chapter nineteen
758 Words
Chapter Nineteen
Breakfast at the mansion was usually quiet. Cold silverware. Colder company.
But today was different.
Sienna walked in beside Damien, her steps calm… composed… confident. She didn’t trail behind him like a shadow. She matched his pace.
And when they entered the dining room—every set of eyes turned.
Ruth, Damien’s stepmother, stiffened visibly. Across the long table, his younger half-sister narrowed her eyes, fork pausing mid-air. Even Gabriel, lounging near the head, looked mildly intrigued.
Sienna didn’t waver.
She took the seat beside Damien—his seat. The one he never let anyone sit in before.
Damien didn’t correct her.
Instead, he pulled her chair out and sat down next to her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The room fell into a strange, tense silence.
“Morning,” Sienna said lightly, picking up her napkin and unfolding it with elegance.
Ruth smiled tightly. “Well. Isn’t this new.”
Damien didn’t look up from his plate. “Get used to it.”
The knife in Ruth’s tone was subtle. “You two seem… close.”
“We are,” Damien replied, finally glancing up. “Problem?”
Ruth smiled like a viper. “Not at all. It’s just surprising that you’re suddenly so fond of your wife… after so long ignoring her.”
Sienna tilted her head, her voice silk-wrapped steel. “It’s easy to ignore a flower when you think it’s a weed. Until it grows into something beautiful and untouchable.”
Ruth’s smile faded for half a second.
Gabriel snorted. “Damn.”
Damien smirked, sipping his black coffee like it was a toast to war.
His fingers brushed Sienna’s under the table, a silent well played.
---
Later that day, Sienna stood in the private conservatory, fingers brushing the petals of a blooming white orchid.
She didn’t hear Damien enter—until his arms slipped around her waist from behind.
“You didn’t flinch,” he whispered against her ear.
“You didn’t slam the door,” she replied with a smile.
He turned her in his arms, his eyes burning into hers. “You handled Ruth like a queen today.”
“I’ve spent enough time being quiet. I think it’s time I remind them I exist.”
Damien stared at her for a long moment. Then—
“I want to take you somewhere.”
Her brows lifted. “Where?”
“A gala. Tomorrow night.”
Her smile faltered. “With them?”
“With me.”
She hesitated. “Damien... people will talk.”
“Let them,” he said firmly. “Let them see who you are to me.”
---
The next night arrived too fast.
Sienna stood in front of the mirror, the deep emerald gown hugging her curves like it had been made just for her. The slit ran high up her leg, the neckline dipping low—but elegant.
Powerful.
Gabriel whistled from the door. “If Damien doesn’t faint when he sees you, I will.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m right,” he said. “You’re about to change the game.”
And she did.
The moment they entered the ballroom, the crowd shifted.
Heads turned. Whispers started.
Is that Damien Blackwood’s wife?
She’s stunning.
They said he hated her...
Damien didn’t let go of her hand all night.
He stood beside her, introduced her. And when a man got too close during a toast, brushing Sienna’s waist while laughing?
Damien’s smile was sharp.
“That hand you just touched her with,” he said coolly, “do you want to keep it?”
The man blanched.
Sienna blinked up at Damien, a blush on her cheeks. “You’re insane.”
He leaned in, lips brushing her ear. “Only when someone thinks they can touch what’s mine.”
Her heart stuttered.
“You mean it?”
His gaze locked with hers.
“Every word.”
---
Later that night, after the car ride home, after the mansion doors closed, after Damien walked her up the stairs in silence...
He pinned her against the wall of his bedroom. Hands braced on either side of her face.
“You owned that room tonight,” he murmured.
“I did it for me.”
He smirked. “I know. That’s why it worked.”
His lips captured hers—hot, desperate, claiming. And this time, it wasn’t about pretending or avoiding.
It was about wanting.
Him choosing her.
And Sienna choosing herself.
- Writer
