My heart dropped. I looked from David's cold, confident face to Mr. Henderson's worried eyes. The room, which had been boiling with heat just moments ago, suddenly felt freezing.
"What are you talking about?" I whispered, pulling the silk sheet tighter around my body. "Ava, why is he here? How did you find me?"
Ava looked terrified. "Emma, I didn't mean to ruin anything, but Mr. Henderson called me. He said your life was in danger!"
Mr. Henderson stepped further into the room, ignoring David's predatory stance. "Emma, the man you call your father... he didn't kick you out because he doesn't love you. He kicked you out to protect you. He found out that a rival legal syndicate was coming for his greatest 'asset'—you. And David here?" Henderson pointed a shaking finger at the man with the blue eyes. "He isn't just a stranger from a club. He's the head of that syndicate."
I turned my head slowly to look at David. He didn't deny it. Instead, he reached for his silk shirt on the floor, sliding it on without breaking eye contact with me.
"Asset is such a dry word, Henderson," David said, his voice smooth and dangerous. He stepped toward me, reaching out a hand to stroke my cheek. I flinched, but he didn't pull away. "I prefer the term 'obsession.' Your father owed me a debt he couldn't pay with money. So, he offered me the one thing he valued most."
"You're lying!" I screamed, tears stinging my eyes. "He told me I wasn't his blood! He told me to go away!"
"Because he knew if you stayed, I would take you by force," David whispered, leaning down so only I could hear him. "He thought if he broke your heart, you'd run far away. He didn't count on me finding you first."
Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps filled the hallway. Men in black suits appeared behind Mr. Henderson, and the situation turned from a scandal into a standoff.
"Emma, get up. We have to go now," Mr. Henderson urged, his hand reaching for my arm.
But David's grip on my waist tightened, pulling me back against his hard chest. "She isn't going anywhere. The papers were signed an hour ago, Henderson. In the eyes of the law you love so much, and the debt your partner owed... Emma belongs to me now."
I looked at Ava, who was crying, and then up at David's piercing blue eyes. My world had ended twice in one day—once when I lost my father, and again now, as I realized I was no longer a law student, but a prize in a game I didn't know was being played.
David kissed my forehead, his lips lingering. "Welcome to your new life, Emma. Happy Birthday."