Sunrise Promises
696 Words
Chapter 15: Sunrise Promises
Leila woke to the sound of waves crashing beyond the window.
Warm sunlight bathed the room, and for a moment, she didn’t know where she was — until she turned and saw Damian, still asleep beside her. His hair messy. His chest rising and falling in a rhythm that made her heart ache.
No designer suits. No hard stares. Just a man. Just him.
She rolled onto her side, watching him in the stillness. Last night had felt like something sacred. Something neither of them dared name.
And for once…
She didn’t want to run from it.
But peace never lasted long in their world.
By midmorning, they were sipping coffee on the deck, barefoot and still wrapped in yesterday’s clothes, when a black SUV pulled into the driveway.
Damian stood instantly, his body shifting into protectiveness so fast it startled her.
The driver door opened — and out stepped a tall, sharply dressed woman in her early fifties.
Damian’s jaw locked.
“Mother,” he muttered.
Leila blinked. Mother? This was his mother? Not that she’d ever seen her. The woman was rarely in the public eye — always a quiet figure in the Cole empire, known only by whispers and stockholder votes.
She walked up the deck stairs with elegant composure, eyes scanning Leila from head to toe before landing on Damian.
“I had to see for myself,” she said coolly. “The girl who’s become your entire strategy.”
“Don’t,” Damian said, already weary.
“I warned you once,” his mother continued. “This engagement would bring complications. You didn’t listen.”
Leila opened her mouth to speak, but the woman held up a manicured hand.
“I’m not here to attack you, Miss Hassan. I’m here to warn you.”
“About what?” Leila asked, voice steady.
His mother’s eyes sharpened. “The board will call an emergency vote next week. They’re pushing to cut Damian out — completely. The only reason they haven’t acted yet is because of you.”
Leila’s blood ran cold.
“You think this is about a romance,” the woman said. “It’s about money. Control. Legacy. You’re a pawn in a much bigger game.”
“I’m not a pawn,” Leila said quietly.
“I believe you think that,” she replied. “But my son is about to lose everything. And so are you.”
She turned to leave, but then paused, eyes softening just slightly.
“Ask him,” she added. “Ask him about the clause in your contract he hasn’t told you about.”
Then she left.
Back inside, the silence was deafening.
Leila turned to Damian, arms crossed. “What clause?”
He looked away.
“Damian.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s nothing.”
“Lie again,” she snapped, “and I swear—”
“It was just in case you walked away before the six-month mark,” he admitted. “The lawyers put in a penalty clause. Liquidation damages.”
Leila stared. “How much?”
“Five hundred thousand.”
Her breath hitched. “You think I have that kind of money?”
“I was never going to enforce it,” he said quickly. “It was just—”
“Control,” she finished. “It was about control.”
“No,” he said, stepping forward. “It was about fear. I was afraid you’d walk out when it got hard. Or when I made it hard.”
She stared at him, betrayal tightening in her chest.
“So that’s what this is,” she said quietly. “No matter how real this feels, I’m still someone you have to legally tie down.”
“That’s not true.”
But she was already walking away, heart pounding.
“Leila—”
She turned. “We made promises last night, Damian. Promises that felt like more than a lie. But now I realize… I was the only one who meant them.”
And with that, she grabbed her bag — and walked out into the rising sun.
- Writer
