Chapter14
1439 Words
The black car rolled to a slow, elegant stop in front of a towering luxury hotel, its marble steps glowing under soft golden lights. Two suited valets opened the doors simultaneously. Ava stepped out, heels clicking against polished stone, her breath catching as she looked up.
It was grand.
Gilded chandeliers sparkled from inside. The air was thick with wealth, elegance, and the scent of money.
Damien was at her side in a flash, placing a firm hand on her waist. His grip was more than possessive, it was a silent threat, a warning for her to remember who she belonged to. Ava forced a breath through her lungs as they ascended the stairs and entered the ballroom.
The venue was dazzling.
Crystal lights scattered across the marble floors, casting a warm glow on the elite. Men in tuxedos, women draped in diamonds. Laughter flowed like champagne. And at the heart of the room on an elevated lounge was a sight that made Ava’s blood turn cold.
Ethan.
He sat comfortably on a plush white couch, legs crossed like a man born into privilege. But it wasn’t him that knocked the air from Ava’s lungs.
It was her.
The woman beside him was striking. Smooth caramel skin that glowed under the chandelier, eyes large and almond-shaped, shimmering with confidence. Her hair fell in perfect curls over her shoulder, and she wore a floor-length emerald gown that clung to her curves with enviable grace.
Behind them, a grand banner hung, the letters gold and bold:
Ethan & Lily
Engagement Party
Bound With Love
Ava’s heart plummeted.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her throat tightened so much it was hard to breathe. She tried to turn, to walk away, but Damien’s grip on her waist only tightened.
Ethan’s eyes found hers.
For a moment, the noise in the room vanished.
His gaze widened with shock, and something else, something darker passed across his expression.
Jealousy.
Because Damien’s hand was still possessively clutching her waist. Because she wasn’t alone. Because she wasn’t shattered on the floor begging for him.
Damien leaned down and whispered, “Smile.”
But Ava’s mouth wouldn’t move. Her heart was screaming. Her vision blurred.
“What… what is this?” she choked, voice trembling, barely audible. She looked up at Damien, her fingers digging into his jacket. “Why are we here?”
Damien’s jaw clenched. His voice came low and sharp, like a blade across her skin. “Don’t you dare let those tears out. Keep your head up. Keep your eyes dry. That’s not a request baby, it’s an order.”
Her knees wobbled. It felt like the ground might swallow her whole.
Then, a cheerful voice rang through the air. “Damien! You’re here!”
Lily. Ethan’s sister.
Ava turned her head just enough to see the stunning woman approaching them with open arms and a dazzling smile.
But her steps slowed when she noticed Ava.
“Oh… and who’s this beautiful girl?” Lily asked, grinning wider. “So you finally want to settle down? Wow. The lion has fallen.”
Damien’s smile returned sharp and fake. He tilted his head to whisper in Ava’s ear, “Keep a straight face. If you mess this up, you’ll regret it.”
Ava’s face burned with humiliation, her tears swallowed back with pain.
She nodded slightly and followed Damien as he led her through the crowd. Every step felt like she was walking through fire. Her breathing was shallow. Her thoughts jumbled.
Finally, they reached a secluded table near the corner. Seated there were three older men, their suits crisp, their expressions unreadable. Everything around them screamed status, power, and danger.
Damien’s posture shifted, just slightly, as he said with cool confidence, “Father.”
Ava turned to look at him in disbelief.
She hadn’t expected this.
One of the older men turned, his salt-and-pepper hair gleaming under the lights. His eyes were sharp, curious, calculating. He smiled when he saw her.
“Well, well,” the man said. “So you’re the one who finally captured this monster?”
Ava blinked, caught off guard.
Monster. Even his father knew.
Before she could speak, the older man chuckled. “Or did he pay you to come here?”
Her cheeks flamed. But she forced a tight smile and said, “No, sir. He… he’s my boyfriend. And we both love each other.”
The words spilled out like poison. Smooth. Trained. A lie dressed in silk.
She wanted to vomit.
Trembling, still fuming, she could feel Damien’s hand gripping her tighter as if reminding her not to lose control.
The older man narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” Damien interjected. “She doesn’t do well with crowds, especially ones like this. I’ll take her out for a moment.”
Ava barely managed to stay standing.
But Damien’s father wasn’t done. He leaned forward, eyes still locked on her. “You’ll have to get used to it. And you didn’t even introduce yourself.”
Ava blinked again. Swallowed hard.
“I’m sorry, I forgot… I was just a little nauseous,” she said, her voice barely holding together. “I’m Ava. Ava Morales.”
Damien’s father leaned back in his chair with a nod and a slight smile. “Okay, Ava. Go get some fresh air. This party’s just beginning.”
Ava nodded with another forced smile, her heart still hammering against her ribs. As Damien led her away from the table, her hands curled into trembling fists.
She didn’t know what was worse.
The lie she had just told…
Or the truth she was living in.
Ava could barely breathe.
The air outside felt colder now, not from the breeze, but from the weight pressing against her chest. Damien’s grip on her chin still lingered like poison on her skin.
She took a shaky step back, her eyes burning.
“You knew,” she whispered. “You knew about Ethan.”
Damien’s brows twitched ever so slightly, but he said nothing.
“You didn’t just know I was heartbroken,” she said, her voice rising with every word, “you knew it was him.”
Silence.
She laughed bitterly, a sound too broken to be called laughter. “You planned this. From the start. You approached me on purpose, didn’t you?”
Still, no response.
Her voice cracked. “What are you planning, Damien? What kind of twisted game are you playing with me?”
Damien simply stared, the flicker in his eyes was unreadable too calm, too cold.
Ava’s heart shattered a little more.
She felt stupid. Used. Like some pawn in a game, she didn’t even know she’d stepped into.
Her lips trembled. “Say something…”
But Damien turned away as if her words didn’t deserve an answer.
And that was when the door opened behind them.
Ethan stepped out first, arm casually wrapped around Lily’s waist.
Lily’s smile faded the moment she saw Ava’s tear-streaked face and Damien standing stiffly beside her.
Ethan’s jaw clenched. “Is everything okay out here?”
Damien turned slowly, expression hardening into that icy smirk Ava had come to hate.
“We were just enjoying the night,” he said coolly.
Lily tilted her head, her smile wide as her eyes swept over Ava. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone,” she said sweetly to Damien. “She’s gorgeous. Wow. Red looks stunning on her.”
Ava tried to smile, but her lips barely moved.
Then Ethan stepped out behind Lily.
His body stilled the second he saw Ava.
The world felt like it tilted.
His eyes scanned her first in disbelief, then something darker crept into his gaze. Confusion. Guilt. Maybe even regret.
Ava’s chest tightened. Her throat burned.
But what shattered her most was what came next.
Ethan took a step forward, gaze never leaving hers. His voice was low, sharp enough to slice through bone.
“You….. You look good.”
Ava’s breath hitched.
She didn’t know if he meant it or if this was just another game, another twist of the knife after everything he’d already done.
Damien’s arm wrapped tighter around her waist, his jaw flexing as if holding back words that could scorch the earth.
Ava’s fingers curled into her dress.
Her heart thundered.
And yet this wasn’t even the worst part.
Because what haunted her now… was the silence.
The cold, calculated silence of Damien Valen.
And she still didn’t know what game he was playing or how deep she’d fallen into it.
- Writer
