A club.
Zayne Mancini had brought her to a club.
She missed her flight for this…
"Why are we at a club? I don't do clubs."
She wasn't sure what about her statement was so funny. But he laughed—a deep, throaty laugh that made her scowl.
"How long have you been dating him?"
"Three months."
"Not that long." His eyes searched her face. "You spend money on him, don't you?"
Evelyn lifted her brow. "I do. Why? Is it a crime?"
"No." Zayne shook his head, grabbing her hand. "But I'm not sure you'll love to see what he spends it on."
He strolled into the club with her.
She didn't resist, following behind him.
The room was packed with all kinds of people, sweaty and looking like they were having the best time of their lives. Music was booming loud enough that it could burst an eardrum, and above the ceiling were the colorful lights of the disco ball.
They were heading towards the VIP lounge now—
She paused, stopping.
Her gaze had landed on him. Sebastian, her boyfriend, was seated in one of the VIP lounges, drinking and smoking to his heart's content.
He…smoked?
Zayne glanced at her, parting his lips to talk, but she slipped out of his grip, storming over to the lounge where Sebastian was seated.
The man was smiling at both women, plopped on either of his laps, and when he sighted her approaching, he froze, the smile falling off his face.
"Oh, fuck."
He quickly got the women off him, but before he could even try to explain himself, Evelyn snatched him by the collar of his shirt.
"What are you doing here, Sebastian?!"
"E-evelyn. Look, I can explain."
"You told me you were in France. How come you're here? W-what are you doing here?"
"I…" Sebastian was turning red, panicking.
He didn't even have the chance to make up some words in his head, watching as a taller, larger man approached to stand behind Evelyn.
His brow lifted.
Wasn't this…Zayne Mancini?
What was he doing with Evelyn?
Zayne folded his arms and tilted his head, scrutinizing the man. He wasn't really all that, and that made him even more confused about what Evelyn saw in him.
He asked, "Do you love her?"
Sebastian blinked. "What…?"
"Do you love her? This little monster of mine here?"
Evelyn furrowed her brows. What was he trying to do?
Sebastian darted his eyes. He looked like a cornered rat. "Yes, I do."
That had to be the most insincere shit Zayne had ever heard. Still, he went along with it, his expression lazy. "So, if I write you a two-million-dollar check right now, you wouldn't leave her, completely?"
She shot him a look. "What are you insinuating?"
Sebatsian's throat worked in a thick swallow.
Two million… Two million dollars?
When was the last time he'd ever smelled such a huge amount of money?
Zayne cocked a brow. "I don't have all day—"
"Yes!" Sebastian blurted out. "I'll take it!" It wasn't as if Evelyn gave him up to that amount.
Even though her father was a multi-billionaire, she didn't spend extravagantly on him. You'd really expect he'd get a million or more being her boyfriend.
"So I take it as you don't love her?"
He slowly nodded.
"Okay," Zayne said calmly. "I'll give you the money, but get out of this club and never show your face to her again, do you understand me?"
"Yes!"
Sebastian deeply bowed, holding a gleeful look. That was until a slap from Evelyn landed on his face, so hard, his head tilted to the side.
He glared daggers at her, but immediately looked away when he met the dangerous, piercing gaze of Zayne.
"Seriously?" She felt like laughing. "Because of two million dollars?"
His hands flexed into a fist. "You call it merely two million dollars. Well, Evelyn, not everyone's daddy is rich. So, yes, I will take the money, and I have nothing to feel guilty about. It's not as if you give me this much anyway."
While they argued, Zayne proceeded over to one of the unoccupied VIP booths, taking a seat. He crossed his legs and watched, lips curling into a smirk
"Get. Out. Of my face," Evelyn demanded.
Sebastian was pissed off, grabbing his jacket from one of the women in the booth. "Whatever. You weren't even all that, anyway. All you have is money, nothing more." He stormed off, leaving the club.
She was as still as a statue, frozen and processing what had just happened.
She turned, stalking off toward the booth where Zayne watched her as she came, not even flinching when she crowded him, pressing the bottom of her heel against his chest.
She pinned him to the seat.
"What are you doing, Evelyn?" he asked with a smirk, lowering his gaze to her feet. "You're staining my suit."
"You think that was funny? Humiliating me?"
"Wrong." He was no longer amused. "You were letting a man use you, and I simply got rid of him. Besides, you're my betrothed, he has no reason to stick around you."
Evelyn chuckled. "You know, you're really bold, Zayne. Because I'm not sure what makes you think I'll marry you after this stunt you pulled."
"But you will."
His fingers curled around her ankle, snaking with warmth. She quivered slightly at his touch.
"You're the one who put down your signature, agreeing to be my betrothed. And now that your old man is gone, you want to go back on your—"
"Wait, what signature?" Evelyn cut in, questioning.
He raised a brow. "Didn't you put down the signature on the legal documents your father signed as well?"
He took his phone out of his pocket, browsed through it, and turned the screen over to her.
She snatched the phone from him.
The snap of a document, containing contents concerning deals he'd made with her father, including having her as his betrothed. He was going to marry her once he breathed his last.
It was almost as if this man knew her father was sick. They'd partnered with each other—which made sense because he was TDG's biggest shareholder.
The picture had been taken on the day she left for France a year ago. She'd had an argument with her father that day and angrily signed a document he gave to her without thinking or even reading it.
Crap!
It couldn't be…
He tricked her. That sly old man. He—
Wait!
Evelyn shot a look at Zayne. "Don't tell me you knew he was going to transfer this corporation to me…"
"Of course I did. I mean, the company's growth matters to me, so every information your father holds, I'm also aware of it."
"I didn't sign this! I didn't mean to. He tricked me into this, he…"
Evelyn felt like she was losing her mind. That signature was hers, and she recalled signing it.
Her hands balled into fists. "Actually, it doesn't matter."
"Meaning?"
"Since I own the corporation now, I can get rid of this contract, cancel whatever deal my father made with—"
Zayne reached for her wrist, grabbing and yanking her down onto him. His face was next to her ear, the phone slipping out of her hand.
"Do you really think you can do that?" he questioned. "TDG is yours now, and you're going to hold up to your father's end of the deal. There is no choice here, because if you cancel it, I'll abandon TDG and then you'll have to watch the corporation that is now yours fall to nothing."
"You asshole!"
She was fuming, and if looks could kill, he would be a dead man.
"Now, shall we go get married at the church—" He playfully twisted a few strands of her dark brown hair with his index finger. "—Or would you like to draw this out more?"