CHAPTER TWO— Twenty-Four Hours
1144 Words
Serena blinked once.
Then twice.
“…Excuse me?”
Damien regarded her with the same composed expression.
“I’m not in the habit of repeating myself.”
The ballroom suddenly felt suffocating. Heat crawled up her neck.
She stared at him, searching his face for the slightest hint of amusement.
There was none.
“You’ve known me for all of…” She glanced at the crystal watch on her wrist. “…four minutes.”
“Approximately.”
“And in those four minutes, I publicly humiliated the woman you brought here.”
“You did.”
“And your solution is to propose?”
His lips curved ever so slightly.
“I fail to see the contradiction.”
Serena let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“You’ve absolutely lost your mind.”
“Not according to my doctors.”
She almost smiled.
Almost.
Who was this man?
Every article she’d ever read described Damien Blackwood as ruthless, cold, and impossible to approach.
None of them had mentioned this dry, dangerous sense of humor.
Before she could respond, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Damien.”
The brunette had returned.
Her gown had been salvaged as best as possible, though a faint stain still lingered across the silk.
Her eyes flicked to Serena first, then to Damien. A flash of suspicion—or was it jealousy?—crossed her face.
“We should be leaving,” she said softly.
Damien gave a small nod. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
The woman hesitated, clearly expecting him to follow.
When he remained rooted in place, she forced a tight smile. “I’ll wait outside.”
She turned and disappeared into the crowd without another word.
Serena watched her go, then turned back to him. “You really aren’t going after her.”
“It appears I’m still standing here.”
Interesting. The rumors hadn’t done him justice. He wasn’t just an asshole—he was in a league of his own.
Serena decided she’d learned enough for one evening. “I suppose I’ll leave you to it.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked away.
⸻
“There you are!” Nina hurried toward her the moment she reached the edge of the ballroom. “What happened?”
Serena kept walking. “Outside.”
“No.” Nina caught up, falling into step beside her. “You don’t get to say ‘outside’ after staring at the richest man in the room like you’d seen a ghost.”
“Outside, Nina. Please!” Serena’s voice sharpened as she quickened her pace.
The cool night air hit like a blessing once they stepped outside. Luxury cars lined the circular driveway while valets darted between them under the glow of lanterns.
Only then did Serena stop.
Nina folded her arms. “Okay, Cinderella. Spill.”
Serena stared into the night for a long moment before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.
“He asked me to marry him.”
Silence.
Nina blinked. “What?”
“He proposed.”
Another beat of stunned silence.
Then Nina burst into laughter. “You almost had me there.”
Serena didn’t laugh.
The smile slowly melted from Nina’s face. “Oh my God. You’re serious.”
Serena nodded once.
Nina glanced back toward the brightly lit ballroom as if expecting Damien to appear and declare it all a joke.
“He…” She struggled to find words. “How the hell does someone go from watching you spill champagne on his date to proposing marriage in the same night?”
“Exactly! I have no idea.”
“But…” Nina frowned. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? For him to be yours?”
“No.”
Serena’s answer came instantly. “It’s exactly what I didn’t expect.”
“I don’t understand.” Nina turned to her. “You wanted to get close to him.”
“I did.”
“And now he’s practically handing you the opportunity.”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“So… I struggle to see the problem. Maybe he just finds you irresistibly charming.” She muttered, shrugging.
Serena slowly shook her head.
“Men like Damien Blackwood don’t make impulsive decisions.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means if he proposed…”
She looked back at the glowing ballroom.
“…he already has a reason.”
Nina frowned.
“And what other reason could there be besides the fact that he’s completely insane?”
A knot tightened in Serena’s stomach.
“What if…” she whispered, “…he knows who I am?”
Nina’s expression changed.
“What do you mean?”
“What if he knows why I’m really here?”
“Serena…”
Nina stepped closer, voice softening with worry.
“What are you on about? You’ve been chasing a chance to meet him for months. What aren’t you telling me?”
Before Serena could answer, the ballroom doors swung open.
Guests began spilling onto the front steps in clusters, laughing as valets rushed to retrieve their vehicles.
A sleek black sedan rolled to the curb.
Damien emerged moments later, the brunette falling into step beside him.
The woman spotted Serena immediately. Their eyes met. The brunette’s gaze lingered for a heartbeat too long before she slipped into the waiting car.
Nina leaned in. “I don’t like her.”
Serena chuckled.
“You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t have to.” Nina lowered her voice. “And I definitely don’t like him.”
As if summoned by her words, Damien closed the car door. Instead of getting in, he turned and walked straight toward them.
Nina stared.
“You’re kidding. Who leaves his date waiting in the car while he goes to another woman?”
The steady rhythm of his footsteps echoed across the stone driveway until he stopped in front of Serena.
Without a word, he reached into the inside pocket of his tailored suit.
Nina instinctively tensed.
He withdrew a matte black business card.
No company logo.
No title.
Just his name and a private phone number.
He placed it between Serena’s fingers.
“You have twenty-four hours.”
She looked from the card back to him.
“Twenty-four hours to do what?”
“Decide.”
“And if I don’t?”
His gaze held hers, dark and unrelenting.
“Then I’ll know I misjudged you.”
He turned and walked away. No explanation or extra details. Not even a backward glance.
Serena flipped the card over. On the back, written in neat, bold ink:
Tick-tock, goes the clock.
She tightened her grip until the edges bit into her palm.
For the first time in six years, her carefully orchestrated revenge no longer felt like it was entirely in her control.
- Writer
