Taken by the Rivals.

~ Aria POV ~ "You shouldn't be out here alone," Damien whispered, his breath warm against my ear as his hands slipped around my waist. A shiver raced down my arms, and I leaned back against his chest, letting the noise of the ballroom fade into the background. Through the glass doors of the terrace, the grand celebration continued without us. Jewels caught the light, champagne flowed into crystal cups, and the city’s most powerful families mingled in their tailored suits and expensive gowns. It was a world I had never belonged to, a world that felt entirely alien until Damien had pulled me into it. "I just needed a moment to breathe," I turned in his arms, looking up into his dark eyes. The devotion I felt for him was an ache in my chest. He was the CEO of Blackstone Holdings, a man taught from birth to be ruthless, yet with me, he was always gentle. "It's a lot of people, Damien." I said. "They're here for us," he murmured, his thumb tracing my jawline. He looked down at me with an intensity that made everything else melt away. "They're here to celebrate our engagement. In a few months, you’ll be my wife. Let them stare, let them talk. You belong by my side." "Even if your mother thinks otherwise?" The question slipped out before I could stop it. Damien’s smile faltered, a shadow crossing his eyes. He tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer. "My mother doesn't dictate my life, Aria. I made a promise to protect you, to love you. My family's position doesn't mean a thing if I don't have you. Trust me." I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe that the bond we shared could withstand the deep divide between my modest background and his family's massive empire. When his lips pressed against mine, desperate and sweet, the lingering doubts in my mind began to quiet down. He loved me. That had to be enough. The terrace doors clicked open, and one of the estate managers cleared his throat nervously. "Mr. Blackstone, your father is requesting your presence in the study immediately. The legal team from the shipping alliance just arrived." Damien let out a frustrated sigh, his forehead resting against mine for a brief second. "I have to go take care of this. Will you be okay out here for a few minutes?" "Go," I offered a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand. "I’ll find a quiet corner inside." He kissed my cheek before turning to follow the manager, his long strides carrying him quickly through the crowd. I watched him go, a sudden chill settling over my skin the moment his warmth left me. Instead of heading back into the noisy ballroom, I decided to seek out the library—a room Damien had shown me weeks ago, usually deserted during these massive events. I slipped through the side corridors, avoiding the glances of guests who looked at my simple dress with quiet disdain. The library doors were thick and heavy, shutting out the distant hum of the classical band the moment I pushed them closed. The room was dark, lit only by the glowing embers of a fireplace. I walked toward the heat, rubbing my arms, trying to shake the uneasy feeling that had taken root in my stomach. "It's a beautiful ring, isn't it?" I whirled around. Beatrice stood in the shadows near the tall bookshelves, a glass of dark liquor in her hand. Her posture was flawless, her expression empty of any human warmth. She looked at me the way an apex predator looks at a nuisance in its territory. "Mrs. Blackstone," I said, my voice tighter than I intended. My hands began to tremble, and I quickly clasped them together to hide it. "I didn't know anyone was in here." "This is my home, Aria. I am everywhere," Beatrice walked forward, her heels clicking softly against the floor. She stopped a few feet away, her eyes dropping to the diamond cluster on my left hand. "A temporary bauble. A pity Damien wasted the money, though I suppose he felt he needed to pay for your affection in some manner." "Damien loves me," I stated, forcing my voice to remain steady. "We are getting married." Beatrice let out a soft, mocking laugh that sent a wave of dread through my veins. "Married? You truly are a naive girl. Look at you. You have no family name, no assets, no leverage. You bring absolutely nothing to this house except a pretty face and a fragile heart." "Our relationship isn't a business transaction." I replied. "Everything in the Blackstone family is a business transaction," Beatrice’s voice dropped, becoming deadly cold. She set her glass down on a nearby table with a sharp thud. "And right now, your presence is causing a massive deficit. Let me be clear with you, Aria. I have spent the last three months quietly acquiring the debt of your father’s logistics company. Every single loan, every mortgage, every line of credit he used to build his little business is now owned by a subsidiary of my family trust." The blood drained from my face. The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "What did you do?" "I engineered a trap," Beatrice stepped closer, her eyes flashing with malice. "If you do not break this engagement and leave the city by tomorrow morning, I will execute those notes. I will call in every single loan. Your father will be bankrupted by noon. Your family will lose their home, their livelihood, and their reputation. They will be ruined, utterly and completely, because of your stubborn selfishness." "Damien won't let you do this," I whispered, tears of frustration stinging the backs of my eyes, but I forced myself to stare directly back at her. "He will stop you." "Damien is currently discovering that our family holdings are facing a massive liquidity crisis," Beatrice sneered, her mask of civility slipping. "The only way to save the Blackstone empire is a union with Elena’s family. Elena brings a massive shipping alliance that will secure my son's future. Damien is a businessman, Aria. When forced to choose between a penniless girl and the survival of his legacy, he will choose his crown. Save yourself the public humiliation. Break his heart and run." She didn't wait for my response. Beatrice picked up her glass, offered a cruel smile, and walked out of the library, leaving me alone in the dark. My breathing came in short, ragged gasps. My hands were shaking so violently I could barely breathe. The dread was a weight crushing my lungs. My family. My father had sacrificed everything to build his company, and now, it was a weapon being used to destroy my happiness. I needed Damien. I needed him to tell me it was a lie, that he had a plan, that he would protect them. I stumbled out of the library, my vision blurring. I walked down the long, quiet hallway leading toward his father’s private study at the back of the mansion. The double doors were cracked open slightly, a sliver of bright light spilling out onto the floor. As I approached, the sound of raised, angry voices stopped me in my tracks. "You cannot ask me to do this!" Damien’s voice roared through the gap, thick with anger and desperation. "I gave Aria my word. I love her!" "Love does not pay our creditors, Damien!" his father’s voice shot back, cold and uncompromising. "The bank is preparing to freeze our primary operating accounts. If the merger with Elena's family fails, Blackstone Holdings collapses within the month. Thousands of employees will lose their jobs. Your inheritance will be completely erased." I crept closer, my heart pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird. Through the c***k in the door, I saw Damien standing in the center of the room. His jacket was off, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his hair messy from where he had been running his fingers through it. He looked trapped, surrounded by his father and three family lawyers who were tossing financial ledgers onto the table. "There has to be another way," Damien pleaded, his voice cracking. He looked smaller than I had ever seen him, the crushing weight of his legacy pressing down on his shoulders. "We can liquidate the European assets. We can sell the real estate." "It's not enough, and you know it," his father said quietly, stepping up to place a hand on Damien's shoulder. "Your mother has already secured the path. Elena’s father is ready to sign the alliance papers tomorrow morning, but only if the announcement of your marriage to Elena is published in the papers. If you choose the girl, you choose the ruin of everything your grandfather built." Damien stared down at the documents on the table. The anger in his eyes was slowly being replaced by a terrifying, hollow defeat. He didn't say a word, he didn't argue. He just stared at the papers, his posture collapsing as the reality of his duty closed in around him. A agonizing guilt washed over his face, a silent realization that he was cornered. A cold numbness settled over my entire body. He wasn't fighting anymore. He was considering it. He was looking at the price of my love and deciding it was too expensive. My fingers lost their grip on the crystal champagne glass I had been holding since the terrace. The glass slipped from my hand, hitting the floor. The sound of it shattering into a thousand pieces tore through the quiet hallway, echoing loudly against the walls. Inside the study, the voices instantly stopped. Damien whirled around toward the doorway. Through the gap, his eyes locked directly onto mine. The color drained from his face, and his expression filled with a raw, agonizing guilt that told me everything I needed to know. He didn't try to run to me. He just stood there, caught in the wreckage of his own choice.