<b>Chapter </b><b>43 </b>


    Aria’s POV


    Ipletely froze


    My brain couldn’t even process what I was seeing.


    In my mind, he had always been noble, elegant… okay, sometimes cold and cruel, but still with a certain kind of untouchable pride. I knew he had a lot of girlfriends, but I never pictured him like this.


    So messed up.


    50 gross.


    Entangled with multiple women, drowning in lust..


    I bent over and gagged.


    “Hey! Don’t throw up on my d


    damn shoes!” the man holding me yelled.


    Then without warning, he dragged me across the room and tossed me onto the floor right in front of the huge couch.


    “What should we do with her <b>Alpha</b>? Kick her out, or let her join us?” heughed, eyes glinting with cruel amusement.


    I tried to crawl away with panic rising in my throat, but he blocked my way.


    Grayson finally lifted his head <b>from </b>the girl beneath him and stared at me. His expression scared me. He looked more like a wild beast that


    had <b>lost </b>its mind


    Then he grabbed my wrist <b>and </b>yanked me toward the couch


    “You just threw up.” his voice was dark. “What’s the matter? Do I disgust you now?”


    “No…this isn’t you


    His grip tightened until I cried out in pain. “Then what the hell did you think I was? A noble, respectable Alpha? Wrong! This is who I really am. This is how I’ve always spent my nights before you fucking barged into my life!”


    I shook my head hard, tears already burning at the corners of my eyes. I didn’t know what to say.


    His face twisted darker. “I told you to stay away from Zane because he’s a disgusting fuckboy. And now you see this. I’m even worse than him. So what now? Are you disappointed?”


    “No… no,” I whispered.


    He cursed and shoved me away. “Tell me why the hell you’re here.”


    I sat there, frozen. I hade here ready to fight for what I deserved. I had everything prepared–proof, arguments, all of it


    But in this ce…<b>everything </b>here… I couldn’t even open my mouth.


    Everyone in the room was staring at me, <b>those </b>half–naked men, barely dressed women.. they all looked entertained, like they were watching a joke y out


    “Alpha, your little pet looks scared,” someone whistled, Laughter erupted around the room.


    “She’s obviously here for you, Alpha Grayson. What else? She wants to keep you all to herself,” a girl giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck from behind. “You’re just one naive little idiot, aren’t you? Nobody can keep Alpha Grayson, Better give up on that thought <b>now </b>before he gets tired of <b>you</b>.”


    “Let go of me!”


    I shaved her off. Then I took a deep breath, looking at him, pleading, “I can’t talk here. Can we go somewhere private, please?”


    Yet that just made everyoneugh harder.


    “You wanna sneak off with Alpha? What about the rest of us?” one of the girls sneered


    “Why should he go with


    with you? Wi


    What makes you special<b>?</b>”


    “She’s smart, this one. Better be careful Alpha, or this littlemb might trap you when you’re not looking!” a man cackled.


    Their mocking made my cheeks burn with shame,


    Grayson stayed on the couch, one arm around the naked girl beside him, his fingerszily ying with her hair.


    His handsome face wore a smirk that cut like a knife.


    “You heard them. That’s a ridiculous request,” he said. “<b>Say </b>it here. Or get the hell out.”


    I stared at him, my chest heavy with sadness and rage.


    “Fine.“I bit down hard on the words. “I came here to ask that you let me stay on Zane’s project. I know it best. I can help you earn the most profit Jace will just screw it all up. Even if you n to transfer me after, at least let me finish what I started. I earned that much.”


    There were more boos and jeers, but Grayson lifted <b>a </b>hand to silence them.


    “You’re really doing everything you can just to stay near Zane, aren’t you?” His gray eyes were cold as ice.


    I stared at him, stunned. “This has nothing to do with Mr. Elrod. I’m just fighting for what I’ve worked for!”


    He scoffed like he didn’t believe a word i said. Or worse like he didn’t care.


    “So you’re here to make demands.”


    Something like that I need your help.” I murmured.


    “Then tell me,” he sneered, “why the hell should I give it?”


    Hell I don’t know. Maybe because he used to be so gentle, so thoughtful, so affectionate. He used to do all these small things that made my heart melt. But now I wasn’t even sure which version of him was <b>real</b><b>. </b>


    “When we signed the contract, you said you’d give me whatever I wanted. And this… this isn’t even that b trembling.


    il for you,” I said, my voice


    He let out a low, mockingugh. “Right, I did <b>say </b>that. But the contract also made something else clear, I’d give <b>you </b>whatever you want || you met my needs first.”


    “I haven’t?” I asked, barely able to breathe.


    10:26. Fri, 8 Aug


    “Have you?” His gaze was sharp. “Let’s find out.”


    Suddenly he lunged forward and yanked me onto the couch. His fingers gripped my chin as he kissed me–hard and rough–white his othe hand slid inside my shirt.


    “No–stop! Let me gol” I screamed..


    “Every girl in this room would crawl to me without being asked, ready to raise their fucking ass in the air. So what makes you think <b>you’re </b>so special huh?” he hissed in my ear.


    “No…fuck you, you asshole!”


    “They’re right. I’ve been way too soft on you. I let you cross the line. That ends now.”


    <b>I </b>couldn’t even <b>hear </b>what he was saying anymore. I could only feel their eyes on us. I was terrified.


    “You said you’d respect <b>me</b><b>,</b>” I gasped as his hand moved down my waist. “I told you…if you ever wanted to sleep with me, you’d have to marry me first—”


    “And you think you’re worth that?” he growled.


    AD


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