Miran glared at him as his eyes trailed over her and she almost let out a growl as he turned and walked away from her like he owned her. She knew at the time there was little option for her, she had no choice. She was trapped with all the walls closing in around her.
She took a deep breath and followed after him, as he walked the halls of her former home like he owned it, like he had been there many times before. His steps and actions were as unsettling as his gaze, something she did not like nor was she used to.
Mira's gaze was fixed on him as she came to a pause, while he kept on walking down the hallway toward the estate's exit, fully expecting her to obey. When she didn't move right away, he looked over his shoulder with that same maddening smirk.
"Oh, I am not in any mood for more drama right about now, I intend to collect what I came for. Do it willingly, or I will make you. Your choice, so I would hurry if I were you. Time in this universe doesn't wait. And neither do I."
Something deep in her gut twisted at his words, at the way he spoke. This was it. The last thread of freedom, slipping through her fingers.
And yet… she couldn't look away from him, neither did his gaze falter from her, not even once.
She knew very well, both because of her past and his current state of life, that Drian Vellgrave wasn't just dangerous.
He was the kind of man you survived or surrendered to.
And both options would cost her everything, ones that she could not risk, not after everything that she had been through as of late. She was not a pushover and she knew deep down she would lead him in the dance of fire into the pits of hell.
"Come on, little bird, we do not have all day," He drawled, as he kept on walking, and she let out a bitter scoff before following him.
Before they could exit the estate, her father walked in at the same time. A man in a tailored suit, dark brown hair with gray streaks, middle-aged yet handsome with sharp features.
"Father..." She mumured and his eyes narrowed coldly, landing on her. She could almost feel the sting from his gaze, but she just swallowed and said nothing in return.
Her father took a step closer to her and Darian leaned against his vehicle while looking at them intently, not saying a word.
"You have done enough damage for the past few years, causing us enough embarrassment, child; just do your side of the contribution to this family, go with him and do not make a fuss," Her father said to her and her eyes widened slightly.
She looked up at him, but before she could even say anything else, he just walked past her, his shoulder brushing against hers, as her long, silky hair flowed slightly with the strong wind.
'So, even my father, huh? He has no redemption'? She thought, then got into the vehicle with Darian, who just glanced at her without saying anything and got in beside her.
The car ride was silent.
Not the kind of silence that brought peace, but the thick, dangerous kind. Like a lull before the storm. One filled with unspoken rules, unclaimed territory, and a man who didn't speak unless it was a command.
Darian sat beside her in the back seat, legs crossed, one hand resting on his knee, the other lazily draped on the side of the door.
Like he had not just dragged her from her old life by the throat.
Like he didn't just claim her as if she were a trophy waiting to be mounted.
She kept her eyes on the window. The city disappeared behind them in minutes as they entered another part, with an even bigger landscape at the edge of the city.
As she looked on at where they were heading, she tried the door handle once, wanting nothing but to get away from there, to find some way out of this situation.
Locked.
Of course.
"You try that again," he murmured, without looking up, "and next time I will tie you to the seat."
Her lip curled at his words. "You wouldn't dare."
He turned his head toward her slowly. "Wouldn't I?"
Their eyes locked in an intense battle of wills, making the atmosphere of the car feel even more suffocating than it was before all of this had started.
And in that moment, she did not see a fiancé. She saw a hunter who had cornered his prize. The worst part was… he didn't look excited. The look in his eyes was unreadable, another thing she was not used to and she did not like it one bit; she wanted nothing more than to slap some other emotion into his face.
He was looking at her as if she were just step one in a game already playing out far ahead of her.
She swallowed hard and looked away.
"I am not going to beg, you know that I will never, not to you; do not make me give you a reminder of that, Darian," she said quietly.
"Good," he said, eyes drifting back out the window, staring at the things they passed by. "I do not like begging. I like obedience, but you are right; I know that is the last thing I should expect from you."
She almost laughed at his words, but she said nothing and just looked outside, her gaze as dark as his.
Soon after, they arrived at his home; finally, a wrought-iron gate emerged from the fog, opening at their approach with a groan that sounded far too much like a warning.
Beyond it, his estate rose from the earth like something born of shadow and stone, yet with a beauty that matched the landscape.
It wasn't a mansion. It was a fortress—black walls, arched windows. Elegant and cruel, it was a beautiful yet dangerous place; even from afar she could smell it.
As they pulled to a stop, she saw the staff lined up along the front steps—uniformed, stiff, their expressions blank.
No one looked at her.
Not a single curious glance.
It struck her.
They had never seen a woman arrive before.