Chapter 19

When Avery raised the pepper spray at him, Julian was stunned. Disbelief flickered in his eyes, followed by hurt. Jace, on the other hand, grew even more extreme and volatile. Sometimes, he broke down, begging through tears. He slapped his own face, insisting that he regretted everything and truly loved her. Other times, he lost his temper at her indifference, smashing whatever was within reach. He even pulled her away from her classmates in the middle of a conversation, leaving them so alarmed that they called the police. He used his family's influence to pressure the university and her landlord, cornering her academically and financially until she gave in. The brothers saw each other as enemies. Julian put his men around Jace and had them intercept him whenever he approached Avery. Jace struck back by wrecking every attempt Julian made to win Avery over—crushing flowers, throwing away gifts, and blasting noise loud enough to drown out any word Julian tried to say to her. That