The Billionaire's Secret Bride.

Damian's POV. Victor Hale was already on his knees, looking pale and shedding tears, but I couldn't care less. He, of all people, should know not to mess with Damian Sinclair. I was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, looking out at Miami as the rain fell crazily, enough to blur the entire view. The towers were still glowing through the glass, but everything looked different from up here. It almost felt like everything had been covered up with a fog. I heard the thunder rolling at a distance, but inside the room, all I could hear were Victor's faint cries and uneven breath as he kept begging for his life. I was starting to get pissed off. “M–Mr.. Mr. Sinclair, I never meant for it to happen this way. If I knew it would go south, I wouldn't venture into it. Have mercy, sir.” Victor pleaded, his hands trembling as he held them up together, tears running down his cheeks. I left the window side and went back to my seat and remained seated behind my desk, one hand resting against the arm of my chair as I studied the man in front of me. To be honest, I had heard better lies from men with even more courage and my patience with Victor was already getting exhausted. “You sold information that didn't belong to you, and you sit here, lying to my face about not knowing if it'll go south or not? Tell a better f*****g lie, Victor!” I said at last. Victor continued sobbing and begging. “You sold the names of the people who work for me, the location of properties that are not even supposed to exist and details of my shipments that could've brought half of my operation down to the f*****g ground, and you say you didn't think it would go south?” I signaled to one of my boys that held Victor hostage to drill into his thighs. He screamed in pain for a few seconds and then, I signaled them to stop. “Ple– Please.. Spare me.” Victor winced in pain. “You know the problem with people like you?” Damian dropped his glass and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. “You make decisions based on what you can gain and then, you act surprised when you discover that your terrible decisions have terrible consequences.” Victor had worked for me for almost four years, long enough to know precisely what I was capable of and long enough to understand that betrayal was one of the few things I couldn't forgive and yet, he still did it. “Do you know what disappointed me?” I asked and Victor looked up. “For a man who has spent four years watching how I operate, you still thought money would be enough to make me overlook betrayal.” “I was desperate.” “We are all desperate, aren't we? But you don't see me going around betraying people.” I stood, and the men positioned around the room immediately straightened as I walked toward Victor. My footsteps echoed across the marble floor, and with every step, Victor's expression became more frantic. When I stopped in front of him, he lowered his head. “Look at me.” Victor obeyed. “I know about your wife,” I said, and Victor's face instantly went pale. “I know where your children go to school, where your mother lives, and which hospital your wife visits every Thursday morning. I know the name of the man you owe money to, and I know exactly how much you took from my accounts.” Victor stared in horror. I allowed the silence to stretch between us before continuing. “I haven't touched any of them.” Victor's lips parted, but no words came out. “And I won't.” The relief that crossed his face lasted barely a second. “Because unlike you,” I paused, “I don't betray the people I'm loyal to.” Victor's shoulders dropped. “Please.” I turned away from him. “Take him to the marina.” Two men moved immediately. Victor struggled as they hauled him to his feet. “Mr. Sinclair, p-please! I can fix this. I can give you everything. J—Just give me another chance.” The men dragged Victor toward the elevator, his pleas fading as the doors closed behind him and I did not look back. I returned to my desk and poured myself a drink, watching the rain strike the windows as though the storm outside had followed him into the room. I had barely taken a sip when the door behind me opened. “Are you finished?” I glanced over his shoulder as I heard a familiar voice. Marcus walked into the room, loosening the collar of his shirt as he approached. Unlike me, Marcus rarely looked as though he belonged in a room filled with men who were afraid of him. “Finished with what?” Damian replied. Marcus glanced toward the elevator. “Victor?” “Am I ever finished with anything?” Marcus sighed and said nothing. He had known me long enough to understand that some things were better left unsaid. Instead, he placed a folder on my desk and sat down on the seat directly opposite mine. “We have a problem.” I took another sip of my drink. “That's usually why you come looking for me.” “The Bennett situation has gotten worse.” “Oh.” I turned from the window and looked at Marcus. “How much worse?” “Bad enough that their board is considering external intervention.” “From whom?” “No one yet,” Marcus paused. “The company is running out of options. They've lost investors, creditors are becoming impatient, and the people around Alessia are starting to panic.” I didn't say anything. Marcus looked at me keenly as if he was looking for something like a confirmation. “You know who I'm talking about.” “The daughter.” “Alessia.” I set my glass down and Marcus opened the folder and pushed several documents across the desk. “She took over after her father's death, but she's barely had time to find her footing. From what we've gathered, she's trying to hold the company together while everyone around her is just waiting for her to fail.” I glanced at the documents without picking them up. “What else?” “She doesn't have much time.” “How much time left?” “Not enough.” I looked at Marcus and furrowed my brows. “Give me a number.” Marcus sighed heavily. “Well, six months tops.” “Hm. Should be enough.” The rain continued pounding against the windows. Marcus leaned back. “There is something else.” He paused. “Your grandfather's lawyers called.” Marcus continued, “They want an answer about the condition.” I tightened my jaw. “I know.” “They're giving you a deadline and unless you're planning to challenge the will–” “I'm not changing anything.” Marcus leaned back in his chair like he was studying me. “You know what I think?” I glanced at him. “I'm sure you're going to tell me either way.” I think the Bennett girl is going to lose everything before she realises how bad things have become. So sad.” My gaze drifted toward the folder on my desk and the name; Alessia Bennett. Marcus's eyes kept following me but I said nothing. ”Damian, what's the problem?” “Nothing.” “You were thinking about something, Damian.” I picked up my glass and looked toward the windows that had been drenched by the rain. “I was wondering how desperate she really is.” Marcus's expression changed slightly. “Uh, Why?” I took a pause and sat down. My eyes returned to the photograph on my desk. “Hm. Maybe there was more than one way to use a Bennett. Don't you think?”