The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 228

Dwayne

The bass was thumping so hard through the custom sound system that I could feel it in my chest, in my bones, in my fucking soul. My basement had been transformed into a perfect replica of an upscale nightclub—complete with a fully stocked bar, colored LED strips, and enough speakers to wake the dead.

Two gorgeous brunettes were pressed against me as we swayed to the pounding rhythm, their bodies grinding against mine in perfect sync with the music. Around us, my crew was having the time of their lives—mixing drinks behind the makeshift bar, dancing like maniacs, completely lost in the party atmosphere.

This was what life should be like. Pure, unadulterated fun without consequences.

I grinned watching Paul attempt some ridiculous dance move while Tony cheered him on from behind the bar. The sight of them living it up made my blood sing with excitement. Dad had insisted I stay low-profile—said going out to actual clubs was too risky with Orion gunning for us. So I'd done what any reasonable person would do: brought the club to me.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance at the basement entrance. I couldn't tell if it was just the speakers vibrating the door or actual movement, but before I could investigate, the door burst open.

My father's gaunt silhouette appeared at the top of the stairs, and even from this distance, I could see the fury radiating off him in waves.

I flashed him my biggest smile and waved enthusiastically. "Dad! Come down and join the party! We've got your favorite scotch!"

But instead of descending, Devan pointed an accusatory finger at the bar setup and the massive speakers, his face twisted with rage.

Shit. He was pissed about the noise.

With a defeated sigh, I reached for the sound system controls. The music cut out abruptly, leaving the basement in jarring silence. My friends stopped mid-dance, looking around in confusion before their eyes landed on my father's thunderous expression.

The temperature in the room dropped about twenty degrees.

"Uh, hey Mr. Blackwell," Paul said nervously, already backing toward the stairs. "We were just, you know, hanging out..."

"Yeah, we should probably head home anyway," Tony added quickly, reading the room perfectly.

One by one, my friends filed past my father and disappeared into the night, leaving me alone with the two brunettes and one very angry parent.

"And you two," Devan said coldly, not even bothering to look at the girls. "Out."

They didn't need to be told twice. Within seconds, I was alone in my suddenly pathetic-looking party space.

I stared at the scattered empty bottles and abandoned cocktails, feeling my good mood evaporate. "Great. They're all gone. Happy now?" I grabbed a half-full whiskey glass and hurled it at the floor, where it exploded into glittering fragments. "I'm stuck in this house every goddamn day! I'm going insane!"

Devan descended the stairs slowly, each step deliberate and menacing. His expression was that special brand of disappointment that somehow hurt worse than outright anger.

"You still have the nerve to throw a tantrum?" he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "You worthless piece of shit. All you do is cause problems. You've turned our entire family into a target, and it's ten o'clock at night and you're throwing a rave?"

I slumped down onto the nearest barstool, avoiding his withering gaze. "I'm worthless? Where exactly do you get off lecturing me? You're the one who keeps losing to Orion."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Devan grabbed my ear and yanked me upright with surprising strength for such a thin man.

"Are you kidding me right now?" he snarled. "How did I raise such a complete failure?"

"Ow, ow, okay! I'm sorry!" I yelped, trying to pull away from his grip. "Let go!"

He finally released me, shoving me back onto the stool hard enough to make me stumble.

"Do you have any idea how well Orion is doing right now?" Devan asked, his tone shifting to deadly serious. "He eliminated both Charles and me from his company. He's got that fucking rich wife backing his every move. And behind all of that, he's got Viktor Kozlov's entire operation watching his back."

He began pacing, his hands clenched into fists. "We're losing this war on every front. The smart play is to lay low, wait for them to get complacent, maybe find an opening later."

A chill ran down my spine. "Wait, what? You think Orion would actually come after me here? At our house?"

"We planned to kidnap his wife!" Devan exploded. "We've been targeting them systematically! Of course he wants us dead! We tried to negotiate a truce, but he shut us down without even listening."

The fear was starting to creep in now, cold and unwelcome. "But surely if he caught me, the worst that would happen is jail time, right? He can't just—"

"If you fall into Orion's hands, yeah, probably just a beating," Devan said grimly. "If Aveline gets her hands on you, you might lose some body parts." He paused dramatically. "But if Vivian catches you... son, you'll probably die."

The mention of Vivian's name hit me like a bucket of ice water. For a moment, I was too shocked to respond.

Then I started laughing.

"Wait, hold up," I said, still chuckling. "You're talking about Vivian? My Vivian? The same girl who used to do whatever I told her to do? You think she's capable of murder?"

I stood up, spreading my arms wide in disbelief. "Dad, you should have seen how obedient she was. How desperate for my approval. That girl wouldn't hurt a fly."

Devan shook his head sadly. "You don't understand women at all, do you? A woman with emotional baggage is the most dangerous creature on earth. Especially when you've almost gotten her killed."

"Oh please," I scoffed, waving his concerns away. "Orion and Aveline? Sure, I'll keep my distance. They've got resources, connections, muscle. But Vivian?" I laughed again, harder this time. "If I run into her again, I'll make her my bitch all over again. She'll be back to being my obedient little puppy in no time."

My father looked at me like I was the biggest idiot he'd ever seen. "Stop obsessing over that woman. I'm telling you, her need for revenge is off the charts. Forget about her."

He headed back toward the stairs, pausing at the bottom. "I'm going to bed. Don't leave this house for the next two weeks, minimum. Maybe after that, they'll get distracted by other things. Maybe the hatred will fade."

I nodded dutifully. "Fine, fine. I can lay low for a while."

After he disappeared upstairs, I found myself alone in the silent basement, surrounded by the remnants of my interrupted party. But my mind kept drifting back to our conversation about Vivian.

A cold smile spread across my lips as I poured myself another drink.

"Vivian," I said to the empty room, raising my glass in a mock toast. "Don't let me catch you again, sweetheart. Because when I do, I'm going to remind you exactly who you belong to. I'll turn you back into the pathetic, obedient little fool you always were."

I drained the glass in one swallow, already fantasizing about putting her back in her place.

Some women just needed to be broken more than once.