CHAPTER ELEVEN: Moving Into His World
1200 Words
Aria POV
I didn’t sign the contract immediately.
Despite what Damian probably believed, I wasn’t impulsive.
I wasn’t reckless.
And after everything that had happened with Luca, I certainly wasn’t eager to jump into another marriage, even if this one was technically a business arrangement.
Still…
Three days later, I found myself sitting alone in my apartment, staring at the contract spread across my dining table.
Three days.
Three days of headlines.
Three days of reporters.
Three days of strangers discussing my marriage like it was entertainment.
Three days of Luca trying to rewrite history.
And three days of Damian doing exactly what he promised.
Protecting me.
Without asking for anything.
Without pressuring me.
Without calling.
The realization surprised me more than anything.
I had expected Damian to push.
To manipulate.
To use that terrifying confidence of his until I gave in.
Instead, he disappeared.
Well…
Mostly.
My phone buzzed suddenly.
The screen lit up.
Damian.
My pulse betrayed me instantly.
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
I answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then his deep voice filled my ear.
“Have you eaten?”
I blinked.
Of all the questions,
That wasn’t the one I expected.
“What?”
“Have you eaten?”
I frowned.
“That’s your concern?”
“Answer the question.”
I rolled my eyes automatically.
Somehow I could practically hear him being annoyed through the phone.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“You’re lying.”
I sat up straighter.
“How do you know?”
“Because you hesitated.”
The irritating thing?
He was right.
I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
My appetite had disappeared somewhere between public humiliation and emotional exhaustion.
I hated that he knew me well enough to catch it.
“Damian”
“Eat something.”
My jaw dropped.
“Did you seriously call me to tell me to eat?”
“Yes.”
The answer came immediately.
Without embarrassment.
Without apology.
I laughed despite myself.
The sound surprised both of us.
Silence followed.
Not awkward silence.
Something softer.
Then Damian cleared his throat.
“Have you made a decision?”
There it was.
The real reason for the call.
My eyes dropped toward the contract.
My heartbeat accelerated immediately.
“No.”
His silence stretched for several seconds.
“I see.”
The disappointment in his voice was subtle.
Most people probably wouldn’t notice it.
I did.
And for some reason…
That bothered me.
“I didn’t say no.”
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then,
“No. You didn’t.”
Something warm settled unexpectedly in my chest.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
I stood and walked toward the window overlooking the street below.
The reporters were still there.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
Like vultures.
“I can’t live like this.”
The confession slipped out quietly.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Damian’s voice softened.
“I know.”
The simple understanding nearly broke me.
Because he did know.
He had seen everything.
The tears.
The humiliation.
The betrayal.
The destruction.
He had witnessed all of it.
And somehow…
He never looked away.
My throat tightened.
“What happens if I sign?”
The silence on the other end became heavier.
More serious.
Then Damian answered.
“The media storm ends.”
“And after that?”
His voice dropped lower.
“We build a life people believe.”
My pulse stumbled.
A life.
The words sounded far too intimate.
Far too real.
I swallowed hard.
“This is still a contract.”
“Yes.”
“Nothing more?”
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Immediately, I regretted asking.
The silence that followed felt endless.
Then finally,
“Nothing you’re not comfortable with.”
My heart squeezed painfully.
Because somehow that answer felt more honest than any promise.
We ended the call shortly after.
But his voice stayed with me.
Hours later, I was still staring at the contract.
Still replaying every conversation.
Still thinking about the way Damian looked at me during the press conference.
The way he’d chosen me.
Publicly.
Without hesitation.
God.
Maybe I was losing my mind.
Maybe this entire situation had broken something inside me.
Because the more I thought about it,
The more impossible it became to imagine anyone else standing beside me right now.
Not Luca.
Not my family.
Not my friends.
Only Damian.
The realization terrified me.
Three hours later, I signed.
The moment my pen touched the paper, my stomach flipped.
There.
Done.
Official.
I stared at my signature.
Aria Moretti.
Soon to become Aria De Luca.
Again.
The irony wasn’t lost on me.
My phone rang less than thirty seconds later.
I nearly dropped it.
“How did you know?”
Damian sounded amused.
A dangerous sound.
One I was hearing more often lately.
“I had a feeling.”
“Liar.”
A brief chuckle.
My stomach immediately betrayed me.
God.
Even his laugh was attractive.
This was becoming a serious problem.
“I’ll send someone for your things.”
I blinked.
“What things?”
“Your belongings.”
My heart stopped.
Then immediately restarted.
Fast.
Very fast.
“Wait.”
Too late.
The line had already gone dead.
Typical.
Completely typical.
Three hours later, I was standing inside Damian’s penthouse.
Again.
Only this time,
I wasn’t visiting.
I was moving in.
The realization hit me the moment the elevator doors opened.
The penthouse looked exactly as I remembered.
Elegant.
Modern.
Expensive.
Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed London’s skyline in every direction.
The city glittered beneath the evening sky.
Beautiful.
Cold.
Powerful.
Just like Damian.
Speaking of Damian,
He was waiting.
Of course he was.
Standing near the windows with one hand in his pocket.
Watching my arrival.
Watching me.
Always watching me.
My pulse immediately accelerated.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
His gaze swept over me slowly.
Not inappropriate.
Not obvious.
Yet somehow I still felt hyperaware of every inch of skin.
“You’re late.”
I stared.
“Hello to you too.”
A faint smile appeared.
Gone almost immediately.
Still.
Progress.
“I expected you two hours ago.”
“You sent movers without warning.”
“Efficient planning.”
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
Damian’s eyes lingered on me for a second too long.
Then something changed.
The atmosphere shifted.
Subtly.
Dangerously.
His gaze moved toward the engagement-style ring sitting on my finger.
Part of the contract.
A public symbol.
Nothing more.
At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
His expression softened unexpectedly.
Then he looked back at me.
And for a moment,
Neither of us spoke.
The city lights glittered around us.
The penthouse felt strangely quiet.
Intimate.
My heartbeat became impossible to ignore.
Then Damian finally broke the silence.
“Welcome home, Aria.”
Home.
The word hit harder than it should have.
Because standing there
Surrounded by luxury.
Surrounded by uncertainty.
Surrounded by him
I suddenly realized something.
Signing the contract hadn’t been the frightening part.
The frightening part was what came next.
Living with Damian De Luca.
Seeing him every day.
Learning his habits.
Learning his secrets.
Learning the man behind the mask.
And something told me that was going to be far more dangerous than either of us were prepared for.
- Writer
