5§. The Devil's Proposal
1348 Words
Claire barely slept through the night. Damien's words kept on replaying in her mind. The risks of aligning with him were massive, but so was the opportunity to finally destroy Leo. By morning she had already made up her mind. She picked up her phone from the night stand and dialed Damien's number.
“You’re up early,” Damien’s deep voice rang out.
“I’m in,” Claire yawned, feeling exhausted from the previous night.
“I figured you would be,” he replied smoothly. “I’ll send my driver to pick you up. Be ready in an hour.”
An hour later, Claire stepped out of the SUV parked in front of Damien's mansion. It was massive, bigger than anything she'd ever seen. The gardens stretched endlessly and were designed with petals and Roses. The entrance of the mansion looked like something out of the magazine, everything screaming luxury.
The marble front door swung open, and a maid stepped out, greeting Clare with a soft smile.
“Miss Steele, welcome. Mr Sinclair is expecting you. Please, follow me.”
Claire walked through the hallway of the mansion, her mouth slightly open as she gazed at the decor, crystal chandeliers, artworks beautified the interior. It wasn't a home, it was more of a castle.
They both arrived at the spacious living room where Damien sat on one of the leather couch, a glass of whiskey in his hands despite the early hour. Damien eyes shot up and locked on Claire, a smirk forming on his lips.
“Good to see you, Claire” he said, his eyes studying her intently.
“Welcome to my home. I hope it's to your liking," Damen asked, his hands gently rubbing circles at her back.
“To my liking? This place is magnificent,” she squealed. “This place could fit three of my apartments.”
He chuckled, gesturing for her to sit. “Well, oyf your going to play a dangerous game, might as well play it big.”
Claire settled into the plush armchair opposite him. “This is... a lot.”
Damien leaned forward, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. “It’s the price of power, Claire. And you'll have to get used to it if you're willing to take down Leo.”
“I'm only here to listen to what you want to say," she replied. “Let’s not assume I've made any decisions."
“Fair enough,” Damien said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He leaned back, his gaze roaming body slightly before stopping at her face.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Leo is a very dangerous person. He can do whatever it takes to maintain his power. He once tried to eliminate me, and I'm not letting that slide. But taking him down requires more than just money or influence, it requires strategy. That’s where you come in.”
“What do you mean eliminate?" She asked curiously.
Damien's eyes darkened at her words, he wasn't ready to open up to her, not yet anyways. For now he just needed her to cooperate.
“That's personal."
Claire arched an eyebrow. “You want me to be your accomplice in some grand revenge scheme? Why would I agree to that?”
“Because you want revenge as much as I do,” Damien replied smoothly. “You’ve built your life Claire. You reclaimed your power, but deep down you know it's not enough. Not after everything Leo’s done.”
He paused, letting his words flow through him. “My proposal is simple; a contract marriage. On paper, we’ll be the perfect power couple. Together, we'll use our resources to dismantle Leo’s empire piece by piece till there's nothing left. To the public we’ll be the perfect couple, but privately we'll work towards our goal.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed. “And what do you gain from this arrangement? You’re not exactly a man who does things out of the goodness of his heart.”
Damien chuckled, clearly amused by Claire's statement. “Eager as always. And yes, I have my own motives. Leo took something from me, and I intend to take everything from him in return. But that doesn’t change the fact that this alliance benefits us both. You get your revenge, and I get mine.”
Claire considered his words carefully. The idea of a contract marriage was absurd but the logic behind it was reasonable. Still, something about Damien unsettled her. He was a man of secrets and Claire couldn't help but feel he was using her for his own benefits.
“And when Leo is out of the picture, what happens to this… partnership?” she asked curiously
Damien leaned forward, his piercing gaze locking onto hers. “When Leo is gone, we walk away. No strings attached. This is a business arrangement, Claire. Nothing more.”
She studied him, searching for any cracks in his façade. There were none. Damien is a good yet dangerous man and that made him both a reasonable ally and also a threat.
“You’ve clearly thought this through,” she said finally. “But I have one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I'll agree to this, but I want full control on how we deal with Leo. There should be no secrets, no surprises. If either of us finds out any secret about each other, the deal is off.”
Damien nodded. “Agreed. We need to be clean if we're going to make this work.”
Damien stood and walked over to the desk positioned by the window. He opened the drawer and pulled out a black folder, walking back to Claire.
He stretched his hands out towards her. “This is the contract. Take your time reviewing it, but I think you’ll find it quite thorough.”
Claire opened the folder, scanning the document. Every condition was to her liking, leaving no room for questions.
“And if I refuse to take up on your offer?” she asked, her gaze drifting back to him.
Damien’s expression remained unchanged. “Then you walk away, and I find another way to deal with Leo. Thigh something tell me youre not that kind of woman who backs down from a fight.
Claire hands tightened on the folder. She hated that he could see right through her. Yet he was right, she isn't the same weak woman who has once been destroyed by Leo. She was stronger now.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the pen on the folder, her hand slightly shaking as she signed with her name.
She set the pen down, handing the folder to Damien as she met his gaze. “It’s done.”
A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face. “Congratulations Mrs Sinclair. I'll have the engagement ring delivered to you tomorrow and next week's wedding.”
Claire rolled her eyes at the same, but from now on, the whole world will know her as Mrs Sinclair.
“The fittings of the dress will be done later this week and I'll have my driver move your things into my home.”
“One last thing, Claire,” he said, his eyes turning dark “Before you go, there’s something you should know.”
Claire nodded, meeting his piercing gaze, which held a lot of secrets.
“This isn’t just about Leo,” Damien said, his face now void of any emotion. “There’s a reason I needed you on my side so urgently.”
Claire frowned, her heart pounding. “What do you mean?”
Damien leaned towards her. “Leo knows about us. And he’s already planning his next move.”
Her stomach sank, but before she could respond, Damien added, “The engagement ring I mentioned? It wasn’t just for show. It’s a warning.”
Claire froze, confusion etched across her face. “A warning?”
Damien’s expression hardened. “Leo doesn’t take betrayal lightly. By saying yes to me, you’ve just painted a target on your back.”
- Writer
