Contracted emotions

trance. My face fell, noticing the front door wide open, the sound of furniture being moved echoing from inside. I had left for my morning jog just a few hours ago, not expecting this

taunted me with my graduation photo frame. "Congrats on your graduation," he said, his gruff voice dripping with sarcasm. Oh fuck me sideways, not only was his face attractive, his voice was equally pleasing. Forgive me, I've only seen a few truly attractive men. I was about to reply, hoping not to say something ridiculous, like 'Hi, I'm Ariana, but you can call me Ari... want to get married and have mini-mes of you?' - all while grinning like a lovesick schoolgirl. But just as I opened my mouth, my bald dad walked in, and I felt a mix of disappointment and relief wash over me. Reality slammed into me like a cold slap, and I was abruptly reminded that my room was currently overrun with movers, busily packing up every last thing I owned. "Dad, what's going on?" I asked, with a strained edge to my voice, hesitantly, I tore my gaze away from Mr. Hot/Attractive/Endearingly Gorgeous - was that even a thing? My father turned to THE pretty as a picture stranger, his expression intended to placate. "Shane, I'm sure there's something we can do. Some alternative? Please, this is madness, it's ridiculous." I noticed a flicker of unease in his eyes. It was a subtle tell, but it spoke volumes. Mister Hot Guy was powerful, and my father knew it. You can't be telling me my father was pea-brained enough to borrow money from someone as dangerously attractive looking as this? "You know what's ridiculous?" Shane countered, his voice dripping with disdain, OH HIS VOICE. What is wrong with me?! "Owing me money and ignoring it for two years, not just one. You're going to stand there and tell me you didn't receive the emails my very responsible assistant has been sending you?" He gestured to his assistant, who stepped forward, tablet in hand, a silent witness to his accusations. Unfortunately, my dad was pea-brained Shane's gaze locked onto my father, daring him to deny the truth. "We've been business partners for far too long for this," My father said, his eyes narrowing as Shane carelessly tossed my frame into a box. His hands slid smoothly into his pockets, his expression calm, calculating, and devoid of empathy. His gaze shifted to me, his piercing dark eyes locking onto mine with an unnerving concentration. It felt like a crime to look away. His chiselled features seemed to harden, and for a moment, our eyes held. He spoke, his voice lacking emotion. "James, ensure they take every single item in this house." And just like that the spell broke... he couldn't be serious. "Shane-" My dad began, but I cut him off. "This is ridiculous," I said, folding my arms and scoffing in disbelief. He might have been ridiculously attractive, but that didn't give him a free pass to upend my life and my family's. This had to be illegal, right? Where was our lawyer, anyway? "I'm sure we can pay you back. Just give us two weeks." I added, confident in my words. As soon as this was over, I was gonna call a lawyer and sue him. Who did he think he was, screwing over his business partner over a few dollars? I didn't understand why my 'future husband' was being so unreasonable, especially considering he was my dad's business partner. My dad was a wealthy man; paying him back wouldn't be a problem. I