Ainsley's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Her spine went ramrod straight, her body rigid as a cat cornered by a wolf. She stared straight into Hill's face.

Scattered phrases from her biological father's phone call replayed rapidly in her mind-yet not a single word had ever been mentioned about an engagement.

"I don't need a fiancé," Ainsley scoffed. "I can get back to my family just fine on my own."

Hill did not take offense at the slight.

Instead, a low, dark chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. The physical vibration carried across the narrow space between them.

He leaned back slowly against the leather seat, casually re-establishing physical distance while maintaining absolute, dominant control of the space around them.

"This engagement was agreed upon by your grandfather and my family," Hill stated, his tone flat and matter-of-fact. "It is absolutely binding."

Carmel turned the steering wheel in the front seat.

"It's true," Carmel chimed in. "He really is your fiancé."

Ainsley snapped her head around, jaw clenched tight, refusing to acknowledge the absurd engagement.

The Rolls-Royce glided smoothly into the very heart of Washington D.C.

The scenery outside shifted rapidly, from ordinary city blocks to imposing, heavily guarded federal buildings.

The black Rolls-Royce Wraith slowed to a quiet, steady stop at the end of the red carpet outside The Capital Club.

Four valets with immaculate white gloves rushed forward at once.

The head valet bowed deeply and pulled open the heavy rear car door.

Hill stepped out first, his long legs settling onto the pavement.

He turned, pressing his broad palm flat against the roof of the car to shield the door frame from the cold rain. The gesture was aggressively possessive.

Ainsley took a deep breath.

She stepped out of the car. The stiletto heels she'd fished from her bag clicked sharply against the pavement. The hem of her black silk dress wrapped around her legs in the chilly night wind.

Carmel tossed the heavy car keys to a valet, then circled around to Ainsley's right side.

The three of them walked side by side toward the gilded revolving doors.

Inside the vast, crystal-lit lobby, Preston Thomas's suit was soaked through with sweat.

He leaned over the marble front desk, arguing aggressively with the general manager.

Katharina stood a few feet away, clad in a custom pink Chanel dress. She clung tightly to Kade's arm, looking deeply annoyed by the delay.

Eleanor plopped down heavily on a nearby velvet sofa, complaining loudly that the club's reservation system showed no respect for new money.

Preston slammed his hand down on the marble counter.

"I'm Preston Thomas of the Thomas family! I demand you find us a private booth by the window immediately!"

The manager folded his hands perfectly behind his back. His smile was polite, yet hard as steel.

"My sincere apologies, sir. But every private booth is booked tonight by our top VIP members."

Katharina felt the stares of the other guests. Her face burned with embarrassment.

She stepped forward and tugged gently at Preston's sleeve. "Dad, please. The main dining room is fine."

At that exact moment, the massive revolving doors swung open.

A chill autumn wind swept into the warm lobby.

Katharina turned her head instinctively toward the entrance, eager to see which top VIP had just arrived.

Her gaze swept past the towering Roman columns.

And locked directly onto the girl in the black silk dress.

Katharina's pupils blew wide. Her jaw literally dropped.

The girl exuding an air of absolute, untouchable elegance was Ainsley. The same Ainsley they had thoroughly cast into the dirt barely thirty minutes prior.

Kade followed Katharina's gaze.

His entire body froze. His eyes locked onto Ainsley's bare shoulders and the flawless cut of her silk dress. A raw, undeniable glint of pure desire flashed in Kade's eyes.

Eleanor saw her too.

The old woman gasped so sharply she knocked over a crystal lemon water glass on the table. The cup shattered on the floor.

Preston spun around violently.

When he saw Ainsley standing there, he immediately assumed she'd tracked them down to beg for cash and publicly ruin their reputation.

She stood motionless, watching her former adoptive father approach her.

Hill positioned himself half a step behind Ainsley's left shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes. A terrifying, lethal darkness began to pool in his black pupils.

Carmel shoves his hands into his pockets and let out a loud, mocking whistle, ready to watch the carnage unfold.

Preston stopped two feet away from Ainsley.

"Did you regret it and come back begging for money?" Preston snapped.

Katharina quickly tugged Kade toward her. She hid behind his shoulder, using him as a shield, while shooting Ainsley a venomous glare.

"Ainsley," Katharina purred, her voice dripping with false, saccharine pity. "If you're that desperate for a meal and cash, we could buy you a plate. But please don't embarrass us at a place like this."

Ainsley let out a sharp, cold laugh that echoed off the marble walls of the lobby.

She locked her eyes onto Katharina's fake, pitying face.

"Did you leave your brain at home?" Ainsley sneered.

Katharina's face instantly drained of all color.

Tears immediately flooded her eyes. She grabbed Kade's arm, looking up at him like a wounded animal.

Kade's chest puffed out. He stepped forward to defend his girlfriend's honor. "You're disgusting, Ainsley! Screaming like a trashy lunatic in a place like this!"

Preston felt his authority crumbling in front of the elite crowd.

He throwing his large hand out to violently grab Ainsley's slender wrist and drag her out the door.

Before Preston's rough fingers could even graze Ainsley's skin, a massive hand clamped down on his forearm like a steel vice.

Hill Frazier stepped out from behind Ainsley.

The murderous intent radiating from Hill's black eyes was so heavy it made the air in the lobby hard to breathe.

Hill didn't say a word. He just twisted his wrist.

A sickening, loud crack echoed through the lobby as Preston's wrist bone snapped.

Preston's face contorted in absolute agony. Cold sweat instantly exploded across his forehead.

But when Preston looked up and met Hill's dead eyes, the scream of pain died instantly in his throat. Pure terror choked him.

Hill threw Preston's broken arm away like he was discarding a piece of rotting garbage.

Hill reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a dark blue silk handkerchief. He slowly, methodically wiped his fingers, as if Preston's skin had infected him.

He didn't even look at the Thomas family.

Hill simply turned his head and wrapped his large, warm arm securely around Ainsley's narrow waist. He pulled her flush against his side.

Ainsley's spine stiffened at the sudden contact.

But to completely humiliate the Thomas family, she didn't push him away. She actually leaned her weight into his chest.

Watching Ainsley press against this terrifying, god-like man felt like a knife twisting directly into Kade's ego.

The general manager sprinted across the lobby, his face pale with panic.

When he saw Hill's face, the manager's knees actually buckled. He stopped and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

Hill dropped the soiled silk handkerchief directly onto the floor at Preston's feet.

"Has the standard of this club dropped so low that you just let unwashed trash walk through the front door?" Hill's voice was a freezing whisper.

The manager broke out in a cold sweat.

He spun around and screamed at the four massive security guards standing by the door. "Throw these people out immediately!"

Katharina couldn't process the reality. She screamed, "We have a reservation! We're VIPs!"

"Your membership is permanently revoked!" the manager barked back.

The security guards grabbed Preston by his good arm and dragged him backward.

Kade felt his face burning with absolute shame. He ripped his arm out of Katharina's grip, lowered his head, and practically ran toward the exit to save himself.

Katharina panicked. She tried to run after Kade, but her stiletto heel slipped on the polished marble.

She crashed hard onto the floor, her pink Chanel dress bunching up around her waist in total humiliation.

Ainsley watched them get dragged out like stray dogs. A cold, heavy satisfaction settled in her chest.

Hill looked down at Ainsley. The lethal ice in his eyes melted instantly.

"Did they scare you?" he asked, his voice dropping low.

Ainsley looked up into his dark eyes. "I just thought they were too loud."

Carmel clapped his hands together slowly. "Better than a Broadway opening."

The manager practically crawled backward, gesturing frantically toward the back of the lobby. "Please, Mr. Frazier, Miss. The VVIP elevator is waiting for you."

Hill laced his fingers through Ainsley's.

Under the terrified, reverent stares of the entire lobby, he led her into the solid gold doors of the private elevator.

The gold elevator doors slid open with a soft, expensive chime.

Ainsley stepped out onto the top floor. The thick wool carpet completely absorbed the sound of her heels.

Hill kept his fingers laced tightly with hers as they walked down the silent corridor.

He only let go when they stopped directly in front of a massive set of carved mahogany doors.

Ainsley's palms were sweating.

She had faced down bloodthirsty mercenaries on the dark web without blinking, but right now, her heart was hammering against her ribs.

Carmel stepped forward. He grabbed the solid gold door handle and pushed both doors wide open.

The VVIP suite was massive. Priceless Renaissance paintings hung on the walls, screaming the ancient, untouchable wealth of the Benson family.

At the head of the long dining table, an old man with pure white hair slammed his ebony cane into the floor and stood up.

Augustine Benson, the national treasure of the art world, stared at Ainsley. His wrinkled hands shook violently, and his eyes instantly filled with red tears.

Beside him, a man with a gentle face and gold-rimmed glasses slammed his wine glass down and shot out of his chair.

Dr. Julian Benson, a tenured professor at Yale University, stared at his biological daughter.

Julian took three rapid steps forward. He raised his arms to hug her, but his hands froze in mid-air, terrified that he might scare her away.

He looked at Ainsley's face, seeing the exact replica of his dead wife.

"Ainsley," Julian choked out, his voice breaking completely.

The thick, defensive ice around Ainsley's heart finally cracked.

She looked at the man's tear-filled eyes-a mirror of her own. A word she hadn't spoken in years felt foreign on her tongue. "...Father." The sound was barely a whisper.

Julian broke down. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, burying his face in her hair as his tears soaked her skin.

Augustine hobbled over on his cane. He placed his large, rough hand on Ainsley's back.

"You're home. You're finally home," Augustine repeated over and over.

The room was thick with heavy, emotional warmth.

Hill stood silently in the shadows by the door. His dark eyes never left Ainsley's face for a single second.

Everyone eventually sat down at the table.

Julian immediately ordered the waiters to bring out the most expensive dishes, terrified that his daughter was starving.

Halfway through the meal, Augustine cleared his throat.

He reached into his jacket and slid a heavy, gold-stamped envelope across the table toward Ainsley.

"I've already arranged your transfer," Augustine announced proudly. "You start at St. Jude's Prep on Monday."

Ainsley stared at the logo of the most elite, snobbish prep school on the East Coast. Her eyebrows pulled together.

She had zero interest in wasting her time dealing with spoiled teenagers.

She opened her mouth to reject the offer.

Before she could speak, Hill picked up his wine glass and leaned forward. "And I will be taking full responsibility for Ainsley's living arrangements and security here in Washington." His voice was perfectly respectful to the elders, but it carried an absolute, unbreakable command.

The entire room went dead silent.

Julian looked at his father, clearly hesitant to hand his newly found daughter over to another man so quickly.

Augustine stared hard at Hill. The old man was calculating the sheer political power and ambition radiating from the young lion sitting across from him.

Slowly, Augustine nodded his head in agreement.

Ainsley's head snapped toward Hill. Her eyes burned with absolute fury.