All the Brayton Brothers Want Me

Chapter 11: Callum’s Ultimatum

Diary Entry:

Date: September 12th

Time: 3:30 AM

Dear Diary,

Brandon caught me alone tonight, and for a second, I thought he was joking again. But he wasn’t. He asked me to leave Alec and be with him.

I didn’t even have time to figure out what to say because Callum stormed in like a thundercloud. He dragged me off to ‘talk’ and then tore me apart.

I don’t know how I didn’t completely shatter, but I came close. The worst part? For a second, he wasn’t terrifying. He was… gentle.

-Ivy

Brandon’s words still hung in the air.

“Switch sides,” he repeated, his voice low and serious.

Ivy opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Callum Brayton stormed into the hallway.

His presence hit like a cold gust of wind. His gray eyes locked onto Ivy, sharp with something unreadable but furious.

“Out,” Callum snapped at Brandon, his voice sharp enough to cut steel.

Brandon, of course, didn’t look remotely threatened. He smirked, glancing back at Ivy, his gaze full of amusement. “She’s all yours, big brother,” he drawled before strolling off, leaving chaos in his wake.

Ivy barely had time to breathe before Callum grabbed her arm—not roughly, but firmly—and dragged her into an empty room.

The door slammed shut behind them.

Callum turned to her, his jaw tight. “What the hell are you doing?”

Ivy wrenched her arm free. “I wasn’t doing anything!”

Callum exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled. Too controlled. That was when he was the most dangerous.

“I told you to stay out of trouble,” he hissed. “I warned you not to create problems. And yet, here you are, in the middle of another mess.”

Ivy’s fists clenched at her sides. “I didn’t ask for any of this! You think I want to be here? You think I enjoy being your fake brother’s fake girlfriend, dodging Genevieve and Brandon and you? I’m trying to survive, Callum. That’s it.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over.

She covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking.

For a long moment, Callum said nothing.

Then, his tone softened.

“Stop crying.”

Ivy let out a wet laugh. “Wow. Stellar comfort skills.”

Callum let out a sharp breath, his hands flexing at his sides. Then, before she could react, he stepped closer.

Gently, he cupped her face in his hands.

Ivy froze.

Callum wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

“I’m not the enemy,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I can’t protect you if you don’t stop making yourself a target.”

She barely had time to process those words before the door swung open.

Genevieve stumbled inside, clearly drunk.

She blinked, her gaze darting between Callum’s hands on Ivy’s face and Ivy’s tear-streaked cheeks.

“Oh,” Genevieve murmured, a slow, wicked smile curving her lips.

Her eyes gleamed with amusement.

“This is going to be fun.”