CHAPTER SEVEN: The Press Conference
1049 Words
Aria POV
By noon, I regretted leaving De Luca Holdings.
Not because of the contract.
Not because of Damian.
Because of the reporters.
The moment I stepped out of the building, cameras exploded around me.
Flashes blinded me instantly.
Questions came from every direction.
“Aria, did Luca cheat?”
“Are you divorcing him?”
“Is Damian De Luca your new boyfriend?”
“Did the brothers fight over you?”
My pulse spiked.
I froze.
For one terrible second, I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t think.
Couldn’t breathe.
The crowd surged closer.
Microphones appeared inches from my face.
Someone nearly tripped into me.
Another reporter pushed forward aggressively.
Panic began crawling up my throat.
This wasn’t normal attention.
This was a feeding frenzy.
And I was the prey.
I turned sharply and tried to move toward the curb.
Bad idea.
The crowd followed immediately.
Questions grew louder.
More aggressive.
More invasive.
A woman shoved a microphone toward me.
“Did Luca leave you because you couldn’t have children?”
The world stopped.
My chest tightened violently.
For years, that subject had been a private wound.
A painful one.
Luca and I had spent months trying.
Months visiting specialists.
Months pretending we weren’t disappointed.
And now a stranger was weaponizing it for entertainment.
Something inside me cracked.
Tears burned my eyes instantly.
I hated that.
Hated crying in public.
Hated feeling weak.
Especially now.
Then suddenly
The crowd parted.
Not willingly.
Forcefully.
Several men in black suits appeared out of nowhere.
Security.
They moved efficiently, creating space around me.
A familiar voice followed seconds later.
“Move.”
The single word cut through the chaos.
Every reporter went silent.
I looked up.
Damian.
Relief hit me so hard it almost hurt.
He looked furious.
Not visibly.
Most people wouldn’t notice.
I did.
The tightness in his jaw.
The dangerous stillness in his posture.
The coldness in his eyes.
Someone had crossed a line.
The reporters sensed it too.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Damian stepped directly in front of me.
Shielding me.
The simple gesture made something twist unexpectedly inside my chest.
His attention swept across the crowd.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
“Who asked the question?”
Silence.
Terrified silence.
Nobody answered.
The female reporter immediately looked away.
Coward.
Damian noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His expression hardened further.
“You’re done.”
The woman visibly paled.
“What?”
“You no longer have media access to any De Luca event.”
The crowd collectively inhaled.
Even I stared.
Just like that?
Damian wasn’t finished.
“Or any subsidiary event.”
The woman’s face went completely white.
I finally understood.
This wasn’t just punishment.
This was professional destruction.
The realization should have disturbed me.
Instead
A dangerous part of me liked it.
Far too much.
Damian turned toward me.
His expression softened instantly.
The transformation was startling.
“You okay?”
The concern in his voice felt genuine.
My throat tightened.
“Not really.”
His eyes darkened.
Without another word, he placed a hand against my lower back.
Protective.
Possessive.
Warm.
The contact sent awareness rushing through me immediately.
And judging by the camera flashes suddenly exploding around us—
Everyone noticed.
Including the reporters.
Great.
Just great.
The headlines were going to be unbearable.
Damian guided me toward a waiting black car.
Nobody dared stop us.
Nobody dared ask another question.
The moment we were inside, I exhaled shakily.
The door shut.
Silence filled the vehicle.
Safe.
For the first time all day, I felt safe.
The realization unsettled me.
Because that safety came from Damian.
A man I barely understood.
A man I should probably fear.
Instead, I found myself relaxing beside him.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
“You didn’t have to come.”
His gaze shifted toward me.
“Yes.”
I blinked.
“Yes?”
“Yes, I did.”
The certainty in his voice caught me off guard.
I looked away first.
Again.
Lately that seemed to be becoming a habit.
My eyes drifted toward the window.
London blurred past.
People walked normally.
Cars moved normally.
Meanwhile my life had become a public spectacle.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Damian noticed immediately.
“What?”
“I used to think being married into the De Luca family was glamorous.”
Something almost resembling amusement crossed his face.
“That was your first mistake.”
I laughed despite myself.
A real laugh.
The first one in days.
The sound surprised both of us.
Because suddenly Damian was staring.
Not casually.
Intently.
The way he always stared.
Like he was memorizing something.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Heat crawled slowly up my neck.
“What?”
His expression remained unreadable.
“You should do that more.”
My heartbeat stumbled.
“What?”
“Smile.”
The simple word landed harder than it should have.
For some reason, hearing that from Damian felt different.
More personal.
More dangerous.
I looked away quickly.
Coward.
The silence stretched.
Comfortable this time.
Unexpectedly comfortable.
Then Damian’s phone rang.
His expression darkened the moment he saw the screen.
He answered immediately.
“Speak.”
A pause.
His jaw tightened.
Another pause.
Then
“No.”
The single word sounded lethal.
The person on the other end continued speaking.
Damian’s eyes grew colder with every second.
By the time he ended the call, the temperature inside the car seemed to have dropped ten degrees.
“What happened?”
His gaze shifted toward me.
I immediately wished I hadn’t asked.
Because whatever he was thinking
It wasn’t good.
“Luca called a press conference.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“He plans to tell his version of events.”
Cold dread spread through my chest.
I already knew what that meant.
More lies.
More humiliation.
More public blame.
My hands clenched tightly together.
Damian noticed instantly.
Of course he did.
He always noticed.
The next words he spoke were calm.
Controlled.
Certain.
And somehow that made them even more powerful.
“He’s not going to hurt you again.”
My breath caught.
The conviction in his voice felt absolute.
Like a promise.
Like a threat.
Like both.
And for the first time
I realized Damian wasn’t simply protecting me anymore.
He was preparing for war.
And somehow…
I was becoming the reason.
- Writer
