Opposite 4_The Rogue King's Surrogate

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 “I still can’t believe you went through with it,” Nina said as they stepped out of the clinic. She kept one hand under Emery’s elbow, steadying her. “You’re not supposed to move around this much right after the procedure. Can you slow down?”

 Emery kept walking, one hand resting on her stomach. “Rx. I’m with a doctor.”

 “I’m a dentist,” Nina said. “Whose working for her father’spany.”

 “It’s still a doctor,” Emery said over her shoulder. “That has to count for something.”

 Nina sighed. “Not in this situation, it doesn’t.”

 The two of them continued walking across the lot. The procedure hadn’t taken long. The doctor advised her to rest for a while afterward, but Emery had wanted to leave right away and go home to sleep.

 She felt a little lightheaded but kept going. This wasn’t their first time here. Emery had met the doctor at an event, and Nina had pulled some strings with the clinic owner to secure a quick appointment. It wasn’t the ideal process–but nothing about this was ideal.

 The sun was too bright for her mood. Her heels scraped against the pavement as she followed Nina toward the car. Her legs still felt heavy, but she didn’tin.

 They were halfway there when a car swerved into the parking lot, tires screeching as it stopped just a few feet in front of them.

 Emery flinched and took a quick step back. Her bnce shifted, and she almost lost it again.

 Nina grabbed her arm immediately. “Are you okay?”

 “I’m fine,” Emery said, though her heart was thudding hard now.

 The car door opened. Emery’s eyes narrowed as she looked at it. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

 “You really have the guts to-” Nina wasn’t able to finish her words when Samuel rushed toward them.

 “What happened? You look pale. Are you alright?” He reached for Emery’s arm.

 She stepped back immediately. “Don’t.”

 He froze, but didn’t move away. “Emery, I got scared. I saw your location and thought something happened.”

 She stared at him. “How did you know I was here?”

 He pulled his phone from his pocket, “We’re still sharing locations. When I saw you near this ce, I panicked. There are hospitals and clinics all over this building–I didn’t know what you were doing. Did something happen?”

 “That’s none of your business,” she said. Her hand moved to her phone instinctively. She would remove him from that feature the moment she got in the car.

 “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 “I will be okay, Samuel!” She stepped back again. “Don’t touch me.”

 “You’re still mad about the news?”

 Emery didn’t answer. She stood still. Mad about the news? This man really had the nerve to ask her that after everything?

 “We’ve been together for five years,” he said. “You should know better than to get upset over something like this. You knew your status. You knew my parents would never approve. Em, will you stop moving and talk to me?” 

 Her jaw clenched. It was all about status. Status here. Status there. She hated it!

 “But that doesn’t mean we should break up,” he added. “I love you. I still want you by my side.”

 She looked at him.

 “The marriage is only on paper. You’re still my priority. We can still-”

 12:34 AM P P

 Her hand moved fast. The p echoed across the lot, cutting him off mid–sentence. His head turned with the force of it.

 “How dare you!” Emery asked.

 “Em-”

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 “You disgust me!” Emery hissed, her eyes narrowed. Her head was spinning, but she didn’t care. She needed to let it out.

 “Em, please-”

 She pped him again. Harder this time.

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 Samuel’s expression changed immediately. “Enough!” He stepped toward her. “That’s enough. Stop throwing a tantrum!”

 He reached for her arm again, but Nina stepped between them.

 “Don’t touch her!” Nina said, pushing him back.

 However, Samuel shoved her aside without thinking. Nina stumbled and hit the pavement with a sharp grunt.

 “Nina!” Emery turned, but Samuel grabbed her arm before she could check on her friend.

 “There can only be me, Emery. You understand?” His grip tightened around both of her arms.

 “Let go of me!” she shouted.

 “I’m doing this for us,” Samuel said, holding her tighter. “Once the Ardens are done with the investments, I can do whatever I want with Talia. Once she gives birth, I’ll divorce her. Then we can be together.”

 Emery struggled. “Let go of me!”

 “Will you stop moving and listen to me!?” Samuel snapped, his eyes narrowed. “Stop being such a selfish cunt, Em. You know I don’t like those type of women! You should see I’m doing all this for our future. I kept you hidden for a reason. You think I liked it? I had no choice. My family–”

 “I said, let me go!” she shouted again, louder this time. Her legs shook. Her shoulder ached where he held her.

 Samuel opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, a fist mmed into his jaw, knocking him backward.

 He staggered and fell to the ground.

 Emery felt warm arms wrap around her. She clutched the front of the shirt, her body trembling. Her knees nearly gave out, but whoever held her didn’t let her fall. A clean smell immediately filled her nose.

 Not the clean disinfectant smell in the clinic. No. He smelled clean–lemon and musk, something earthy and sharp that clung to his skin and clothes. It grounded her more than she wanted to admit.

 For the first time since stepping out of that clinic, Emery exhaled. Her chest ached, but her body slowly began to settle. It felt like the ground had finally stopped tilting beneath her feet.

 “Are you alright?” a deep, familiar voice filled her ears. Emery stiffened when she realized she was holding onto the coffee–stained shirt she had seen earlier

 “Hey…” He steadied her, one hand supporting her back, the other bracing her arm

 Before she could respond, Samuel’s voice cut through the moment. “Don’t you dare touch her! Let her go! Who the hell do you think you are?”

 “You think you’re strong? Putting your hands on someone half your size?” the man before Emery responded. Try it with me. See how far that strength gets you!”

 Emery noticed Nina scrambled to her feet, still shaky, and rushed to her side. She slipped her arm around her, eyes flicking between the two men. “Are you alright?” Nina asked

 Emery, however, was too focused on the man standing in front of her. Samuel didn’t take threats lightly–she knew that. But this man was at least four inches taller, broader too, and there was a quiet danger in the way he stood. She doubted Samuel would be stupid enough to actually pick a fight.

 12:34 AM P P.

 She gave a small nod to Nina’s question, just as Samuel took a step forward, fists clenched.

 But the man stepped forward too, as if ready for a fight. He positioned himself in front of Emery like a shield, his eyes locked on Samuel. “You want a fight?” he said. “Touch her again, and I swear, I’ll break something that won’t heal right.”

 Samuel stopped a few feet away. His jaw tightened, eyes scanning the man’s face. “Do you even know who I am?”

 The man tilted his head slightly and gave a slow, mocking smile. “Can you use that name once you’re limping out of here in pieces? Or in a body bag?”

 The silence that followed was thick.

 However, it didn’t take too long before Samuel clicked his tongue and turned his re on Emery. “This isn’t over, Em. Answer my Let’s talk when you are not that angry.”

 calls.

 He spun around and marched back to his car. The door mmed shut a secondter, the engine revving as the tires screeched vehicle pulled away.

 and the

 Then, the man turned and stared at her. “You know, for someone so clumsy and loud, you’re lucky I was around. Again.” He paused, then added, “At this rate, you should probably put me on payroll.”

 Emery snorted. This was indeed the second time he had saved her. She said nothing as she pulled her wallet from her bag, took out a couple of hundred–dor bills, and shoved them against his chest.

 “This should be enough.”

 The man didn’t take the money. Instead, his hand closed around her wrist. Before she could react, he lifted it to his face and brought it close to his nose. 

 Her body froze.

 He closed his eyes as he inhaled slowly, like he was trying to confirm something. She tried to pull back, but his grip was firm. Too firm.

 When he opened his eyes again, she paused. Something about the way he looked at her had changed. There was something sharper— darker.

 Then he asked, “Why do you have my scent on you?”

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