Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 1

Dawn Porter arrived at Austin Osborne's birthday party with a gift she had prepared with effort.

Just as she reached the entrance, voices could be heard from inside.

"Austin, now that Sydney's back, you two can finally be together ... But, that girl at your place has quite the temper. What if she doesn't agree?"

Through the glass door, Austin's expression was shadowed by the dim lighting, but his indifferent voice was clear. "She's just a child. I can't be bothered by what she said."

"Dawn is still young, but everyone knows she loves you. You've never had any feelings for her after all these years, huh?"

Zach Ruiz's question made Dawn's heart clench.

She wanted to know the answer, too. Has Austin ever had feelings for her?

The man sitting in the center of the sofa exuded a mature charm. He paused briefly before speaking in a low, cold voice, "Why are you guys acting as childish as her? Stop joking about this. To me, Dawn is nothing more than a niece. I will never develop feelings for her."

I'll never have feelings for her.

Those words stabbed straight into Dawn's heart like a dagger.

No one inside had noticed her standing at the door, and the conversation continued. "Yeah, yeah, Sydney's the only one who matters to you. She's your first love, after all. Dawn is nothing compared to her."

Austin gave a nonchalant "Hmm" and said, "Don't mention Dawn in front of Sydney later. I don't want her to misunderstand anything."

"As if we need to bring her up." Zach let out a knowing sigh. "With that girl's personality, she'd never let you be with anyone else."

"Exactly," another guy chimed in and laughed. "If you ask me, Dawn's already 20, right? Why not just treat her as your future wife? You'll have a woman at home and another one outside. Considering her situation and how much she loves you, she'd definitely agree—"

Before he could finish, Austin shot him a chilling glare.

"Stop the nonsense. I only let my brother adopt her because I felt sorry for her.

"My heart belongs to Sydney. Stop disgusting me."

Dawn's grip on the doorknob tightened, and her breath hitched.

So ... my feelings disgusted him?

Seconds ago, she had been ready to walk inside. However, all the strength drained from her body the next moment. She didn't even want to utter a word now.

Lowering her head, she forced herself to hold back the tears, then turned and walked away.

The deserted street was eerily quiet.

This private club was located by the river, and known for its exclusivity, which also meant there wasn't a single taxi in sight.

Dawn clenched the birthday gift in her hand and walked quickly.

Meanwhile, the conversation from moments ago echoed in her mind.

What have I been holding on to all these years?

Dawn, Dawn ... you're so pathetic.

She smiled bitterly as silent tears fell, vanishing into the pavement.

At the upcoming intersection, a car passed with its high beams on. The blinding light stung her eyes, and she let go of her hand in that instant.

The birthday gift dropped to the ground with a muffled thud.

It was a pair of expensive cufflinks she had bought with her hard-earned bonus.

But, it didn't matter anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and dialled a number.

"Ethan, I accept your proposal. Let's get married."

Ethan Jackson was five years older than her. He was a neighbor of the Osbornes. He moved abroad after high school and had only recently returned.

Now, he lived in Northville and had only met up with Dawn once. During their conversation, he spoke about the pressures of marriage in their circle, and he was frustrated with it.

"Dawn, whether it's you or me, in the end, we're both going to end up in an arranged marriage. Our families don't care if we're happy. To them, marriage is all that matters.

"If we have to get married anyway, why not pick someone we're comfortable with? We might as well just marry each other."

At the time, Dawn had thought his idea was ridiculous.

Watching the rapidly passing scenery outside the car window, Dawn felt a stinging heat in her eyes.

Turns out, growing up didn't change anything. A person's feelings are only a burden to someone who doesn't love them.

Austin—

I'll set you free.

By the time she reached home, Dawn wiped her tears, shoved down all her emotions, and went upstairs. She took a shower and went straight to bed.

She had expected to spend the night tossing and turning. Instead, she slept surprisingly well. The next morning, she woke up to the sound of clattering from the kitchen.

She went downstairs after changing her clothes while yawning.

"Lucy, what are you doing so early—"

Her voice trailed off as the figure in the kitchen came into view.

A woman stood there in a white dress with an off-white apron tied around her waist, accentuating her elegant curves. Her long hair was loosely pinned up with a claw clip.

She was Austin's first love, Sydney Peay.

"Dawn, you're awake?" Sydney turned around with a bright smile. "I was going to finish making breakfast before waking you up, but I didn't expect you to be up so early."

With all that noise, I would've had to be deaf to keep sleeping.

Dawn silently huffed and forced a smile. "Why are you here?"

Sydney covered her mouth as if looking a little embarrassed.

"Austin drank too much last night. I brought him home and helped him shower and change. Since you were here alone, I thought I'd make breakfast for both of us."

So they had spent the night together.

Dawn felt her fragile composure cracking, and her voice turned colder. "I don't need you to make me breakfast."

Just then, a familiar icy voice rang out from behind her. "Dawn, where are your manners? Apologize."