CHAPTER FOUR
1057 Words
The weight of Sebastian Kane’s visit lingered in the air long after he left. Elara couldn’t shake the unease twisting in her gut.
She watched Damian from across the dimly lit study, where he stood near the window, fingers tapping against his phone screen. His shoulders were tense, his jaw tight. He hadn’t spoken much since Sebastian left, but she could feel the storm brewing inside him.
Elara crossed her arms. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?”
Damian didn’t look up. “I already did.”
“No,” she countered, stepping closer. “You told me someone leaked information about our arrangement. You told me someone wants to ruin you. But you never mentioned Sebastian Kane.”
His fingers stilled over his phone. “Because Sebastian isn’t the enemy.”
“Then what is he?”
Damian finally turned to face her, his gaze unreadable. “A complication.”
Elara scoffed. “That’s an understatement.”
Damian sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Sebastian and I go way back. We’ve done business together, and sometimes, business gets messy.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Messy how?”
A beat of silence stretched between them before he answered. “He knows my enemies almost as well as I do. And if he’s sniffing around, it means they’re closer than I thought.”
Elara exhaled sharply. “So, you’re saying I should be worried?”
“I’m saying you should be careful.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Right. Because being dragged to a secluded estate with a man I barely know doesn’t already scream caution.”
Damian’s gaze darkened. “You’re here because I’m trying to protect you.”
She took another step toward him, tilting her chin. “And I’m supposed to just trust that?”
His eyes locked onto hers, the space between them shrinking. “You don’t have to trust me, Elara. You just have to listen.”
Her pulse quickened at the intensity in his voice, at the quiet command in his gaze. But before she could formulate a response, the study door swung open.
Victoria strode in, heels clicking against the polished floor. “Hate to interrupt whatever this is,” she said, glancing between them, “but we have a problem.”
Damian’s focus snapped to her. “What is it?”
Victoria pulled out her phone and held it up. A news article flashed across the screen, the headline stark and damning:
BILLIONAIRE DAMIAN WOLFE’S SECRET MARRIAGE EXPOSED—WHAT IS HE HIDING?
Elara felt the blood drain from her face as she stared at the screen. The article didn’t just reveal their marriage; it speculated wildly about her, about why a struggling artist had suddenly married one of the wealthiest men in the country.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Damian’s expression turned to steel as he snatched the phone from Victoria’s hand. “Who leaked this?”
Victoria shook her head. “I don’t know yet, but whoever did wants to drag you into the fire.”
Elara’s stomach twisted. “What do we do?”
Damian’s grip tightened around the phone. “We find out who’s behind this. And we shut them down.”
Elara swallowed, her world spinning. This wasn’t part of the deal. She had agreed to a contract, a year of pretense and calculated moves. Not this. Not headlines. Not enemies she couldn’t see.
The tension in the study was suffocating. Victoria was already pacing, her sharp heels clicking in rhythm with Elara’s pounding heartbeat. The weight of the news article settled over her like a boulder.
“We need damage control,” Victoria said. “Now.”
Damian was still scanning the article, his fingers tightening around the phone. “They’re implying she’s after my money,” he muttered, jaw tightening. “That she schemed her way into this.”
Elara clenched her fists. “Of course they are. That’s what people do. Spin their own versions of the truth.”
Victoria nodded. “We have a few options. We can deny, ignore, or get ahead of it.”
Damian exhaled sharply. “Ignoring it isn’t an option.”
“Denying won’t work either,” Victoria said. “There’s evidence. People will only dig deeper.”
Elara crossed her arms. “So that leaves…?”
“We control the narrative,” Damian said firmly. “We make sure the story works in our favor.”
Elara’s stomach churned. “And how do we do that?”
Victoria smirked. “Easy. You give them something else to talk about.”
Damian met Victoria’s gaze, already knowing where she was going. “A distraction.”
She nodded. “Something that makes your marriage look like a love story, not a scandal. Something to drown out the rumors.”
Elara frowned. “Like what? A romantic getaway?”
Victoria’s smirk widened. “Exactly.”
Elara’s stomach twisted. “You’re joking.”
“She’s not,” Damian said, rubbing his jaw. “If we stage something public, something believable, it could shift the narrative. Make it harder for people to believe the worst.”
Elara shook her head. “I’m not an actress. I can’t just pretend—”
“You already are,” Damian cut in, his voice calm but firm. “You signed up for this. We need to make it work.”
Elara exhaled sharply. “Where would we even go?”
Victoria tapped her phone. “There’s a gala in two days. High-profile, press everywhere. It’s the perfect place to show that you’re a happy, in-love couple.”
Elara’s chest tightened. A gala. A public appearance with Damian Wolfe, under the scrutinizing eyes of the media. Every move, every touch, every glance would be analyzed.
Her instincts screamed to run, but there was no escaping this.
Damian studied her, his gaze steady. “It’s just for show, Elara. A few smiles, a few dances. You can handle that.”
She swallowed hard. Could she?
Damian stepped closer, lowering his voice. “We have to play the game, Elara. Or we lose.”
She held his gaze, the truth settling heavy between them.
She was already in the game.
And now, she had to play to win.
- Writer
