Chapter 3:The First Night
439 Words
The penthouse was silent. Too silent.
Eliana stood in the center of Damien’s living room, still in her wedding dress, while he poured whiskey like she wasn’t there. The city lights behind him turned his silhouette into a blade.
“Your room is down the hall,” he said without turning. “Last door on the left. Don’t touch anything.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a dismissal.
Eliana’s heels clicked against marble as she crossed the room. She stopped three feet from him. “Is that it? You drag me from the altar, force me into this marriage, and now you won’t even look at me?”
Damien finally turned. Gray eyes, cold and assessing, swept over her from the ruined lipstick to the hem of her dress. “You wanted to play savior for your sister, Eliana. You got what you wanted. The contract is signed. The vows are said.” He took a sip. “What happens now is irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant?” A bitter laugh escaped her. “You threatened me at the altar. ‘Let’s see how long you last in my bed.’ Remember?”
His jaw tightened. Just for a second. “A warning. Not an invitation.”
“Then why bring me here?” She stepped closer, fury overriding fear. “Why not dump me at my father’s doorstep if I mean so little?”
Damien set the glass down. Too carefully. When he looked at her again, something dangerous had replaced the ice. “Because, little Brown, you’re leverage now. And I don’t waste leverage.”
He moved then — fast, controlled. One second he was across the room, the next his hand was at her throat. Not squeezing. Just there. A reminder of who held power.
Eliana didn’t flinch. “If I’m leverage, then use me. But don’t pretend I’m nothing.”
His thumb brushed her pulse. Once. “You have no idea what you walked into.”
“Then tell me.”
For a moment, he looked like he might. His gaze dropped to her mouth. The air thickened. Then he released her and stepped back like she burned.
“Get out of that dress. Sleep. We meet my board at 9am.” He walked to the elevator without another word. The doors slid shut, leaving her alone with her racing heart and the ghost of his touch.
Eliana stared at the closed doors. The war hadn’t just begun.
She’d started it.
A/N: They think she’s just a bride. A decoration. A mistake.
She’s about to prove them wrong.
One sentence at the board meeting changes everything.
- Writer
