Chapter 50 Under My Father's Protection
Chapter 50 Under My Father's Protection
Alina’s POV
“I hate you,” I said, voice steady and laced with venom as I interrupted him. “And that won’t change even if I marry you. Not after some fake decorative wedding ceremony. You’re everything that’s rotten about this life that I never asked for.”
His patience snapped right then and before I could react, he lunged forward, grabbing both my wrists and pinning them above my head against the wall.
The movement was so fast my breath caught and I blinked rapidly,clearly shocked. His other hand came up, wrapping around my throat…not enough to fully choke, but enough to force my head back against the cool wallpaper, holding me in place.
“You will stop all this nonsense,” he hissed, face inches from mine…his breath reeking of scotch. “Act like the good little doll you’ve always been trained to be. You can’t escape this, Alina. I’ve waited too long for irrelevant garbage like tonight to ruin it. You will be my wife and you will learn to love me. Whether you smile or not doesn’t matter in the end. Do you understand?”
My heart hammered wildly, fear mixing with fury. “Get your hands off me, you pathetic, limp-dicked little boy pretending to be a man,” I spat out, even surprising myself with the amount of curse words I used.
“The only thing you’ll ever be is your daddy’s shadow…too weak to stand alone, too scared to let anyone see the insecure child underneath that expensive suit.”
The insult must have landed like a slap because Blake’s eyes darkened with pure rage. His grip on my throat tightened for a split second before he did what I least expected.
He crashed his mouth against mine in a bruising, angry kiss…like he was trying to prove a point. His free hand tore at the neckline of my already ruined gown, ripping fabric with a harsh sound that filled the room.
I screamed against his lips, the sound muffled and desperate, twisting violently in his hold.
Just then, the door burst open and Ryder stormed in like he has been particularly training for moments like this.
His fist connected with Blake’s jaw in a sickening Crack the moment he got close enough. Blake stumbled back, releasing me instantly as he cradled his bruised jaw in pain.
Ryder immediately grabbed a throw blanket from the chair near my bed and wrapped it around my shoulders, shielding me as I slid down the wall, breathing hard.
But that wasn’t the end. He rushed at Blake, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him into a chokehold. Then he started punching him, over and over, not giving him a chance to fight back.
“What the hell is going on here?! Ryder? Let him go! Now!” My father’s voice boomed from the doorway as Ryder pushed Blake away.
More footsteps thundered up the stairs…Regina, the Harringtons, all of them rushing in. The room suddenly felt too small, too crowded with shock and outrage.
Mr. and Mrs. Harrington took one look at their son…split lip bleeding, face already swelling…and exploded.
“How dare that bodyguard lay a hand on my son!” Mrs. Harrington shrieked. “We want him sacked immediately! Punished or even locked up. He's going to rot in jail! This is unacceptable!”
I curled into the corner near my bed, blanket pulled tight around me, tears pouring silently down my cheeks.
I didn’t even look at my father. I had no hope left that he would defend me. I’d been disappointed by him too many times to even have faith in him. After the fire… the endless business deals that mattered more than his own daughter…even choosing Dorothy over me. Why would tonight be different?
But then something unexpected happened.
My father’s eyes moved from me, huddled and shaking, to Blake, to the torn fabric of my dress slightly visible under the blanket. He pieced it together in seconds without even asking questions. And right at that moment, his face changed as something dark and protective flashed across it.
He marched straight toward Ryder as the Harringtons’ protests filled the air, but my father ignored them.
“I want him arrested, Frederick!” Mr Harrington yelled as his wife comforted Blake.
“Ryder,” my father said, voice dangerously calm. “Smack him again.”
My eyes instantly widened in shock. He…he's defending me?
The Harringtons screamed in unified anger… “What?! You can’t be serious!” “This is outrageous,” but Ryder didn’t hesitate. He moved like a soldier obeying the last command as his hand flew, delivering a sharp, resounding slap across Blake’s face that snapped his head to the side.
“That's enough!” my father barked when Ryder raised his hand for the third slap. Then he stepped between them, towering with a fury I had never seen directed outward like this. “You will not come into my house and disrespect my daughter like that. What kind of animal are you?”
Mrs. Harrington’s voice rose shrilly. “Why are you calling him an animal? Aren’t they going to be married? Doesn’t Blake have the right to touch his fiancée? He's just doing what boys his age do.”
My father turned on her, eyes blazing with an anger so intense the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
I had never seen him like this…face flushed, veins standing out on his neck, every inch the protective father I had stopped believing existed.
“Leave my house before I lose it completely. I don’t want to see any of you in my family until you teach your dog how to be a gentleman. Some boys his age are gentlemen and not perverted creeps!”
“Did he stutter?” I heard Regina saying angrily. “Leave! All of you!” She screamed.
Blake wiped blood from his lip, stunned. He must be disappointed things didn't go the way he wanted. His parents sputtered in outrage, but my father’s stance was immovable.
Regina stood quietly by the door, a small, proud smile on her face as the Harringtons were practically escorted out by security that had arrived.
I stayed curled in the corner, tears still falling, but something inside me cracked open just a little as I watched my father defend me, and suddenly, the chains around my throat felt just a fraction…looser.