Chapter Four
1722 Words
"You are not coming with me.”
Julian’s laughter cut through the penthouse like shattered glass. It sounded so cold.
“Oh, I’m absolutely coming,” he said, grabbing his jacket from the chair. “You think I’m letting my wife run off to meet the man she slept with?”
My temper snapped. “I didn’t sleep with him!”
The lie came out fast and sharp. My heart hammered so violently I thought it might burst out of my chest.
Julian’s eyes narrowed. “Then explain the photos.”
“I can’t explain something that didn’t happen,” I snapped, grabbing my keys.
He stepped in front of the door, blocking my path. His tall frame towered over me, the familiar scent of his cologne suddenly suffocating.
“You’re not leaving until we clear this up.”
I stared at him.
For years, I had bent around Julian’s temper, his expectations, and his f*****g ego. But something inside me had cracked last night.
“No,” I said again.
His jaw tightened. “Excuse me?”
“I’m going to the office,” I said slowly. “And you’re not coming with me.”
His laugh was ugly. “You think you can just…..”
“Yes.” The word landed like a gunshot.
Julian blinked, clearly not used to hearing that from me.
My pulse raced as I shoved past him and yanked the door open.
“If you want to scream about cheating,” I said coldly, stepping into the hallway, “maybe start with the woman you were kissing in front of a restaurant.”
His face darkened with fury but I didn’t stay to hear his reply.
The elevator doors closed between us, for the first time in years… I felt free. For about three seconds. Then reality came crashing down.
I might have married my boss. My boss who apparently controlled the media and had just ruined my life.
“Fantastic,” I muttered as the elevator descended.
********
Eclipse Entertainment’s headquarters towered over Manhattan like a monument to power. And Damien Moreau ruled it.
Walking into the building felt like stepping into a lion’s den.
Employees rushed past me in expensive suits, assistants whispered into headsets. The lobby buzzed with chaos. But the moment I stepped inside… People stared.
My stomach dropped.
They had seen the headlines. This was great. Just perfect.
I marched straight to the private elevator that led to the executive floors.
The ride up felt endless.
By the time the doors opened, my anger had returned in full force.
Damien’s assistant looked up from her desk. “Ms. Valenti….”
“I need to see him,” I said.
She hesitated. “He’s in a meeting….”
“Now.”
My voice carried a sharp edge that surprised even me.
A moment later, the office doors opened and there he was standing at the head of the boardroom table, surrounded by executives.
His dark suit fit him perfectly. His hair was slightly tousled like he had run a hand through it. But those eyes, those piercing, dangerous eyes. They locked onto mine instantly and the entire room went silent.
Damien raised a hand slightly. “Meeting’s over.”
No one argued. Chairs scraped as the executives hurried out, clearly sensing the tension.
The doors shut and suddenly it was just us.
My heart pounded as I stormed across the room. “Did you leak the photos?”
Damien didn’t look surprised. “Good morning to you too, Ariana.”
“Answer the question!”
His gaze sharpened slightly. “I didn’t release anything.”
“Then how did the paparazzi know I was leaving your hotel at seven in the morning?” I demanded.
He leaned casually against the table. “I imagine because paparazzi tend to wait outside luxury hotels.”
I clenched my fists. “You’re the CEO of a media empire!”
“Yes.”
“You control the story of all the artists under your label!”
“Usually.”
My voice rose. “Then why is my life blowing up right now?!”
For a moment, Damien didn’t answer. He just studied me. The way his eyes moved over my face made heat crawl up my spine.
“You’re angry,” he said quietly.
“You think?” I snapped.
“You’re also scared.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
His lips curved faintly. “Liar.”
My breath caught. God, I hated how calm he was.
“How convenient,” I said bitterly. “My husband cheats on me and suddenly I’m caught leaving your hotel. Almost like someone wanted this story out.”
Damien’s expression darkened. “I said I didn’t leak it.”
“Why should I believe you?”
His voice dropped. “Because if I wanted the world to know you were mine…” My heart skipped. “…they wouldn’t need paparazzi photos.”
The air between us shifted. Suddenly the room felt too small and too hot. I stepped back. “This…..was a mistake.”
His gaze hardened. “Was it?”
“Yes.”
“You seemed very certain last night.”
“I was drunk!”
“And honest.” he slipped out with a bored expression.
My stomach twisted. “That license….”
“It's legal but it has not been filed…yet..”
“I want it gone.”
For the first time… Damien looked irritated. “That won’t be happening.”
My eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
He pushed away from the table and walked toward me slowly. Every step made my pulse race faster.
“You wanted freedom from Julian,” he said quietly. “You said he treated you like property.”
His words hit too close to the truth. “I didn’t mean that I wanted to marry my boss!”
“No, but you will be with a man who can protect you.”
“I don’t need protection!”
“Everyone does.”
We were standing dangerously close now. I could feel the heat radiating from his body. My breath felt uneven. “Why are you doing this?” I whispered.
Damien stared at me for a long moment and then he said something that made my entire world tilt.
“I’ve wanted you for years.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“Since the day you auditioned for Eclipse.”
My mind raced. “That was five years ago and you barely spoke to me.”
“I was your CEO.” He growled
“And now you want to be my husband?!” I shot back.
A shadow of something dark crossed his face. “I stayed away,” he admitted quietly. “Because you were married.” A strange tension filled the room. “But last night,” he continued, voice low, “you walked into that bar looking like the world had just destroyed you.” My chest tightened. “And I realized something.”
“What?”
His eyes burned into mine. “I was done waiting for you to snap to your senses.”
A shiver ran down my spine. This was insane, and sounded manipulative…and yet…God help me. …The pull between us was undeniable.
My heart raced as I forced myself to step away. “No.”
Damien stilled.
“This isn’t love,” I said firmly. “This is control.”
His jaw tightened.
“You tried to marry me without my full consent when I was vulnerable,” I yelled at him.
“And I protected you,” he muttered like he actually did something good.
“No, you tried to trap me.” The room went silent.
And something dark flickered behind Damien’s eyes. Slowly… He stepped closer again, close enough that I could feel his breath brush against my skin.
His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “You can walk out that door if you want, Ariana.” My pulse thundered. “But understand something first.”
My stomach twisted. “What?”
His eyes locked onto mine with terrifying intensity. “No one in this world will protect you the way I will.”
My heart pounded. “That’s not protection,” I whispered. “That’s possession.”
For a moment…Damien said nothing. Then his lips curved into the faintest, most dangerous smile.
“Yes.”
My blood ran cold and then he delivered the words that shattered every illusion I had left.
“If I can’t have you,” Damien said softly… “No one can.”
Ariana’s eyes widened with fear and she bolted for the door. When the door was shut behind her. She stopped and tried to compose herself when she heard a phone ring, then seconds later Damien’s voice floated through the door.
“Did she believe you?” a strange voice asked.
Ariana freezes.
And his voice came through. “Yes, she did but I need more…push.” he paused, and then he responded. “Let the games begin.”
My blood ran cold. The words echoed in my head like a curse as I stood frozen outside his office door. My fingers curled slowly into fists, nails biting into my palms hard enough to hurt but I barely felt it.
Game? This… this was a game to him?
A sharp, bitter laugh bubbled up in my chest, but I swallowed it down. Of course it was. Damien Moreau didn’t do anything without a plan, without control, without an end goal.
And somehow… I walked straight into it.
My stomach twisted violently as every moment from the past twenty-four hours replayed in my mind, the bar, the fight, his arms around me, the way he looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
My chest tightened painfully.
“How stupid can you be, Ariana…” I whispered to myself.
But then something else clicked into place.
Did she believe you? That wasn’t a random question. That wasn’t casual.
My heart skipped.
That meant I wasn’t the only one being played.
Slowly, carefully, I turned my head back toward the closed office door. My pulse thundered in my ears.
There was someone else involved.
Someone helping him or worse… someone he was working against.
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