BY CONTRACT: His to own

Chapter16

Ava stared at her reflection in the mirror, the cold balcony air still lingering in her lungs.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she wiped away the smeared mascara from under her eyes, blotting her face with tissues until the black stains disappeared. She reapplied her lipstick with care, her lips pressed tightly together to keep them from quivering. A light touch of powder to hide the redness around her eyes, and a final sweep of highlighter to restore the illusion.

The woman staring back at her was composed.

Immaculate.

A lie.

She pulled Damien’s suit jacket tighter around her shoulders as she stepped away from the mirror and walked back to where he stood, waiting with that unreadable expression carved into marble. He reached out his hand.

She hesitated for just a breath.

Then slipped her fingers into his.

His grip tightened immediately, possessive, cold, commanding.

Together, they walked back into the grand hall, the air thick with perfume, champagne, and false smiles. Music played softly in the background, elegant and lifeless. Laughter echoed like glass breaking in a quiet room.

Ava kept her head high, face carefully blank, but inside her heart was still raw. She felt every beat as if it might betray her.

They passed clusters of guests in glittering gowns and tuxedos, moving through the crowd like a pair from a story no one quite believed. And then, there they were.

Ethan and Lily stood near Damien’s father, all three of them smiling, their voices blending with the crowd’s low murmur.

Ethan’s arm was around Lily’s waist.

Ava’s stomach twisted.

Behind them was the giant banner again, impossible to ignore: Ethan & Lily.

Bound with Love.

Their attention shifted the moment Damien and Ava approached.

Damien stopped just a few feet from them, his face unreadable as always.

“Congratulations,” he said simply, voice as smooth as ice.

Ava felt the slight squeeze on her hand tight, subtle, a silent command.

She blinked once, twice, then forced the corners of her mouth to lift. It didn’t reach her eyes.

“Congratulations,” she said, her voice soft but steady.

Lily smiled politely. “Thank you,” she said, beaming with sweetness.

Ethan, however, didn’t smile. His jaw tensed, his eyes flicking between Ava’s painted-on serenity and Damien’s iron-clad grip on her hand. His hands curled slightly at his sides like he was trying not to explode.

The fury behind his expression was clear.

But he said nothing.

Ava didn’t look at him again. She kept her gaze just over Lily’s shoulder, breathing slowly. Carefully. Like any wrong move would shatter her again.

Then Damien turned to his father.

“We need to go,” he said. “My girlfriend isn’t feeling well.”

Ava’s heart thudded. She didn’t know if it was from the word girlfriend or the way he said it like it was a role she was stuck playing, like it was part of the mask she couldn’t take off.

His father looked at Ava then, curiosity lingering in his eyes. “I never thought you’d care about someone,” he said, half laughing. “Surprised you’ve finally settled down. Hard to believe, really.”

Ava gave a small, stiff smile, her fingers tightening unconsciously around Damien’s.

Damien didn’t respond to the comment. His gaze swept over the small group, then he gave a clipped nod.

“Good night, everyone.”

With that, he turned, hand still locked with Ava’s, and walked away, his strides confident, and controlled.

And Ava followed.

Her face was blank.

Her heart was breaking all over again.

The black car door shut with a soft, final click.

The silence inside was thick, worse than the crowd, worse than the applause, worse than the fake smiles and whispered lies. Only the soft hum of the engine accompanied the tension as the driver pulled away from the hotel, the city lights bleeding into a blur beyond the tinted windows.

The city blurred past in streaks of gold and ash beyond the tinted windows. Inside the sleek black car, the silence between them was sharp so sharp it could cut skin.

Ava sat with her arms folded tightly over her chest, her freshly powdered face turned toward the window. Her lips were sealed shut, and her eyes, though dry, were stormy with everything she wasn’t saying.

Damien sat beside her, one leg crossed casually over the other, wristwatch catching faint glints from the overhead lights. The air around him was always calm, but tonight, it held something colder… something watchful.

“Ava,” he said after a moment, voice quiet but clear. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer. Not a blink. Not a turn of her head.

He shifted slightly, unfazed. “What would you like to eat for dinner?”

Again, silence.

No response. No acknowledgment. Just the faint sound of her breath through her nose and the hum of the engine beneath them.

Damien leaned his head back against the seat, sighing through his nose with a faint smirk. “Okay,” he murmured, voice devoid of frustration, “Stay quiet then.”

Ava didn’t look at him, but her eyes flicked in his direction. Her jaw clenched.

Moments passed.

The air grew heavier. Tighter.

Finally, she turned her head just slightly enough for her gaze to cut across to him, a fire smoldering in her expression.

“When can I visit my sister?” she asked, her voice low but firm like something long suppressed finally cracking through.

Damien didn’t answer immediately. He didn’t need to rush. He simply turned to look at her, his eyes calm, unreadable.

“I’ll let you know when you’ll see her,” he replied smoothly.

Ava’s fingers curled into fists in her lap.

“I’m not your wife,” she said through gritted teeth. “You shouldn’t be caging me like this. I’m not some prisoner. I can do what I want.”

Damien didn’t blink.

His voice, when it came, was soft.

Deadly.

“I own you, Ava.”

A pause.

“So, no, you can’t do anything you want. Not without my consent.”

The words slapped the air between them. Cold. Final.

Ava turned fully toward him, eyes blazing with disbelief. But there was no mockery in his eyes. No teasing edge. Just certainty, dark, dangerous certainty.

She opened her mouth to speak but the words tangled in her throat, caught between rage and helplessness.

Before she could find them, the car began to slow, tires crunching softly over the smooth pavement as they neared the gated entrance to Damien’s penthouse tower.

The silence returned.

But it wasn’t peace.

It was a fuse burning.

And it wouldn’t be long before everything exploded.