Chapter 148: Who Does This Bastard Think He Is?

Lorali’s POV

The bass was pounding so hard through the wooden platform beneath my high heels that I could feel it vibrating straight up into my teeth.

"Woo!" I screamed, tossing my head back as champagne bubbled over the rim of my glass.

I was standing on top of one of the heavy booth tables, shaking my hips to the deafening synth beats, completely lost in the bright, blinding swirl of pink and violet strobe lights. Astrid was right beside me, holding her phone up and recording us, both of us laughing like absolute maniacs.

My eyes casually swept over the sea of flashing lights, dark silhouettes, and dancing bodies near the main entrance stairwell.

And then I froze.

My breath hitched violently in my throat. My hands dropped to my sides.

Cutting through the chaotic crowd like a dark, silent shadow, was a tall, broad-shouldered figure in a pristine black suit. His jaw was set in a tight, rigid line, his dark hair slightly ruffled by the night wind, and his eyes... his eyes were locked straight onto me.

Torin. Oh Come on! What is he doing here!?!

I blinked hard, shaking my head violently as the alcohol slurred my thoughts. No way. I have to be hallucinating. I am literally so drunk right now, I have to be seeing things.

Suddenly, Astrid bumped her shoulder against mine, her phone dropping an inch as she stared out into the exact same direction.

"Wait..." Astrid shouted over the roaring music, her brow furrowing in utter disbelief. "Is that... is that not Torin?!"

A cold drop of sweat rolled down the back of my neck. "You... you see him too?"

"Yeah!" Astrid yelled back, squinting through the strobe lights. "Is that actually Torin?!"

Below the table, Oracle shifted his massive frame, his head snapping toward the direction we were looking at as he picked up on our reactions. He scanned the crowd, his eyes locking onto the dark figure advancing toward us. Oracle’s jaw tightened, his posture going rigid.

"Yeah," Oracle grunted in a low, heavy rumble that barely carried over the bass. "It’s definitely Torin. And he looks mad."

"What?!" I gasped, my stomach dropping off a cliff.

I didn’t wait another second. I jumped off the high wooden table, my heels hitting the floor with a sharp thud. I pushed past Astrid, stepping right up to the edge of the VIP railing as the crowd parted around him.

Torin stepped into my direct line of sight, stopping just five feet away from where I stood.

Our eyes locked.

And in that exact, terrifying second, a deep, sickening wave of cold dread slammed into the pit of my stomach.

Something had changed.

The Torin standing in front of me right now was not the apologetic, pathetic dog who had been whimpering for my forgiveness for the past few days. I didn’t see the deep repentance in his eyes. I didn’t see the open, bleeding hurt or the desperate need to please me.

His eyes were pitch black, cold, and practically bleeding with anger. There was a dark, dangerous madness lurking in his gaze, a sharp, terrifying dominant authority that sent a shudder straight down my spine.

I squared my shoulders, forcing my chin up despite the cold sweat breaking out across my skin, and glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the noise.

Torin looked coldly at me. The pulsing bass didn’t even make him flinch. He just stood there, towering over me, his dark eyes fixed on mine with a flat, terrifying absolute stillness.

"Five minutes," he said, his voice dropping below the roar of the speakers, yet carrying a dark, unnatural weight that vibrated directly against my ribs. "You’re done here. You are coming with me, and you’ll be in that car in five minutes."

I stared at him, my jaw practically unhinging.

What the hell are you talking about? Has this guy completely lost his mind? Who does he think he is?! Where does he get off coming into a club, looking at me like he owns the floor I stand on, and telling me what to do?

A hysterical, high-pitched breath escaped my throat, and before I could stop myself, I burst out laughing. It was full of absolute disbelief. I clapped a hand over my chest, shaking my head as if he’d just delivered the funniest punchline in the world.

I mean, seriously! This was Torin! The guy who spent the last few days practically groveling at my feet, looking like an abandoned puppy every time I sneered in his general direction! Now he was going to stand there in his neat little suit and give me an ultimatum?

"Are you serious right now?" I choked out between laughs, waving a dismissive hand at him. "Is this a joke?"

I looked for the crack in his composure. I waited for the familiar, pathetic flicker of guilt to wash over his features, the way it always did whenever I laughed at him. I waited for him to soften, to step back, to stammer out an apology like he usually did.

But Torin didn’t laugh. He didn’t blink. He didn’t even shift his weight.

His face remained completely unmoving, an impenetrable, sculpted stone mask. His dark eyes burned into mine, utterly devoid of warmth, devoid of hesitation, devoid of the desperate love he used to throw at my feet. He looked intensely..no..profoundly pissed off, like my very presence was an annoying smudge he was about to wipe off his shoe.

"I won’t tell you more than twice," he said, his tone icy, sharp, and so quiet it sent a spike of cold panic straight into my core. "Come with me, Lorali. You are leaving here, and this will never happen again."

The laughter died in my throat, replaced instantly by a thick, suffocating surge of pure, unfiltered annoyance. Who the heck does he think he is?

My chest burned.

How dare he? How dare he come in here and try to order me around like I was some disobedient child? I was completely sane! I was the rational one here! I had been managing my life, handling my business, and minding my own damn affairs while he and his wretched pack ruined everything they touched!

"You crazy little bastard," I hissed, stepping so close I could smell his scent radiating off his skin. "You think I’m going to listen to you and do what you tell me to? No. I’m going nowhere. In fact, the only person who is leaving here today is you."

Torin’s jaw flexed, a muscle ticking beneath his smooth skin. He looked down at me, his gaze sweeping over my flushed face and the messy spill of my hair.

"That must be the alcohol talking," he muttered dryly.

"Oh, please!" I snapped, rolling my eyes so hard it made my head spin. I raised my hand, flicking my wrist dismissively toward the exit stairwell. "Just get the hell out of here. I’m busy."

I sneered at him one last time, turning my back on him to step back toward Astrid and Oracle. I was going to get back on that table, finish my drink, and forget his ugly, brooding face ever walked through those doors.

I didn’t even get to take a full step.

Before my heel could touch the ground, broad, solid arms wrapped violently around my waist like iron bands. Air rushed out of my lungs in a sharp gasp as my world suddenly flipped upside down. The floor vanished. The flashing pink lights blurred into a streak of nauseating color, and with a heavy, humiliating thump, my stomach hit a rock-hard shoulder.

I froze. My brain completely short-circuited.

What... what just happened?Did this guy just... did he just throw me over his shoulder?! How dare he! How fucking dare he!

"Put me down!" I shrieked, shock running through me in a roaring frenzy. "Torin, put me down right now!"

He didn’t even pause. He adjusted his grip around the back of my thighs, holding me pinned against his torso like a sack of grain, and began marching straight toward the exit.

"Let me go! You lunatic! Let me go!" I screamed, kicking my legs wildly, my high heels catching the air as I slammed my fists onto his broad, muscular back. I hit him as hard as I could, over and over, the impact echoing up my wrists, but he didn’t even grunt. It was like punching a solid slab of concrete. "Astrid! Help me!"

I turned my head upside down. The crowd was staring. Dozens of eyes were wide, jaws dropped, phones raised into the air to record the sight of me being hauled out like a unruly criminal.

My heart seized. A cold, suffocating wave of mortification washed over my rage.

Oh No.

My mind started racing, spinning out into absolute panic. Half the people in this venue I knew and the other half of them were going to be at the next party! If pictures of me screaming like a lunatic while being carried out over a man’s shoulder got out, my reputation would be utterly obliterated!

My name would be dragged straight down the drain! The last thing I needed, the last thing my pride could ever survive, was to be humiliated in front of these fake, judgmental bastards!

I immediately stopped screaming. I pulled my legs still, cowering against his back, and slammed both of my hands over my face, tucking my head down into his suit jacket to hide my features from the flashing camera lights.

No way. No way is my name going down the drain for this. Hide your face, Lorali! Don’t let them see your eyes!

Through the tiny gap in my fingers, I peeked back toward our table one last time. Astrid was standing there, her phone frozen in her hand, her mouth forming a perfect ’O’ of absolute shock. Next to her, Oracle was standing tall, his jaw set, looking completely bewildered, his eyes darting between me and Torin as if he couldn’t decide whether to jump over the railing and start a war or just let the madness play out. They looked just as confused as I felt.

Oh, this is so embarrassing, I wailed silently, hiding my face deeper into the fabric of his suit jacket. My cheeks were burning hotter than the club lights. Torin... I am going to kill you. I am going to tear you apart piece by piece for this!