THE BILLIONAIRE'S 3-YEAR SECRET

The Price Of Duty

Damien's POV

"The board is losing their minds, Damien." Miles paced my office, his left hand over his head and his right hand clutched the tablet tight.

I sat at the edge of my bed, staring out the window, the London skyline slowly blurred as my mind took a trip down my memory lane, replaying the night of the gala.

The event, the woman, the night we had shared. It was a memory I had been replaying for the past few days.

I was trying to grasp something but it kept slipping through my fingers.

"Damien, are you even listening to me at all? The merging deal with the Sterling Group is literally on the line. Everything is practically on the line yet you look so relaxed. How can you be so relaxed when the world is crumbling right in front of you?"

I scoffed, mocking the absolute chaos in front of me.

My mind lingered back to the night of the charity gala again. I knew something had happened but whenever I tried to relieve my memory, it was like my mind was hit by a brick wall.

I could not place my fingers around it.

"It is everywhere Damien, everyone are talking about it and it is going to ruin your reputation."

Miles' frantic voice jolted me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

My gaze moved to the tablet lying carelessly on the table.

I did not need to look at the screen to know what was on it. The headlines were practically screaming "The Kingsley King's Midnight Guest."

There was a leaked CCTV footage. It showed a woman slipping out of my suite at 5:45 AM.

Her face was covered by the shadows of the corridor. The way she moved, quick, light, almost like she was trying to flee away from a scene.

The leaked footage was from the night of the charity gala and that was the reason why it was a hassle for me to just forget about it.

"What do you suggest we do about this? Not only are all your current deals on the line. The Kingsley reputation is also on the line."

The Kingsley reputation was not just a name. It was a fortress built with years of morality, hard work and discipline, I was not going to let it get ruined by some scandal I could not even explain.

Just as I was about to give Miles a reply, the doors swung open and Victoria Pembroke stepped in.

She did not wait for an invitation, she simply scurried towards me and sat beside me, swinging her hands over my shoulder.

I was not really surprised to see her, everyone must have heard of the news by now.

"Damien.." Her eyes brimmed with vulnerability. "I really did not think anyone saw me leave that morning. I was so careful." She whispered, her voice trembled.

I froze, pushing her hands off my shoulder.

"Wait. You? You were the one in my room,

Victoria?"

"You are the lady in the footage?" Miles chirped in.

Victoria nodded her head. "Of course." Her gaze shifted to her manicured hands. "I thought...after what happened between us, we were going to keep it private. But now that the video is out, I had to confess to my father about it and he is so furious. He says his daughter's honor is at stake. Plus he is threatening to pull the Pembroke alliance entirely unless we make things right."

I stared at her, unsure of how to react. Victoria was a London elite, a woman I had crossed paths with a thousand times at several galas and nothing, nothing had ever happened between us.

I felt nothing for her, not a single spark.

I gulped a lump down my throat. "I do not remember you being there."

Victoria wiped a drop of tear from her cheek. "You wouldn't. You drank a lot, Damien. You were....passionate. I should be offended that you forgot but right now, I am mostly concerned about the scandal, no one really cares about your memory."

"She is right. People are not going to fall for some lame excuse like you can not remember what happened. You are going to need to come up with something different, something that suits the mind of the people." Miles explained.

They were right.

"Our only option is to announce that this was not a one-night stand, but a long-standing secret engagement, that way we both keep everything intact."

I rose to my feet, overwhelmed by her sudden suggestion. An engagement was too much of a deal.

"Look Damien, there is no time to think about this. This is the right decision to make."

The Pembrokes were powerful and if Victoria claimed that she was the woman in that video, the world would believe her.

"We could turn this potential nightmare into a high society romance." Miles added. He paused to pick up the tablet from the table. "Do not worry Damien. I have this under control. You two will be the most powerful couple to ever exist!"

Miles scurried out of the room, leaving me behind with Victoria.

"This will work Damien. Our engagement will fix everything, I promise."

Victoria looked confident, too confident about the situation at hand.

Just like that, a contract was drawn up within twenty four hours.

I saw it as a document to protect the Kingsleys reputation and restore alliance with the Pembrokes.

It was a business merger, love was not mentioned.

The next day, I stood in the grand hall of the Pembroke estate, the weight of the impending marriage pressed my shoulders.

Victoria slipped her arm through mine, she looked happy as the cameras flashed at our face.

I looked down at her then drifted my memory back to the still-frame of the CCTV clip.

Something was wrong. The woman in the video has a specific way of holding her shoulder, something that Victoria did not possess.

Was Victoria Pembroke really the woman I had spent that night with?