Page 6 of Entwined
"I don’t want him here," I hissed, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear.
Colson placed his hands gently on my shoulders, his touch warm but heavy with the weight of unspoken truths. "He wants to help, Joey. I can’t turn him down… not now." His voice was calm, but I could hear the strain beneath it. "I need to repair my relationship with him before I…"
I couldn’t bear to let him finish. "Before you die," I said, my voice cracking, tears welling up in my eyes.
Colson’s hand moved to cup my chin, tilting my face so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. His eyes, usually so piercing, were now soft, filled with a sorrow that mirrored my own. "I wasn’t going to say that," he murmured, his thumb brushing away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. "Before I grow too weak to run AFC. Vaughn will ascend to my position in the interim, and when I… die… he’ll run the company."
His words, so final, shattered the fragile control I had been clinging to. I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably as I buriedmy face in his shoulder. Colson wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly as if he could shield me from the inevitable. It was a cruel twist of fate that in this moment, he was the one offering me comfort when it should have been the other way around.
Outside, I could hear Vaughn's voice, authoritative and cold, instructing the staff to bring in his things. The sound of his commands made my skin crawl. He would be staying in his old room, just down the hall from us.
I didn’t trust Vaughn because his ever-changing moods were dangerous. Since he found out Colson was sick, he eased up on his innuendo. There were no more predatory looks or forced kisses. But he also had postponed his wedding, using his father’s sickness as an excuse.
"He postponed his wedding, Colson. I have a feeling once you’re gone, he’ll end things with Serena for good."
A flicker of sadness passed over Colson’s face. "Serena deserves better, but Vaughn… he’s always been a difficult man to love."
"Difficult?" I scoffed, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "He’s impossible. And Serena… she’s so oblivious. She can’t even see how much he despises her."
Colson’s lips pressed into a thin line, his expression pained. "She was never the right match for him. I made a mistake. For all her upbringing, she lacks the grace and empathy that Vaughn needs. But it’s not just about Serena. Vaughn needs someone who can bring out the best in him, and I’m not sure she’s capable of that."
I wanted to argue, to tell him that no one could bring out the best in Vaughn because it simply didn’t exist. But I held my tongue,knowing that Colson needed to believe in his son, especially now.
Instead, I buried my face in his chest again, letting the steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothe my frayed nerves. "I’m scared, Colson," I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. "I’m scared of what will happen when you’re gone."
He tightened his arms around me, his breath warm against my hair. "When the time comes… you’ll be strong. You’ve always been strong."
I wanted to believe him, to hold on to the illusion that I could survive this, that I could survive Vaughn. But as I listened to Colson’s heartbeat, so steady yet so fragile, I couldn’t shake the feeling that once it stopped, the darkness lurking in Vaughn would finally be unleashed.
At Colson’s urging, I started going to the office part-time, even on the days he stayed home. I knew he wanted me to keep an eye on things, to report back if anything seemed out of the ordinary. Occasionally, Vaughn would work in Colson’s office, a situation I loathed but couldn’t avoid. It was like letting a wolf guard the sheep.
One day, when Colson was at a treatment session and insisted I didn’t need to accompany him—something he did more often lately—I heard a loud, angry shout echoing down the hallway. My heart skipped a beat. Vaughn.
I hurried down the hall, my heels clicking against the polished floor, and threw open the door to Colson’s office. Vaughn wasstanding behind the desk, his face twisted in rage as he slammed his headset down with such force that it shattered. The broken pieces scattered across the floor, one shard sliding dangerously close to my feet.
I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to steady my nerves as I closed the door behind me. Vaughn’s head snapped up, his eyes locking onto mine. Before I could even register what was happening, he crossed the room in a few quick strides and grabbed me.
“Vaughn—” I barely managed to get his name out before he yanked me closer, his fingers tangling in my hair, pulling hard enough to sting.
His lips crashed down on mine with a force that knocked the air out of me. The kiss was brutal, violent—nothing like the forced intimacy I had endured from him before. His mouth moved over mine with a hunger that terrified me, his tongue forcing its way past my lips, tasting of anger and dominance.
I was too stunned to react at first, my mind reeling from the sudden assault. But then the reality of the situation slammed into me, and I pushed against him with all the strength I could muster. A small, desperate whimper escaped my throat as I struggled to free myself from his iron grip.
Vaughn only tightened his hold, his fingers digging painfully into my scalp. The kiss grew fiercer, more punishing, as if he was trying to consume me, to claim me in a way that made my skin crawl.
Panic surged through me, adrenaline lending me the strength I needed to fight back. I twisted in his grasp, shoving at his chest, my nails scraping against the fabric of his shirt. I tried to turn myface away, but he followed, his breath hot and heavy against my skin.
Finally, with a burst of desperation, I managed to break free, stumbling back as I wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand, my breathing ragged and uneven.
“Don’t ever touch me like that again,” I spat, my voice trembling with a mixture of fury and fear.
Vaughn’s eyes darkened, a dangerous glint flashing in them as he stared at me, chest heaving. For a moment, I thought he might try to grab me again, but then he took a step back, his expression shifting from anger to something more calculated, more sinister.
“Careful, Josephine,” he warned, his voice low and menacing. “You might find that resisting me only makes things worse for you. Colson won’t be around forever.”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest as I forced myself to stand tall, to meet his gaze without flinching. “Stay away from me, Vaughn,” I whispered, each word laced with a quiet, fierce determination.
He didn’t respond, but the smirk that curled at the corner of his lips told me everything I needed to know.
