Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
KAYLANI
The conversation dragged on like a slow, suffocating death. Julian certainly knew how to talk about himself. He embodied everything I hated about this world.
I didn’t snap. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me unravel. I stayed calm, measured, asking questions that forced him to show his edges.
Every answer he gave was polished. Smooth enough to slide past anyone who wasn’t listening closely.
But I was listening.
Every time I pressed, he pressed back harder. Never overtly. Never enough to be called rude. Our conversation felt like a duel fought with smiles instead of blades. No blood on the floor. Just a constant, relentless pressure.
Throughout lunch, I could feel Goran without looking. His presence was a steady reminder that I was safe. He didn’t move or show any emotion, but Julian’s gaze kept drifting his way.
Good. Fuck Julian.
Halfway through the meal, Julian’s demeanor shifted, like he had been waiting for a precise moment. I found myself glancing at the door, then toward the window, half expecting my father to make a surprise appearance.
What I hadn’t been expecting was for Julian to reach into his jacket and pull out a small velvet box. He set it down on the table like a loaded gun and slid it toward me.
My stomach dropped.
I didn’t touch it. I just stared at it as if it might bite.
“I don’t do theatrics,” Julian said calmly, as if that somehow made this better. “Please, open it.”
I placed my fingertips on the box and lifted the lid. The ring caught the light instantly. It was the largest diamond I had ever seen in a band. It looked like someone had chipped a chunk of ice off an iceberg. Not just big. Massive. The definition of excess.
It wasn’t designed to be worn. It was designed to be seen.
A public claim.
My pulse thudded in my ears as I stared at the diamond, its weight obvious without lifting it. This was a statement. A marker. A way to make sure everyone knew exactly who I belonged to from fifty feet away. The kind of thing that would dominate headlines, along with our engagement.
Julian watched my face closely.
“You must be joking,” I finally said, not pulling the ring from the satin lining.
“Not quite the response I was hoping for.” His tone stayed smooth. “Look, Kaylani, I’ll be frank. I think we could do great things together. And I think you’re intelligent enough to understand what this means.”
It was a monstrosity, something a dozen other girls might’ve fought over.
“You’ll get what you want.” His voice made my skin crawl. “We both will.”
“And if I say no?” I looked up, leaving the box open.
I couldn’t get a clear read on his eyes, and that made the entire situation more unsettling.
“Then you’ll still be you. Strong. Stubborn. Brilliant. But without the freedom you’ll have with me.”
“And what does my father say about this? Does he even know?”
Julian’s smile thinned just slightly. “Your father knows. I made my intentions clear before I met you. I just became far more fascinated once I’d seen the famous princess in person. If you say no, I’m sure your father will be disappointed.”
Disappointed.
Not angry. Not violent.
Disappointed.
As if disappointment wasn’t just another form of control.
Julian stood and buttoned his jacket as if it were a prop. He was enjoying this moment far too much.
“Keep it.” He nodded to the ring. “Think about it.”
“You trust me to hang on to it?” My fingers tightened on the velvet. “I could sell it and buy myself a jet.”
He chuckled. “That is one way to get the freedom you desire. Although short-sighted and short-lived. Besides, you haven’t said yes yet. But you will.”
Then, as if we had already discussed and agreed to the arrangement, he added, “I’ll have a car pick you up at seven-thirty. The ballet is a red-carpet affair. You’ll wear red. It suits you.”
“I didn’t agree to that either.” I was tempted to throw the ring at his head.
His gaze locked onto mine. For the first time, the mask slipped just enough for me to see the snake hiding under his skin. A man who didn’t ask.
“You’ll come,” he said softly.
Then he looked past me to Goran. His smile turned polite and deliberate. It was the same look I had seen my father give those he considered beneath him, and it cut deeper than any insult.
“You won’t need to bring your employee. I have plenty of protection. But until then…take good care of her.”
He sauntered out of the room as if he had already won.
I sat there, unmoving, my heart lodged in my throat. The ring box remained open on the table, taunting me.
I didn’t look at Goran right away. I couldn’t. If I did, I would crack. Or scream. Or do something reckless enough that I really would need to hock the ring for bail money.
My fingers slowly closed the box.
Snap.
The sound was far louder than it should have been in the quiet room.
This hadn’t been a lunch. It was nothing more than a trap dressed in crystal and white linen. I kept my face composed and spine straight, as if I hadn’t just been invited to trade one cage for another.
My father hadn’t sent me here to consider marriage.
He’d sent me here to learn what happened when I refused him.
And he had sent Goran to watch it because even if he didn’t know about us, he knew that I felt safe with him.
He wanted that understood. He wanted both of us to know that it could be stripped away in a second.
My father wanted me to remember exactly where he stood in my world.
I swallowed, and it hurt like I had consumed something sharp. I turned toward Goran, finally lifting my eyes to meet his.
And I saw it—everything he hid while doing his job.
Violence, barely contained beneath restraint. Fury. A promise. Not fear. Not helplessness, but calculation.
The kind that made men like my father nervous. Goran was loyal and brave, but he wasn’t a pushover. And he didn’t follow blindly.
I didn’t say a word.
For the first time since last night, the truth settled into my bones. This wasn’t about a ring or proposal. It was about control.
Only one question remained. What would my father do when I refused to put it on?