Chapter4
1457 Words
Chapter 4
Ariana arrived home exhausted and immediately kicked off her heels the second she entered her room. She jumped onto the bed and lay flat against the mattress while staring at the ceiling.
Then slowly, she smiled.
For the first time since starting at Vale Corporation, she actually felt proud of herself.
She had survived Damien Vale. Not only survived him… she defeated him. At least for today. The presentation had gone perfectly, the executives loved her, and Damien failed to humiliate her in front of everyone.
That alone felt like a victory. Still, surviving Damien for even one day was exhausting.
Ariana closed her eyes tiredly and replayed the moment he complimented her presentation.
_You did great back there._
The memory irritated her more than it should have. Because for a second… she actually believed him.
The next morning, Ariana arrived at the company feeling strangely confident. Her shoulders were no longer tense, and for once she walked into the building without fear, controlling every step.
Maybe she was finally getting used to the pressure. Or maybe she was learning how to survive Damien.
The moment she reached her desk, however, her confidence disappeared. Another massive pile of files sat waiting for her. Ariana froze.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze toward the glass balcony overlooking the office floor. And there he was.
Damien.
Standing above everyone like he ruled the world itself. He stared directly at her with that irritating smirk on his face before calmly turning around and walking back toward his office.
Ariana narrowed her eyes immediately. She had enough. Without thinking twice, she dropped her handbag on the desk and stormed toward his office.
“Do you enjoy being difficult?” she asked angrily while following him through the hallway.
Damien didn’t even slow down.
“No,” he replied calmly. “I enjoy competition.”
Ariana glared at the back of his head.
“One day,” she muttered, “someone’s going to punish you.”
A small smile touched Damien’s lips. But this time, it looked softer.
“Maybe,” he said quietly. “But it won’t be you.”
Oh, how badly she wanted it to be her.
The rest of the morning passed with Ariana aggressively working through the files Damien dumped on her desk. Every signature. Every document. Every correction. She completed them all carefully despite how frustrated she felt.
Around noon, a company-wide message suddenly appeared on every employee’s computer:
*MANDATORY MEETING – CONFERENCE ROOM A*
Everyone immediately began gathering their things and walking toward the large conference room. Ariana followed behind quietly.
When she entered the room, employees were already standing around whispering among themselves. But Damien hadn’t started speaking yet.
He stood near the front of the room, checking his watch impatiently. Then suddenly his eyes lifted. Straight toward Ariana.
The moment she entered fully, Damien finally stood upright.
“We have a business event tomorrow evening,” he announced calmly. “The reason I called this meeting is because my assistant isn’t available.”
The room became silent instantly. Then Damien continued.
“I need one person to accompany me to the event.”
His eyes shifted directly toward Ariana.
“You.”
Ariana froze immediately. She pretended not to hear him.
“Miss Ariana Cole,” he repeated slowly.
Her name echoed painfully inside her ears. Every employee in the room turned toward her. Some looked shocked. Others were jealous. A few women rolled their eyes openly.
“Meet me in my office after that,” Damien said. “Everyone else is dismissed.”
The meeting ended almost immediately. People began leaving while secretly staring at Ariana. That look again… the same uncomfortable look she hated.
Whispers followed her through the room.
“Why her?”
“She’s just an intern.”
“Something strange is definitely going on.”
Ariana ignored all of them and walked after Damien angrily.
The moment they entered his office, she crossed her arms.
“Seriously?” she asked. “There are literally thousands of people in this building. Pick someone else.”
Damien calmly removed his suit jacket.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “most people here fear me.”
He looked directly at her.
“You just annoy me.”
Ariana scoffed loudly.
“That’s not my problem.”
“You’re dismissed for today,” Damien continued smoothly. “Go home and prepare for tomorrow.”
Ariana stared at him in confusion.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
She shook her head in disbelief before leaving his office.
As she walked across the office floor, several coworkers immediately started whispering again. Especially the women. Ariana ignored them completely. She grabbed her bag and coat before leaving the building with frustration written all over her face.
On the bus ride home, panic slowly started replacing her anger. She had absolutely nothing appropriate to wear to a billionaire business event. Nothing.
The moment she arrived home, she found her mother cooking dinner in the kitchen.
“Mom,” Ariana said nervously, “I have a huge company event tomorrow… but I don’t have anything nice to wear.”
Her mother looked at her quietly for a second, then smiled softly.
“Wait here,” she said.
Confused, Ariana watched her disappear into the bedroom. A few moments later, her mother returned holding a small envelope.
“What’s this?” Ariana asked.
Her mother placed it into her hands gently.
“My savings.”
Ariana’s eyes widened instantly.
“Mom, no,” she protested. “I can’t take this.”
“Shh,” her mother interrupted softly. “I insist, my child.”
Ariana felt tears burn behind her eyes.
“But you’ve been saving this.”
“And I’m using it for something important.”
Ariana hugged her tightly.
“Thank you.”
The next day, Ariana spent hours moving through crowded stores in the city searching for something affordable but elegant. Eventually, she found it: a dark fitted dress that hugged her figure perfectly without looking too flashy.
Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.
For the first time in a long while, Ariana actually felt confident looking at herself in the mirror.
That evening, her mother helped her finish getting ready.
“You look beautiful,” her mother whispered proudly before kissing her forehead.
Ariana smiled nervously before leaving for the event.
When she arrived at the villa hosting the business gathering, she immediately froze.
The entire place looked unreal. Golden lights decorated the gardens while expensive cars lined the entrance. Wealthy guests moved around in designer clothing while soft music played through the massive hall.
Ariana suddenly felt underdressed again.
Then Damien turned around… and completely forgot how to speak for a second.
Ariana stood near the staircase wearing the dark dress while her curls rested over one shoulder elegantly. She looked stunning. Dangerously stunning. And unfortunately for Damien, she looked fully aware of the effect she had on him.
His eyes slowly moved over her appearance before returning to her face.
“You clean up nicely,” he muttered.
Ariana smirked slightly.
“Try not to sound too impressed.”
Damien looked away almost immediately, which only amused her more.
For the rest of the evening, Ariana stayed close beside Damien while they greeted investors and business partners. Surprisingly, he behaved differently tonight. Still cold. Still arrogant. But less cruel.
At some point during the event, Ariana stepped outside onto the balcony for fresh air. That was when she noticed Damien standing alone near the railing with his phone pressed against his ear.
She was about to walk away, until she heard his voice.
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
Ariana froze instantly.
Then another voice came loudly through the phone:
“You are a disappointment.”
Ariana’s eyes widened slightly.
Was this really Damien? The same man who acted untouchable every single day? For the first time, he sounded… small. Human.
Damien suddenly sensed someone nearby. His eyes turned sharply toward her. Ariana immediately looked away awkwardly. He ended the call without another word and slipped his phone into his pocket.
Then calmly, he said:
“Let’s go. It’s getting late.”
Ariana nodded silently.
The drive back remained strangely quiet. But the moment they stepped outside the villa— chaos exploded around them.
Paparazzi rushed toward them instantly. Cameras flashed everywhere. Voices shouted over one another.
“Mr. Vale!”
“Who is she?”
“Is this your new girlfriend?”
Before Ariana could even react, Damien suddenly grabbed her waist and pulle
d her against him protectively. Her breath caught instantly.
Then Damien looked directly at the cameras and said calmly:
“No comment.”
The reporters completely lost their minds.
- Writer
