Chapter 55 Protected With Him
ALYSSA’S POV:-
The air in the ballroom felt horrible without Vince. I kept adjusting the silk of my red gown, suddenly feeling far too exposed, far too visible.
‘Please, Vince. Please come back.’ I begged, seeking Vince but then, my eyes fell on the most undesirable figure.
Ken.
He didn't see me at first, but his presence here was enough to ruin my mood and suffocate me.
“Vince?” Calling out quietly, my eyes searched desperately for Vince who refused to return any time soon.
I shrank back against a marble pillar, my breath coming in shallow hitches. I didn’t want to face further troubles. I was done with them.
Without Vince, I felt no energy in me, I found myself non-existent.
What was happening to me?
When Vince finally emerged from the hallway, with cold fury that smoothed out the moment he spotted me. I stumbled toward him, nearly tripping on my hem.
“Vince-!”
His hand held my shoulders to support me, “Is everything alright, Alyssa? What happened?”
“Is everything alright, Vince? Where did you go?” I whispered, my voice trembling, clutching onto his lapel, losing my composure.
“Huh? Yeah. Everything is fine,” he said, though his eyes were still dark with a lingering storm, eyes shifting around the area.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you alone. Dad came and apologized.” He forced out a smile, locking his eyes back to me, pulling me into a side hug.
“What… Did you say?”
“I told him that while they are my parents, my wife will not be visiting them again.” He breathed out, shaking his head.
A wave of guilt washed over me, “It’s alright, Vince. We can fix it. I don’t want to be the reason you’re distant from them-”
“I cannot tolerate any disrespect regarding my wife,” he snapped, his voice firm and unyielding.
“You have a position to uphold. And you will not question my decision, Alyssa.” He ordered, leaving me at a loss of words.
I flinched, the sharp tone. The stronger he emphasized on those words, the more it strengthened my trust in him. Vince truly won’t tolerate anything regarding his wife.
When I looked into Vince’s eyes, I saw a wall of iron meant to shield me.
“I… understand,” I murmured, lowering my gaze, resting my weight against him.
“This is for our own good,” he said, his voice softening as he stepped into my personal space.
“It’s better to stay away than to get hurt deliberately, no?” He flashed a persuasive smile, walking back to the area where Ken was present, unaware of his existence.
And this time, I felt no fear or hesitation. He was with me.
“You are right,” I smiled, blindly believing him.
He was the only thing standing between me and the world that wanted to break me.
The fear of Ken, the fear of his parents- it all began to dissolve as I looked at Vince. I felt a sudden, desperate surge of liberation.
I wasn't that shivering girl anymore because I had him. I reached up, my hand trembling as I placed it against his cheek, drowning in him.
“You will always be there for me, won’t you, Vince?”
The way he closed his eyes and buried his face into my palm sent a jolt of euphoria through me. It was a power I didn't know I possessed.
“Yes,” he hummed, the vibration felt against my skin, kissing my palm, “I will be.”
He intertwined his fingers with mine, pulling me flush against him. His kiss on my forehead felt like a seal, a promise of safety that soothed every frayed nerve in my body.
“I will always protect you,” he enunciated, his voice low and possessive, resting his forehead against mine.
“There is no one but me for you in this world, Alyssa.”
He waited, his gaze heavy and expectant. I leaned into him, hugging him with a rigid, desperate strength.
“Yes, Vince,” I whispered into his chest, “No one else.”
I didn't see the dark smirk that crossed his lips as he pressed a kiss to my neck. I only felt the warmth of his arms, certain that as long as I stayed within them, I was finally safe.
We were submerged in a perfect, beautiful embrace that was broken by Ken, refusing to let me move on in my life.
“Well, well. Look at the little bird in her gilded cage.”
“Ken,” I choked out, almost stepping back but Vince didn’t permit me and shot a glare towards him.
“You’re still the same pathetic girl who can’t make a decision without someone holding her hand, huh?” He laughed mockingly at my state, finishing his drink in one go.
His eyes landed on Vince whose jaw tightened with discontent, “Does your new owner know you are damaged goods?”
“You think wearing red makes you bold, Alyssa?” He stepped into my space, his breath smelling of bitter gin.
“Don’t,” I whispered, staying beside Vince who waited to see how I would react.
Regaining my strength, I hissed, “Leave us alone.”
“Or what? You’ll cry? Or call your hero?” He laughed, a harsh, grating sound, almost challenging me.
“You always were a bore. I’m surprised he hasn't traded you in for a newer-” Vince had enough.
Ken’s words died in his throat.
A hand, large, steady, and clad in a charcoal-gray cuff, descended onto Ken’s shoulder. It didn't look like a violent movement, but I saw Ken’s knees buckle slightly under the sheer pressure of the grip.
“I believe my lady asked you to leave, Ken,”
Vince’s voice wasn't loud. It was worse. It was a low, vibration-less tone that carried the weight of a death sentence.
He stepped out from behind Ken, positioning himself like an impenetrable wall between us.
“Or shall I decide like last time whether or not you leave this building in an ambulance?”
“How many people will you stop, Vince? Me, Sadie, Astrid, and now I heard, your own mother too. How many… more?” Ken scoffed, stepping back, trembling slightly when he was defeated.
“Every one of them,” Vince enunciated, holding his head high in pride.
“Good luck exhausting yourself over a lost cause, Vince Lysander.”
Vince didn't watch him go.
He turned to me immediately, his expression shifting from lethal to intensely focused. He grabbed my waist, pulling me into the shadow of a heavy velvet curtain, encasing me in his arms.
“Are you alright, Alyssa?”
“I am absolutely fine. I know you are here for me. Thank you, Vince,” I whispered, wrapping my hands around his waist, hugging my savior with all my might.
“I don't know what I would do without you.”
In the darkness, I couldn't see the way his eyes glinted with a dark, satisfied hunger. He didn't just want to protect me, he wanted to be the only thing I had left to hold onto.
“You’ll never have to find out,” he murmured, his lips finding the pulse point on my neck, planting a deep, intense kiss that shot an uncontrollable shiver through me.
“As long as you stay exactly where I put you.”
And I blindly decided to be where he will put me…