The Don's Unwanted Bride

CHAPTER 24

Hayden’s POV

The loud, crashing sound from inside the house hit me the moment I stepped out of the car with Donovan. I paused on the front porch, glancing sideways at him.

"You heard that too, right?" I asked, already moving faster toward the door.

He nodded. "Loud and clear."

We stepped inside, and what I saw made my blood freeze for a split second, Alyssa and Sireen were tangled together, not in a friendly hug, but in a heated fight.

Arms flailing, hair being pulled, sharp words flying between clenched teeth.

“Sireen, stop it!” I shouted, storming over.

Donovan beat me to it. He pulled Sireen back by her shoulders, forcefully enough that she stumbled.

“She’s Madam Alyssa!” he growled at her, voice edged with warning.

Sireen blinked, confused. Her lips parted, and she turned to me, her eyes narrowing with accusation. “You got married without telling me?”

I folded my arms and gave her a bored look. “Do I have to make you know?”

Her mouth dropped open as if she had something else to say, but no words came. Instead, she scoffed, turned sharply on her heels, and stalked past me, brushing her shoulder against mine with exaggerated force.

I barely noticed. My eyes were already on Alyssa.

She was standing stiffly, chest heaving, eyes blazing with unshed tears and fury. I stepped toward her, reaching out.

“Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

She slapped my hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

“Come on, Alyssa…” I followed her into the hallway as she stormed off, heading toward the kitchen. “What was that about?”

She didn’t respond.

“What is your problem now?” I asked, louder this time. “Why are you acting like this?”

She whirled around. Her glare could’ve stopped time. “You’re really asking me what my problem is?”

I lifted my hands, exasperated. “Yes, because we agreed to an open relationship. You don’t get to throw tantrums over me being with other women. That’s what we wanted, remember?”

“Then why the hell did you interrupt my date with Dave?” she shot back, arms folding tightly across her chest.

“I wasn’t interrupting,” I said defensively. “I was just saying hi. Being civil. Can’t I greet my wife and her date?”

She scoffed, walking around the kitchen island to create distance. “Civil? You sat down. You stayed. You made Dave so uncomfortable he couldn’t even finish his meal. That’s not ‘civil,’ Hayden. That’s sabotage.”

I moved closer, lowering my voice. “So what? You’re mad because your little date didn’t end with dessert?”

She gave me a withering look. “Don’t act like you weren’t jealous.”

“Oh, I’m the jealous one?” I laughed bitterly, stepping closer. “That’s rich. You just slapped Sireen across the face, and now you’re mad that I was with someone?”

She clenched her jaw. “She said she was your girlfriend. Dave and I weren't even dating yet.”

I didn't reply.

She grabbed a glass from the counter and slammed it into the sink, hard enough to make it shatter. Shards bounced onto the counter, but neither of us flinched. The air was thick with tension, our breathing heavy with rage.

“Should we stop this then?” I asked suddenly, staring straight at her.

She froze. “What?”

“This… open relationship. Should it just be you and me again?” I stepped forward. “Because it’s obvious you were jealous, Alyssa. You hated seeing me with someone else.”

Her face flushed with heat, her lips trembling. “You’re twisting this.”

“Am I?” I challenged. “You didn’t even give Dave a goodbye. You ran in here, and the first thing you did was attack Sireen.”

“I was defending myself,” she snapped. “And that woman had the audacity to be in our house, claiming you invited her!”

“She showed up,” I shrugged. “Uninvited. I didn’t even know she was coming. I was out. She must’ve thought she could wait here.”

“Oh, how romantic,” she said with a mocking smile. “Do all your flings just pop by to see if you’re home like this is a damn bachelor pad?”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“You’re being reckless!”

We were face to face now. I could smell her perfume, a scent that drove me crazy every time. She looked up at me, eyes still glistening, cheeks flushed, hands shaking, but whether from fury or something else, I didn’t know.

“I don’t care if we’re in an open relationship or not,” she said, voice shaking with emotion. “But don’t act like you’re not bothered when I go out with someone else. Don’t pretend like you’re above all of this.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Alyssa,” I said, staring into her eyes. “You liked that I was jealous.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but I didn’t give her the chance.

I closed the distance between us in one step, grabbed her face gently but firmly, and crashed my mouth against hers.

Her fists pounded against my chest. But she didn’t pull away. Her lips molded against mine, urgent and angry.