The Don's Unwanted Bride

CHAPTER 26

Hayden's POV

I froze.

The words had slipped from my lips before I could stop them.

"I think I'm falling for you, Alyssa."

Damn it.

I didn’t mean to say that. Not like that. Not when things were so complicated between us. But her expression shifted, twisted in a way I didn’t expect. Her eyes glistened, and then, just like that, tears began to fall.

My chest constricted. I hated seeing her cry. It did something to me, something I couldn't quite explain.

She didn’t say anything. Just stood up and grabbed her robe. I followed her, tugging on my own pants, heart thundering in my chest.

"Alyssa! Hey, talk to me. What's going on?"

She turned to me near the staircase, her eyes red and tired. "I need to go see my father."

That caught me off guard. "Now? Why? Did something happen?"

"I just need to clear my head," she whispered, brushing past me.

I swallowed hard. "Let me come with you."

She paused. For a split second, I thought she might agree. But then she shook her head. "No, Hayden. I need to do this alone."

That stung.

I didn’t push. Instead, I turned to Donovan who had just entered the hallway, always silently watching. "Go with her. Take the jet from the mansion. Make sure she’s safe."

He gave me a slight nod, one I trusted with my life, and followed her out.

After the door slammed shut, the house felt different. Empty. Cold.

I couldn’t sit still.

Why was she crying? Why did she suddenly want to see Nicolai? Was it because I told her how I felt? Does she feel the same way?

I wasn't expecting that reaction from her. I didn’t know she'd react this way.

I called Donovan five times and he told me they weren’t at the mansion yet.

I poured myself a drink but didn’t touch it. Just stared at the amber liquid like it held the answers to the whirlwind of emotions inside me.

I was restless. And I had no idea what to call this.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," I muttered, half-expecting it to be one of the guards or maybe Donovan with an update.

It was Lena, the head maid.

"Sir, there's someone here to see you," she said, hesitating at the door.

"Who?"

"Sireen."

Sireen again? My jaw clenched. "Tell her to leave. Tell her never to step foot in this house again."

Lena hesitated. "She... she insists. She says it's urgent."

I shot her a glare. "Did she say what it was about?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but then added, "She mentioned Alyssa."

My heart skipped and I raised a brow in confusion.

I stood up so fast the chair fell over behind me. I didn’t even care. I raced out the door, down the hallway, and out to the front porch.

Sireen was pacing like a nervous cat, her heels clacking against the stone steps.

"What the hell are you doing here? I'm married, Sireen. What we had in the past should remain in the past so leave." I demanded, barely keeping my voice steady.

She turned to me, her eyes wide with panic. "I know you don’t want to see me, Hayden. But this isn’t about us. It’s about her, about Alyssa."

I stepped closer, my pulse surging. "What do you mean?"

She pointed down the driveway. "She's in danger. You need to come. Now."

“Sireen…’

“I saw two cars running after their car.”

I didn’t wait for details. I raced back inside the house.