The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 27

Aveline

I reluctantly slid into the passenger seat of Orion's car, every instinct telling me this was a mistake. The leather interior was expensive and pristine, but it felt more like a cage than luxury transport.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked again, my voice tighter than I'd intended.

"Somewhere you need to go," Orion replied enigmatically, starting the engine with smooth efficiency.

"Can't this wait until the weekend?" I tried, grasping for any excuse to delay whatever he had planned. "I mean, what's so urgent that it can't wait until after work hours?"

"Sometimes things happen unexpectedly," he said, pulling into traffic with practiced ease. "I'm afraid I'll have to borrow some of your time."

I fell silent, frustration building in my chest. The casual way he'd just commandeered my afternoon, as if my schedule was completely at his disposal, reminded me exactly who I was dealing with. This wasn't a request between equals—this was Orion Blackwell doing whatever Orion Blackwell wanted to do.

"I should probably explain how I happened to be there when Catherine cornered you," he continued, apparently oblivious to my growing unease. "I know her type. Women like Catherine, when their schemes fall apart, they always look for the same lifeline."

I tried to focus on his words, but my attention was increasingly drawn to our surroundings. We weren't heading toward downtown Manhattan or any of the upscale neighborhoods I'd expected. Instead, we were driving toward the outskirts of the city, where gleaming skyscrapers gave way to industrial wasteland.

"She knew Ryan adores you," Orion was saying, "so she'd naturally try to use that connection to get to me. What I didn't anticipate was her becoming physically aggressive."

My hands tightened on the seatbelt as I watched abandoned warehouses and crumbling factories scroll past the window. The landscape grew more desolate with each passing mile, and a cold dread was settling in my stomach.

*This couldn't be happening. He couldn't have figured out who I was. Not yet. Not like this.*

But where else would he be taking me, out here in the middle of nowhere?

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a building that made my worst fears seem trivial by comparison. It was a massive, institutional structure—all concrete and barred windows, with the kind of stark, utilitarian architecture that screamed government facility or... worse.

"This is my private facility," Orion said, almost to himself as he parked. "I'm sorry I can't take you to one of the hospitals in the city, but you know how the paparazzi can be. This place may look dated, but all the doctors here are highly qualified professionals."

Hospital. He'd said hospital. This decrepit facility looked exactly like the kind of place that only housed patients with serious mental problems!

I followed him toward the entrance on legs that felt like they might give out at any moment. The building's interior was exactly what I'd feared—white walls, fluorescent lighting, the smell of disinfectant, and that particular institutional atmosphere that made my skin crawl.

It was exactly like the place in Zurich. The psychiatric facility where I'd spent three months after my miscarriage, when grief had shattered my mind so completely that I couldn't function. The locked doors, the medication schedules, the endless therapy sessions trying to piece my sanity back together.

"No," I whispered, backing away from the entrance. "No, I can't do this again."

Panic crashed over me in waves. My heart was racing, my hands shaking, my breath coming in short gasps. I pushed away from Orion when he stepped closer, my back hitting the wall.

"I won't go back into treatment!" I said, my voice rising toward hysteria. "I'm not sick anymore! I don't need to be locked up again! Please, just—if you're going to punish me, don't make me go through this!"

Orion stopped in his tracks, staring at me with genuine confusion. "Ms. Reeves, what are you talking about? No one's locking you up anywhere."

"Then what—" I gasped, pressing my hands against the wall to steady myself.

"We're here for a medical examination," he said gently, as if speaking to a frightened child. "A physical examination, not... whatever you're thinking. After the way Catherine manhandled you, and you mentioned feeling dizzy—I want to make sure you weren't seriously injured."

The words penetrated my panic slowly, like sunlight through fog. "A... a medical exam?"

"Of course." His voice was warm with concern. "You're my son's teacher. I can't have you collapsing in the middle of a lesson because we didn't properly check for injuries. Ryan needs his teacher to be in perfect health."

The relief that flooded through me was so intense I nearly collapsed. Not a psychiatric facility. Not imprisonment. Just a check-up because he was worried about my well-being.

"I'm sorry," I managed, my voice shaky. "I just... I have some difficult associations with medical facilities. But you're right. A check-up makes sense."

"I should have explained before we left," Orion said quietly. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

The examination that followed was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. No waiting rooms, no paperwork, no questions about insurance. The moment we walked in, staff members appeared as if by magic, ushering us directly to a private suite that looked more like a luxury hotel room than a medical facility.

Within minutes, two doctors arrived—an older physician with kind eyes and a younger one who looked eager to impress.

"Good afternoon," the senior doctor said warmly. "I'm Dr. Harrison, and this is Dr. Kim. We'll be taking care of you today."

The younger doctor stepped forward with obvious enthusiasm. "Mrs. Blackwell, I understand you've had some kind of altercation? Let's make sure everything is—"

"Mrs. Blackwell?"

The words left both Orion and me simultaneously, our voices overlapping in mutual shock.

Dr. Kim's face went from confident to horrified in seconds. "I... oh God. You're not married? I'm so sorry, Mr. Blackwell! I just assumed—"

"It's a simple mistake," Orion said, but there was irritation in his voice that made the young doctor visibly flinch.

"Please forgive me, sir!" Dr. Kim began bowing repeatedly, his face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm new here, I didn't realize—I should have known—"

"Stop," Orion said sharply, and I could see his frustration building. "Why are you acting like you're terrified of me? This is exactly the kind of behavior that makes people think I'm some kind of monster."

He gestured toward me, his voice rising. "Look how you're making Ms. Reeves uncomfortable. She's going to think I threaten people over simple mistakes."

I blinked in surprise. His anger wasn't about the misidentification—it was about how the doctor's excessive apology might reflect poorly on him.

"For the record," Orion continued, his tone softening slightly, "Ms. Reeves is my son's teacher. She was physically assaulted today, and I want to ensure she wasn't injured. That's all."

Dr. Kim nodded frantically. "Of course, sir. We'll take excellent care of her."

"You don't need to grovel," Orion said with exasperation. "Just do your job."

As the examination proceeded—checking my blood pressure, examining the scratches on my arms, testing my reflexes—I found myself watching Orion carefully. The way he'd reacted to the doctor's fear, his genuine concern that I might think poorly of him...

This wasn't the behavior of a monster. This was someone who cared about how he was perceived, who didn't want to be seen as threatening or cruel.

Maybe he wasn't the terrifying figure I'd built up in my imagination. Maybe, underneath all the power and wealth and dangerous reputation, he was just a man who could be reasoned with.

The thought was both terrifying and hopeful. What if I could find the courage to tell him the truth about that night? What if I explained about the drugs, the confusion, the genuine remorse I felt?

Would he understand? Or would honesty be my downfall?