His grip tightened just slightly.
“Or you’ll realize too late who your real enemy is.”
“And who is that?”
He leaned closer, his voice low against my ear.
“Not me.”
My breath hitched.
But something inside me shifted.
This wasn’t love.
This was control.
He released my wrist abruptly and stepped back, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m under attack,” he muttered. “The board is shaky. Investors are nervous.”
“So you tighten the leash?”
“I protect what’s mine.”
“There it is again.”
His eyes flashed.
“You’re twisting my words.”
“No,” I said quietly. “I’m hearing them clearly.”
The room felt too small.
Too suffocating.
“I need space,” I murmured.
“You’re not leaving.”
The command in his tone stopped me cold.
“Excuse me?”
“We finish this conversation.”
“It’s not a negotiation.”
His jaw hardened.
“You think Adrian Vale is going to save you?”
“I never said that.”
“But you’re curious.”
The accusation hit too close.
Silence.
He saw it.
And that terrified him.
“You’re not naïve,” Dylan said, voice dropping lower. “You know men like him.”
“Men like him?”
“Predators.”
“And what does that make you?”
The question hung in the air like smoke.
For a second, something raw flickered in his eyes.
Then it vanished.
“I built everything I have,” he said coldly. “I won’t let him tear it down.”
“And if he’s not the one tearing it down?”
Another crack in the facade.
He looked at me like he didn’t recognize me.
“When did you start doubting me?”
“When you started hiding things.”
The honesty hurt more than anger.
He walked to the bar cart and poured himself a drink.
“Fine,” he said finally. “You want honesty?”
“Yes.”
“The company is leveraged.”
My stomach dropped.
“But it’s temporary.”
“How temporary?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
“Dylan.”
“I made calculated risks.”
“With what collateral?”
Silence.
My heart thundered.
“With what collateral?” I repeated.
He took a slow sip of whiskey.
“Our future projections.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
His eyes met mine.
And in that moment—
I knew.
“You used my trust fund.”
“It’s not like that.”
The words felt like glass in my throat.
“You said it was untouched.”
“It is—technically.”
“Technically?”
“I used it as leverage. Not capital.”
“That’s worse.”
“It’s strategic.”
“It’s reckless!”
The room spun.
“You didn’t even ask me.”
“We’re getting married.”
“That doesn’t make me an asset.”
His expression darkened.
“It makes us a unit.”
“Without my consent?”
“You would’ve said no.”
“Yes!”
“Exactly.”
The confession was brutal.
He didn’t regret it.
He regretted being caught.
“You had no right,” I whispered.
“I had every right. I’m trying to protect us.”
“By risking everything I own?”
“It’s temporary.”
“You keep saying that like it makes it okay.”
His frustration boiled over.
“You think I wanted this?” he snapped. “You think I enjoy fighting off vultures like Vale?”
“Then why are you fighting alone?”
“Because weakness invites attack!”
“And hiding from me isn’t weakness?”
His silence answered that.
My chest ached.
“Why didn’t you trust me?” I asked softly.
He looked at me like the answer was obvious.
“Because love makes people irrational.”
The words hit harder than a slap.
“You didn’t trust me because you love me?”
“I didn’t trust you because you’d protect yourself before protecting me.”
The accusation burned.
“I’m supposed to,” I said.
“Not if we’re a team.”
“A team requires honesty.”
He looked away.
That was all the confirmation I needed.
“I’m not signing anything,” I said quietly.
His head snapped up.
“You don’t get to dictate that.”
“I absolutely do.”
“You’ll destroy the company.”
“No,” I corrected softly. “You already did that.”
The silence that followed felt catastrophic.
“If you walk away,” he said slowly, “Adrian wins.”
“This isn’t about him.”
“It’s always about him.”
“No,” I whispered. “It’s about you.”
The truth hung between us.
Raw.
Ugly.
He stared at me like I’d just betrayed him.
“You’re choosing his side.”
“I’m choosing mine.”
The words changed everything.
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
Then Dylan’s expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Calculation.
“You think you can survive this alone?”
I held his gaze.
“I guess we’re about to find out.”
He let out a slow breath.
“Don’t do something you can’t undo.”
“Like leveraging my inheritance?”
His jaw clenched.
“This isn’t over.”
“No,” I agreed quietly. “It’s just beginning.”
And for the first time since I’d said yes to his proposal—
I realized I might be saying no to everything else.