Chapter 56 CHAPTER 056
Soren has taken quite a liking to Reign’s mansion gym room; it has all the equipment needed to vent his frustrations on, like this fucking punching bag.
To Soren, it isn't a mere bag; everything he throws a punch against, it’s Reign’s face that crosses his mind.
The bag swings violently from the force of his hits while pain blooms across his knuckles, skin splitting slightly, but he doesn’t stop. “Fuck—” he breathes out, landing another brutal hook that sends the bag flying backward before it comes swinging back at him, and he meets it with a knee, his jaw clenched so tight it aches.
Soren scoffs under his breath, his breath ragged with sweat sliding down his neck and soaking into the collar of his loose shirt. “Control freak,” he mutters, throwing another punch hard enough that the impact vibrates up his arm.
Just then, the door of the gym opens, and Reign’s beta secretary works in. Soren hisses when his gaze falls on the article hanging low in his hand. He looks away and goes back to punching the bag.
“Mr. Fox,” the secretary starts.
“What?” Soren tries not to snap, but his voice still comes out so. After being escorted out of the day a few days ago, the secretary has been at Soren’s throat every chance he gets, and it’s starting to get on Soren’s nerves.
The secretary doesn’t react to the attitude; he rarely ever does anyway. Instead, he steps further into the room and raises the article, which clearly states shit about frequenting a bar and tarnishing Mr. Montgomery's so-perfect image. Just a few days ago, he was accused of swinging with cousins, and now this. Soren snorts.
“What? Are you here to lecture me? As Mr. Montgomery’s secretary, aren't you supposed to make sure something of the sort doesn't get published? You said I can live my life since Reign is not here, and I did just that.” Soren shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant, but his brow still twitches.
The secretary sets the article down and holds his hands in front of him. “I understand that you are upset about Mr. Montgomery's behavior and disappearance, but his reputation and image must remain untainted, so I’m going to advise you not to go out in public places until this article is taken down."
Soren pauses for a second, then sharply turns to the secretary and starts walking towards him threateningly. “Tell me, Mr…," he trails off, realizing he doesn't even know the secretary’s name.
“Mr. Monroe,” the beta catches on.
Soren blinks and continues. “Mr. Monroe. Have you ever been abandoned after a night of sex?”
Mr. Monroe’s eyes widen behind his spectacles, a flicker of genuine shock momentarily cracking his professional facade. He clears his throat. “That is a highly inappropriate and personal question, Mr. Fox, and quite frankly, irrelevant to the matter of your public image.”
Soren stops just inches from him, the heat radiating off his sweat-drenched body. He tilts his head, a dark, mocking grin spreading across his face. “Your boss drags me into his bed, disappears like I don’t exist, and now suddenly I’m the problem because I stepped outside?”
Monroe’s expression remains composed, but his gaze narrows slightly. “Regardless of your... personal grievances, the contract remains in effect. You are to remain in the mansion until further notice. Security has been briefed.”
Soren rolls his eyes. “Whatever,” he murmurs and walks past the secretary, brushing against his shoulder before walking out the door of the gym.
~~~
More days pass, and Soren is starting to think he’s going to turn into furniture. Mr. Monroe was fucking serious about keeping Soren locked in because everywhere he turns, a guard is standing there, eyes solely fixed on him. So Soren can’t sneak out even if he wants to.
He hisses in annoyance as he walks into the living room with a bowl of ice cream, but just then, the large main doors of the mansion burst open, and Soren’s object of obsession finally walks in.
The man walks in looking like he has all the power in the world, dressed in a black suit, black gloves, and a large coat over his shoulders, looking so tall and mighty as he strides into the room, black shiny shoes echoing loudly as if an announcement that the Enigma is back in his home.
Sorn stares in awe for more than a second, realizing the man looks even better than the last time he saw him. Suddenly, Soren is conscious of what he’s wearing: an oversized shirt and pants, clothes the enigma dislikes, and fuck, his hair is messy because he just got out of bed after napping for the third time in a day. To round it up, Soren looks like a mess while Reign looks like the most perfect god to walk the surface of the earth.
Reign’s sharp gaze lands on Soren, and suddenly, the air in the living room shifts instantly, the temperature seeming to drop as that suffocatingly cold Enigma scent washes over Soren, making his breath hitch in his throat.
Reign stops a few feet away, his towering frame casting an intimidating shadow over Soren and his half-melted bowl of ice cream.
Neither of them speaks, but a staff member shows up seconds later and helps the enigma take off his coat and upper jacket before leaving, while Reign folds the sleeves of his black shirt to his elbow, revealing his tattoos.
"You look comfortable, Fox," Reign finally speaks, his voice so low and deep it makes Soren shiver, but he gulps, snorts, and then replies a moment later.
“Yeah, well, when you trap someone in a mansion, they either get comfortable or lose their mind,” he counters, then sweeps his gaze over the man before retorting once more. “And you look like you're returning from a funeral. Finally decided to come home, or did you just run out of people to ignore?"
The corner of Reign’s lips twitches for half a second. “You think I’m ignoring you?”
Soren scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Well, excuse me for thinking you’re avoiding me after we had sex.”
Reign glances at him for a second before going back to take off his gloves. “Then I believe that’s why you’ve been frequenting bars and painting my image in a poor light? We had an agreement, Fox. I don't pay millions for a fiancé who acts like a stray on a leash.”
Soren’s mouth opens for a second before his blood boils, his eyes harden, and his jaw clenches. "I'm not a stray, and I'm definitely not yours to lock up! You left me here for days without a word after—"
Reign cuts him off with a dark look. “I needed a rut partner, and you were the available choice. I don’t believe you'd be foolish to think meaning into it.”
Soren’s heart doesn't just drop; it shatters into a jagged, frozen mess in his chest. For a split second, the air leaves his lungs as if Reign had physically struck him. He’s already aware he was the available choice, but it still hurts to hear it again.
A harsh, breathless laugh escapes Soren’s lips, and there isn't a shred of humor in it, and his grip on the bowl tightens. Every time the enigma says something hurtful, it hurts ten times worse because Soren is still an infatuated fool who thinks he might have a chance, or maybe the man might even feel a flicker of feelings for him.
“An available choice,” he repeats with another hollow laugh. “Right. Because I’m just an asset in a suit or out of one when it suits your schedule. Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Montgomery." Soren spits, his eyes burning with a mix of fury and humiliation, he refuses to let show.
He continues. “I didn't think there was meaning in it. I just thought even a cold-blooded man like you had enough basic decency not to treat people like a used towel you toss in the hamper when you're done. And if you want a perfect fiancé, maybe you should have picked a Beta who actually gives a damn about your reputation."
Slamming the bowl of ice cream on a nearby table, Soren turns and runs away, climbing up the stairs and disappearing into his bedroom, slamming the door shut so loudly that it echoes in the hollow hallways.
Instantly, a cry breaks out of his throat because he realizes it fucking hurts more than he likes to admit. His throat feels like it’s about to close on itself as he lets out a muffled cry, clasping a hand over his mouth to mute the sound that still escapes.
Why does he want so much from the enigma, knowing he means nothing to him? Why does he want to give himself to the man when he knows his secret is at risk? Reign is going to throw him in jail once he knows Soren is a liar, but why can’t Soren realize that and keep his distance?
Fuck, Soren is indeed foolish.