Winning or Losing
899 Words
Damien took a deep breath. He fixed his silk tie in the mirror and wiped all emotion from his face. He had to look like a man in total control. He walked back into the dining room and sat down. His heart was still beating fast from his fight with Mia, but he didn't let it show. He looked around the table, expecting to see Richard. He wanted to see his cousin’s mean smile so he could crush it.
But Richard’s chair was empty.
His plate was still there. His wine glass was half-full. But the man was gone. Damien felt a cold chill run down his back. In his world, an empty chair was a bad sign. Richard was like a wolf. He only left the table when he found a better way to hunt.
"My apologies, everyone," Damien said. His voice was smooth and calm. "Mia is just very tired. The wedding and the move have been a lot for her. I told her to go up and sleep."
"And where is Richard?" one of the board members asked.
Damien didn't blink. He lied easily. "He had a business call he had to take. Now, let’s look at these merger numbers again."
He finished the dinner like he always did. He laughed at jokes that weren't funny. He drank his wine slowly. But inside, he was a mess. He couldn't stop thinking about Mia. He kept seeing her face when he pinned her against the wall. She had looked so small. She was shaking, and her eyes were full of tears.
Why do I care? he asked himself. He felt angry at his own heart.
She was a gold digger. He knew that for a fact. He had offered her five thousand dollars to sleep with him. A good woman would have slapped him. A proud woman would have walked out. But Mia? She stayed and even asked for more money. She was greedy and smart. She was exactly the kind of person he hated.
But then he remembered her kiss. When they were in the bedroom, it didn't feel like he was paying for her. It felt real. It felt like he was finally where he belonged. Every time he touched her skin, his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. He was Damien Cross. He didn't fall for girls. He especially didn't fall for girls who had a price tag.
As soon as the last guest left, Damien stopped smiling. He didn't go to bed. He went straight to his office and locked the door. He picked up his phone and called Miller, his private investigator.
"Talk to me," Damien said. He sounded like he wanted to bite someone. "Where is the video from the hotel? I’ve been waiting for weeks."
"Sir," Miller said. He sounded very tired. "We hit a wall. The hotel deleted all the video from that night. Someone wiped the servers clean the very next morning. It was a professional job... finding the girl from that night is a tough Job. And about Mia Hartwell... well, her life is a blank page. She worked two jobs. she stayed home. She paid her dad's hospital bills. There is no proof she is a criminal or she's hiding something."
"Look harder!" Damien yelled. He slammed his hand on his desk. "She is hiding something. I can feel it in my gut. And find my cousin. He disappeared from dinner the moment Mia left. If he is digging into her life, I want to know what he finds before he uses it against me. Do your damn Job!"
He hung up and threw his phone on the couch. He began to pace back and forth.
He felt like he was losing his mind. He was starting to feel things for a woman who was just a business deal. He was protecting a fake marriage. And while he was distracted by how good Mia smelled, Richard, his enemy is somewhere looking for his destruction.
"She’s just a tool," he whispered to the dark room. "She is just a way for me to keep my company."
But his own words felt like a lie. He looked at the door. He wondered if Mia was okay. He wondered if she was still crying in the dark. He hated her for making him feel weak. But more than that, he hated that he wanted her again. He wanted to pay her any amount of money just to hold her one more time.
He left his office and walked to her bedroom. He stood outside her door. His hand was on the handle, but he stopped. He heard a sound. It was a soft, sad sound. Mia was being sick again.
His heart felt tight. Is she really sick? he wondered. Is it stress? Or something else?
Before he could open the door, he heard a small noise behind him. A floorboard creaked. Damien turned his head fast. The hallway looked empty. But he saw someone move. Someone was turning the corner toward the east wing. That was Richard’s side of the house.
Damien’s eyes narrowed. The game was getting dangerous, and he wasn't sure if he was winning or losing.
- Writer
