The VIP room was dead silent. The heavy bass from the speakers kept thumping, vibrating painfully in everyone's chest.

Evelyn stepped into the room. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor. She ignored the empty bottles and discarded jackets on the rug, walking straight toward the leather sofa.

Kenzie Locke picked herself up from the floor. She didn't look embarrassed at all. She smirked, pulled her silk strap back up her shoulder, and leaned against Preston's arm.

The other men in the room exchanged excited glances. They loved watching a trainwreck. One of them let out a low, mocking whistle.

Preston's face turned red, then white. He stood up, trying to puff out his chest to look like a man in charge.

"Evelyn, have you lost your mind? Who let you in here?"

Evelyn didn't even look at Kenzie. She reached into her leather bag and pulled out the crumpled repair estimate for the Rolls Royce.

She slammed the paper down onto the crystal coffee table. The glass table shook violently.

"Yesterday, while I was driving your Aston Martin to pick up your dry cleaning, I rear-ended someone." Evelyn's voice was ice cold. "This is the repair bill. Pay it."

Preston blinked. He looked down at the paper. His eyes scanned the seven-figure number at the bottom. Then his eyes locked onto the gold stamp at the top: Hawthorne Group Legal Department.

Preston sucked in a sharp breath. He stumbled back a step.

"Are you insane?!" Preston's voice cracked into a high pitch. Pure terror flashed in his eyes. "You hit Uncle Julian's car?!"

The words 'Uncle Julian' felt like a rusted needle jabbing directly into Evelyn's heart. Her stomach dropped, but she forced her face to remain completely blank, suppressing the sudden wave of nausea.

"It is your car, Preston. It is your liability."

Preston looked around the room. His friends were watching him, waiting to see if he would fold. His fear quickly turned into deep, ugly embarrassment. He swiped his hand across the table, knocking the estimate onto the floor.

"My car? You are the one who doesn't know how to drive! Why the hell should I pay a million dollars for your mistake?" He pointed a shaking finger at her face.

Kenzie covered her mouth and giggled. "Oh, Preston. Can't your poor little fiancée afford a simple car crash? How pathetic."

Evelyn shot Kenzie a look so sharp and cold that the socialite instantly shut her mouth and stepped back.

"Preston," Evelyn said, her voice dropping an octave. "If you do not pay this, the Hawthorne legal team will sue you directly. Do you think your father will let you keep your trust fund when you drag the family into a public lawsuit with Julian Hawthorne?"

Evelyn had grabbed him by his throat.

Preston's face twisted with panic. He knew she was right. If he pissed off the tyrant of the Hawthorne family, his father would cut him off completely.

He gritted his teeth. He reached into his jacket, pulled out his checkbook, and furiously scribbled a string of numbers. He ripped the check out.

Evelyn reached out her hand to take it.

Preston suddenly yanked his hand back. He held the million-dollar check high in the air. A sick, malicious smile spread across his face. He wanted his pride back.

"You want the money? Fine."

Preston pointed down at his expensive leather shoes. A drop of spilled champagne stained the toe. Then he pointed at Kenzie.

"Get on your knees. Apologize to Kenzie for ruining our morning."

The room erupted into loud laughter. The rich men started clapping. "Yeah! Make her kneel! On your knees, princess!"

"Or," Preston added, his voice dripping with cruelty. He reached out and tipped Kenzie's chin up. "You can crawl over here, kiss the tip of my shoe in front of everyone, and I'll hand you the check."

All the blood rushed to Evelyn's head.

A wave of humiliation so intense it made her physically dizzy washed over her. Her hands shook violently. Her fingernails dug into her palms until she felt warm blood.

She stared at the piece of paper in his hand. That check was the only thing standing between her and Julian's absolute control. It was the price of her freedom.

The room went quiet. Everyone was waiting to see the ruined heiress break.

Evelyn closed her eyes. Her chest heaved. Slowly, her knees began to bend.

Preston threw his head back and laughed. The sound was loud, victorious, and disgusting.

Just as Evelyn's knees were an inch from touching the carpet, the heavy velvet door of the VIP room suffered a catastrophic impact.

A deafening crash shook the walls. The entire door, along with the wooden frame, was kicked completely off its hinges. It flew through the air and smashed into the floor, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

The laughter in Preston's throat died instantly.

The dust swirled in the harsh light spilling from the hallway.

A massive, broad-shouldered silhouette stepped through the ruined doorway. He looked like the grim reaper stepping into a graveyard.

The club music was still pounding. Julian Hawthorne stepped over the shattered wooden door, his face completely devoid of human emotion.

Behind him, Gus walked in, calmly slipping a GPS tracking tablet back into his jacket pocket. He had locked onto Evelyn's phone signal the moment she entered the building. Gus stepped forward and kicked the massive corner speaker with a heavy combat boot. The music died with a violent screech of static. The silence that followed was terrifying.

The rich kids in the room stared at the doorway. All the color drained from their faces. They looked like they were choking on their own tongues.

"Mr... Mr. Hawthorne!" one of the men stuttered, backing up so fast he knocked over a table of drinks.

Preston's hand, still holding the check in the air, froze. His victorious smile melted into absolute horror. His knees started knocking together so hard they made a sound.

Julian's eyes swept the room like a physical blade. They locked onto Evelyn.

She was still half-bent toward the floor, her eyes wide, her lips bitten raw.

When Julian saw her in that submissive, humiliating position, the veins on his forehead bulged. A violent, uncontrollable rage exploded in his dark eyes.

He took long, heavy strides across the room. His leather shoes hit the floor with a heavy thud that sounded like a war drum.

Evelyn stared at him, her brain completely paralyzed.

Julian reached her. His large, hot hand clamped around her upper arm. He yanked her up from her crouch with brutal force.

"Who gave you permission to kneel?" Julian's voice was a low, terrifying growl. His fingers dug painfully into her flesh.

Evelyn gasped in pain. She bit her lip and turned her head away, refusing to let him see the wet tears gathering in her eyes.

Julian pulled her hard behind his broad back, completely shielding her from the dirty stares of the men in the room. Then he slowly turned his head to look at Preston.

Preston looked like he was about to vomit. "Uncle... Uncle Julian. What are you doing here? I was just... we were just playing a joke on Eve..."

Before Preston could finish his sentence, Julian moved.

He was terrifyingly fast. Julian's hand shot out and grabbed the collar of Preston's shirt. He lifted the younger man completely off the floor.

Julian pulled his right arm back and drove his fist directly into the center of Preston's face.

A loud, wet crack echoed in the silent room.

Preston screamed. Blood exploded from his nose, spraying all over his expensive white shirt. Julian let go, and Preston flew backward, crashing hard into the glass coffee table. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces.

Kenzie shrieked in pure terror. She scrambled backward on her hands and knees and hid behind the sofa, shaking uncontrollably.

Julian did not stop. He walked over to where Preston was groaning in the broken glass. Julian lifted his heavy leather shoe and pressed it down hard on the center of Preston's chest, pinning him to the floor.

"A joke?" Julian sneered. He leaned down, grabbed a handful of Preston's blood-soaked hair, and yanked his head back.

"You use Hawthorne family money to play your disgusting little games, and you dare tell her to kneel?" Julian's voice was a lethal hiss. Every word was coated in venom.

"I'm sorry! Uncle, I'm sorry! I'll never do it again!" Preston sobbed hysterically. Blood bubbled from his mouth.

Julian looked at him with absolute disgust. He let go of Preston's hair, letting his head drop back onto the carpet. Julian stood up straight. He reached into his tailored suit jacket and pulled out a dark silk handkerchief.

He slowly wiped the blood off his knuckles. His voice was as cold as ice.

"Your trust fund is revoked. Get out of New York by tomorrow morning."

Preston's eyes rolled back into his head. He looked like he was going to pass out. His life was officially over.

No one in the room dared to breathe. They were paralyzed by the sheer violence of the tyrant.

Julian tossed the bloody handkerchief directly onto Preston's face. He turned around and walked back to Evelyn.

Evelyn was still frozen in shock.

Julian didn't say a single word. He suddenly bent down, wrapped his thick arm around the back of her knees, and hoisted her up into the air. He threw her over his broad shoulder like a sack of flour.

Evelyn gasped loudly. The sudden movement knocked the wind out of her. She started kicking her legs. "Julian! Put me down! What are you doing!"

Julian raised his large hand and slapped her hard on the backside. It was a sharp, stinging warning to stay still.

He adjusted his grip on her thighs and walked out of the destroyed VIP room, carrying her away while the rest of the room watched in absolute terror.

Julian carried Evelyn down the long, luxurious hallway of the club.

Waiters and guests stopped and stared in shock, but the dark, murderous aura radiating from Julian made them press their backs against the walls to get out of his way.

Evelyn's stomach bounced painfully against his hard shoulder bone with every step he took. She kicked her legs wildly in the air.

"Put me down! You psychopath, everyone is looking at us!"

Julian ignored her completely. He reached the private VIP elevator and kicked the call button. The doors slid open. He walked in and hit the button for the underground parking garage.

The doors slid shut. The enclosed space was dead silent except for their heavy breathing.

Julian suddenly grabbed her waist and slid her down his body. Before her feet could even balance on the floor, he shoved her hard against the cold steel wall of the elevator.

"You're embarrassed?" Julian slammed both his hands against the wall on either side of her head. His chest heaved. The dark fire in his eyes was completely out of control. "You were about to get on your knees for that piece of trash for a piece of paper, and you're embarrassed now?"

Evelyn's face burned. He had hit her deepest nerve. She glared up at him, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"That is my business! I didn't ask you to play the hero!"

The elevator chimed. The doors opened to the dark, damp underground garage.

Julian didn't argue. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out. The sound of his heavy footsteps echoed off the concrete walls. Gus was already standing next to the Rolls Royce. He immediately pulled the rear door open.

Julian practically threw Evelyn into the back seat. He climbed in right after her and slammed the door shut.

Evelyn tried to scramble to the other side of the seat, but Julian's massive body lunged forward. He pressed her deep into the leather cushions, his heavy torso pinning her down completely.

The heat of his body and the sheer humiliation of being tossed around snapped the last string of Evelyn's sanity.

She raised her right hand and slapped him directly across the face.

The sharp smack echoed loudly in the cabin.

In the driver's seat, Gus sucked in a sharp breath. He immediately hit the button. The soundproof partition rolled up fast, sealing the back seat off.

Julian's head was turned to the side from the force of the blow. A red handprint slowly bloomed across his sharp cheekbone. The air in the car turned to ice.

He didn't yell. He didn't hit her back.

Instead, Julian slowly pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek where she had struck him. He turned his head back to look at her.

His eyes were completely black. A sick, twisted thrill danced in his pupils.

"Are you done?" His voice was a low, raspy whisper. He leaned in closer. His nose brushed against hers.

Evelyn shrank back into the leather. The pure madness in his eyes terrified her. Her voice shook. "What do you want from me, Julian? He is your nephew! You just ruined your nephew for his fiancée. Are you insane?"

"Nephew?" Julian let out a dark, vibrating laugh. "The second he put his hands on you, he stopped existing to me."

Julian's brutal grip on her chin loosened for a fraction of a second. A flicker of raw, unadulterated pain crossed his dark eyes before being instantly swallowed by the familiar, violent fury.

"As for being insane? I went insane the night you threw me away three years ago."

The words hit Evelyn's chest like a sledgehammer. Her throat burned. The truth about her father's betrayal clawed at her throat, begging to be let out. She bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't drag him into her family's mess again.

"Break the engagement," Julian ordered. His thumb pressed hard into her jawline. "I will not let you wear another man's label."

Evelyn let out a bitter, exhausted laugh. "And if I say no? Are you going to kill him? Are you going to kill me?"

Julian's eyes turned lethal. His long fingers slid down her neck, resting dangerously over her racing pulse. "I won't kill you. But I will destroy every single person you care about."

Evelyn shivered violently. She knew he wasn't bluffing. She took a deep breath and surrendered.

"Fine. I will break it off." She stared into his eyes. "Because he cheated. Because he is garbage."

A flash of intense, predatory triumph exploded in Julian's eyes. His breathing hitched.

But Evelyn immediately poured ice water over his victory. "But I am never coming back to you, Julian. We died three years ago."

The triumph in Julian's eyes froze. He stared at her pale, determined face. A cruel smirk twisted his lips.

"You don't get to decide when we are done."

Julian suddenly dipped his head. He opened his mouth and bit down hard on her exposed collarbone.

Evelyn gasped sharply at the sudden pain.

Julian pulled back. He licked a tiny drop of blood off his bottom lip. He pressed the intercom button.

"Drive. Take her to Brooklyn."