clutching his back and groaning. He was weak, I knew that blow was nothing, but he played his part perfectly. He then slumped to the side, his eyes fluttering shut as if he'd fainted.

"Doctor!" Ava screamed, her voice shrill with panic. "Someone get a doctor!"

I sighed, a wave of profound weariness washing over me. This pathetic drama was what I had mistaken for love.

"Let the doctor see to him," I said calmly to the staff. Then I turned to my father's butler. "Hanson, please retrieve the 'Starlight' necklace from the main vault."

My father looked at me, surprised. The Starlight was a legendary diamond necklace, a Miller heirloom reserved for the future matriarch of the family. It was meant for Ava.

"I believe it's time I gave my fiancée a proper engagement gift," I said, my eyes finding Summer and Lucy.

Lucy looked confused. "But... Ava isn't your fiancée anymore."

"She isn't," I agreed, a genuine smile forming on my face for the first time that day. "Chloe is."

I looked toward the hallway where she had disappeared.

"And I think she'll love it."