A Dangerous Bargain
1169 Words
The city skyline glittered outside the penthouse window, casting long shadows across the dimly lit room. Celeste stood by the glass, her arms crossed as she watched the world outside, trying to quiet the storm raging inside her. She felt like a caged bird—trapped in a gilded prison with no way out.
Behind her, Damian paced, his expression unreadable. His suit jacket was draped over a chair, his sleeves rolled up, revealing the tension in his rigid posture. The silence between them was suffocating. It had been that way ever since the wedding.
Celeste knew why he was angry. Why he was watching her with that piercing, possessive gaze.
He knew she had seen Adrian.
“You think I don’t notice when you’re hiding something from me?” Damian’s voice was deceptively calm, but Celeste could hear the underlying edge of danger.
She turned slowly, meeting his cold stare. “I wasn’t hiding anything.”
He scoffed, stepping closer. “Then tell me why Adrian was near you today.”
Celeste’s fingers tightened around the fabric of her silk robe. She had nothing to feel guilty for. But Damian didn’t see it that way. To him, she was his possession. A wife by force, a woman he refused to let go of.
“He showed up at the gallery,” she said evenly. “I didn’t invite him.”
Damian’s jaw clenched. “And yet, you didn’t push him away either.”
Celeste lifted her chin defiantly. “Do you expect me to scream every time he’s near? He’s your brother’s best friend. He has a right to exist.”
“Not in your life,” Damian said darkly, stepping even closer. “Not when you wear my ring.”
She felt the heat of his body, the barely restrained fury rolling off him. But there was something else in his gaze—something twisted.
“You don’t own me, Damian,” she whispered, though the words felt hollow.
His fingers brushed along her jaw, deceptively gentle. “Don’t I?”
Celeste’s breath hitched as his lips hovered inches from hers. This was how it always was—a game of power, of control. Damian didn’t love her. But he refused to let her go.
“You belong to me, Celeste,” he murmured, his voice a dangerous caress. “And I will burn this world down before I let another man touch what’s mine.”
She shivered, her heart pounding. Was it fear? Or something far more dangerous?
Because no matter how much she hated him, Damian Blackwood knew exactly how to make her body betray her.
And that was the most terrifying thing of all.
A Thin Line Between Hate and Desire
Celeste jerked her face away from his touch, but Damian didn’t let her go. His grip tightened around her wrist, his hold unbreakable.
“You keep talking about ownership, Damian,” she said coldly. “But tell me, when have you ever treated me like a wife? When have you ever given me a choice?”
Damian’s eyes darkened, his fingers flexing before he slowly released her. He ran a hand through his jet-black hair, exhaling sharply. “You knew what this was, Celeste. You knew the deal from the beginning.”
She laughed bitterly. “A deal? Is that what you call this twisted excuse for a marriage?”
His lips curled into a smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You could have walked away, but you didn’t.”
Celeste clenched her fists. Because she never had a choice.
Her father had gambled away their family’s fortune, leaving them drowning in debt. Damian had offered salvation—a contract marriage in exchange for clearing their debts. It was supposed to be temporary. But nothing was ever temporary with Damian Blackwood.
“You trapped me,” she whispered.
“And yet, you still wear my ring,” he countered smoothly, lifting her left hand and brushing a thumb over the cold platinum band.
Her breath caught as his touch sent a shiver down her spine. She hated this—hated that even now, a part of her still responded to him.
“You want to leave?” Damian’s voice dropped, softer now, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it. “Then say the words. Tell me you want out.”
Celeste opened her mouth—but no sound came out.
Because she didn’t know what was worse: leaving and being free of him or staying and losing herself completely.
Damian chuckled, low and knowing. “That’s what I thought.”
He leaned in, his breath warm against her cheek. “You don’t want to leave, Celeste. You just want to fight me. And I don’t mind a fight… as long as you remember who always wins.”
She swallowed hard. This was the power he had over her. Not just control. Obsession.
Damian didn’t love her.
But he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her go.
The Past That Haunts
Later that night, Celeste lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Damian was in his office, likely pouring himself another drink, brooding over the fact that she had seen Adrian today.
Her heart clenched at the thought of Adrian. The one man who had ever made her feel seen.
Four years ago, before everything fell apart, Adrian had been her escape. A secret stolen kiss, a whispered promise. A love that could never be.
And now? Now, he looked at her with pain in his eyes. With regret.
Celeste turned onto her side, biting her lip. If Damian knew the truth—if he ever found out that Adrian had once been hers, even for a fleeting moment—he would destroy them both.
A soft knock at her door made her sit up, her pulse quickening.
She knew who it was before she even said a word.
“Come in.”
Damian stepped inside, his expression unreadable. He didn’t speak, just watched her. Then, without a word, he walked to the edge of the bed and sat down beside her.
The weight of his presence was suffocating.
“Do you ever regret it?” she asked softly, not even sure why she was asking.
He didn’t hesitate. “No.”
Celeste turned to face him, searching his face for a sign of anything—remorse, guilt, anything. But Damian Blackwood didn’t believe in regrets.
“You’re lying,” she whispered.
His lips twitched. “Am I?”
For a moment, just a brief moment, something flickered in his gaze. A flash of something raw. Something almost human.
Then it was gone.
“You should sleep,” he said, standing up. “Tomorrow is another battle.”
And just like that, he was gone.
Celeste lay back down, staring at the empty space beside her. Damian was right about one thing.
Tomorrow was another battle.
And she was starting to wonder if she had the strength to keep fighting.
- Writer
