Page 161 of Heartless Lord

“What the hell are you doing in that fraternity house?”

“Excuse me?” I eyed the window that looked onto the front yard of Sigma Delta. A flashy yellow sports car loomed on the street.

“I can’t have my future wife involved in some scandal. Stanford Davenport is a notable member of Sigma Delta, and his drug mess and resulting murder were all over the news. If anyone catches wind of you associating with them, it could cause my family undesirable attention in the press. Those damned reporters are vultures.”

“But Killian’s my friend and?—”

“Just do as you’re told, damn it.”

The way he said it—cold, controlled—sent something icy slithering down my spine. It wasn’t anger. It wasownership.

“I’m leaving,” he snarled. “I can’t be seen here either, but I expect you to say your goodbyes and find some new friends ASAP.”

“Right. Okay.”

The phone cut off, and I sat there frozen, ice surging my veins. What had my father gotten me into?

This wasn’t a fiancé. It was a contract with teeth.

I waited another long minute before forcing myself up and straightening my dress. There was nothing I wanted more than to hide out in Killian’s room and pray this was all just a nightmare. But I couldn’t. I’d have to face my new future fiancé and muddle through, just like I had been for years. With my head held high and shoulders thrown back, I marched down the corridor.

I had to find a way out of this engagement.

Because I had a feeling Brock Haversham wasn’t the kind of man you survived.