Chapter 4
For several seconds after Vanessa Whitmore left…
neither Cate Sullivan nor Dylan Carter spoke.
Rain continued falling softly around them while luxury cars disappeared one by one from the gala entrance. But suddenly the cold night air felt heavier.
More real.
Cate stared at the wet pavement quietly while Vanessa's words replayed inside her head.
"Your grandmother already hates this."
This.
Not her name.
Not who she was.
Just… this.
Whatever was happening between her and Dylan already carried enough weight for his family to reject it before even meeting her.
That realization unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
Beside her, Dylan looked unusually tense now. His jaw remained tight while his hands rested inside his coat pockets like he was physically stopping himself from saying something reckless.
Cate finally broke the silence softly. "You publicly humiliated a billionaire heiress?"
Dylan closed his eyes briefly like the question exhausted him already. "That's how the media framed it."
"That means yes."
"She embarrassed herself."
Cate looked at him carefully now. "She publicly confessed to you?"
His expression hardened immediately. "I told her repeatedly nothing was going to happen between us."
"And she still did it?"
"Yes."
Cate blinked slowly.
God.
This man's life sounded exhausting.
But unfortunately…
another thought quietly slipped into her chest.
Women like Sophia Laurent publicly chased him.
Women like Vanessa clearly wanted him.
And somehow…
Dylan stood here in the rain looking at HER instead.
It didn't make sense.
Maybe that was why it scared her.
Dylan noticed her going quiet instantly. "You're thinking too loudly."
Cate laughed softly despite herself. "That sentence shouldn't make sense."
"It does with you."
Again.
Again with the dangerous honesty.
Cate looked away quickly toward the glowing city streets because suddenly her heartbeat felt unstable again.
She needed distance.
Space.
A reminder that this was temporary.
Because men like Dylan Carter did not permanently belong to women like her.
That was reality.
No matter how kind his eyes looked when he stared at her.
Cate wrapped her coat tighter around herself. "I should go home."
Dylan immediately looked at her. "I'll drive you."
"You don't have to."
"I know."
The simple answer hit harder than it should have.
Because somehow…
he always made staying sound effortless.
Cate hesitated briefly before finally nodding once. The truth was she didn't really want the night to end either.
That was the dangerous part.
The drive through Ashford City felt quieter than before. Not uncomfortable exactly. Just thoughtful. Cate watched rain slide down the windows while Dylan drove calmly beside her, one hand resting against the steering wheel.
Every few minutes she caught him glancing toward her briefly.
Like checking whether she disappeared.
It should not have affected her this much.
But it did.
Finally Cate spoke softly. "Your grandmother really hates me already?"
Dylan's grip tightened slightly against the wheel.
"She doesn't know you."
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
Then finally—
"She thinks my life should look a certain way."
Cate laughed faintly without humor. "Meaning?"
"Meaning wealthy family. Public image. Social compatibility."
The words hurt more than she expected.
Because suddenly she could almost picture it:
elegant billionaire wives,
charity galas,
polished interviews,
women like Vanessa.
Women who belonged.
Meanwhile Cate spent most days exhausted beside hospital beds trying to save children.
Dylan glanced toward her again and immediately noticed the shift in her expression.
His voice lowered slightly. "Stop."
Cate frowned. "Stop what?"
"Making yourself smaller in your head."
The accuracy startled her.
Because somehow…
that was exactly what she was doing.
Dylan slowed the car at a red light before turning fully toward her for the first time since leaving the gala.
And suddenly the atmosphere inside the car changed again.
Softer.
More dangerous.
"I don't care what Vanessa thinks," he said quietly.
Cate swallowed softly.
"Maybe you don't."
"But your family does."
Silence.
Rain tapped softly against the windows around them.
Then Dylan said something that made her chest stop functioning properly.
"I haven't cared about anyone enough to fight for them before."
The breath caught painfully in her lungs.
Because suddenly…
this no longer felt casual at all.
Dylan's gray eyes held hers steadily in the dim city lights. "That should probably scare you."
God.
It did.
Not because she doubted him.
Because part of her was starting to believe him.
And that was infinitely more dangerous.
Before Cate could answer—
Dylan's phone suddenly rang through the quiet car.
He glanced at the screen.
Then immediately went cold.
Cate noticed the shift instantly. "What happened?"
Dylan stared at the caller ID for one long second before answering.
"Yes?"
Silence.
Then whoever spoke on the other side made his expression darken completely.
And for the first time since meeting him…
Cate saw something genuinely frightening in Dylan Carter's eyes.
The atmosphere inside the car turned cold instantly.
Not normal cold.
Dangerous cold.
Cate Sullivan felt it immediately beside Dylan Carter the moment his expression changed during the call.
Whatever he heard…
it mattered.
A lot.
Dylan's voice became dangerously calm. "Who told the press that?"
Silence answered from the other side.
Cate quietly looked away toward the rain-covered windows, suddenly feeling like she should not be hearing this conversation.
But then Dylan spoke again.
"No."
"Shut it down immediately."
The sharpness in his tone sent a chill through her.
Because until now…
she had only seen the softer version of him.
The man who:
remembered what coffee she liked,
looked at her like she mattered,
and somehow noticed every emotion crossing her face.
This version felt different.
Powerful.
Cold.
Untouchable.
The billionaire everyone feared.
Dylan ended the call abruptly.
Silence swallowed the car immediately afterward.
Cate slowly turned toward him. "What happened?"
For a second he said nothing.
Like he was deciding how much truth to give her.
Then finally—
"My family found out about you."
Her chest tightened instantly.
"Oh."
The simple response somehow sounded small even to her own ears.
Dylan's jaw tightened again before he exhaled quietly. "Someone leaked photos from the gala."
Cate immediately understood.
Vanessa.
Of course.
Dylan noticed the realization crossing her face instantly. "This isn't your fault."
"But it's because of me."
"No."
"It's because people around me are invasive and entitled."
His voice softened slightly after saying it.
But Cate still felt something uncomfortable settling inside her chest.
Because suddenly…
everything felt real.
Not exciting-real.
Complicated-real.
The kind that hurt eventually.
Dylan drove through the rain silently for another minute before speaking again. "My grandmother wants to meet you."
Cate stared at him in horror.
"…What?"
One corner of his mouth almost lifted despite the tension. "That was basically my reaction."
"No."
"Absolutely not."
Dylan glanced toward her briefly. "You haven't even met her yet."
"I already know she hates me."
"She hates most people."
"That's not comforting."
For the first time since the phone call, Dylan actually laughed softly.
And God.
The sound still affected her embarrassingly fast.
Cate looked at him helplessly. "Why are you calm about this?"
"I'm not calm."
"You look calm."
"I'm trying not to scare you."
The honesty behind the answer made her heartbeat stumble painfully.
Because suddenly…
Cate realized something terrifying.
Dylan genuinely cared whether she stayed.
Not casually.
Not temporarily.
Seriously.
And somehow…
that made this even scarier.
Rain continued falling outside while the city lights blurred softly through the windows. Cate looked down at her hands quietly, trying to understand why this man already felt emotionally dangerous to her after such a short time.
Then softly she asked, "Do they usually control your relationships?"
Dylan went silent briefly.
That alone answered enough.
Cate's stomach tightened.
Of course they did.
Men like Dylan were not raised normally. His relationships probably involved:
business alliances,
family approval,
reputation,
strategic marriages.
Not random nurses who spilled wine on him at galas.
Dylan finally spoke quietly. "My grandmother believes emotions make people reckless."
Cate laughed faintly. "And what do you believe?"
The question lingered heavily between them.
Dylan's grip tightened slightly against the steering wheel before he answered honestly.
"I think she was right."
"Until I met you."
God.
Again.
Again with the devastating honesty.
Cate looked away quickly because her chest physically hurt now.
How was she supposed to protect herself from someone who spoke like this?
The car finally slowed outside her apartment building. Rain still poured steadily across the quiet street while warm lights glowed from nearby windows.
Neither moved immediately.
Because once again…
ending the night suddenly felt difficult.
Cate quietly unfastened her seatbelt. "Your life sounds exhausting."
Dylan looked at her calmly. "It usually is."
The implication beneath the sentence settled softly between them.
Until her.
Cate's heartbeat fluttered again.
Dangerous billionaire.
Very dangerous billionaire.
She slowly reached for the door handle before Dylan's voice stopped her softly.
"Cate."
She turned immediately.
And suddenly the atmosphere inside the car shifted again.
Softer.
Closer.
Dylan looked at her for several long seconds like he was memorizing something.
Then quietly—
"If this becomes too much for you… tell me honestly."
The sincerity in his eyes almost ruined her composure completely.
Because somehow…
he looked more worried about losing her than losing peace with his family.
Cate swallowed softly. "You make it sound like a war."
Dylan's expression darkened slightly.
"It might become one."
Silence.
Rain hammered softly against the windows around them.
Then before Cate could fully process his words—
headlights suddenly flashed across the street.
A black luxury car slowly stopped directly behind Dylan's vehicle.
Both of them looked toward it instantly.
Then Cate's stomach dropped.
Because the woman stepping out of the car was Vanessa Whitmore.
And she was not alone.
An older elegant woman stepped out beside her.
Cold eyes.
Sharp posture.
Pearl earrings.
Dylan went completely still.
And quietly said the words that made Cate's pulse spike instantly.
"That's my grandmother."
