Chapter 3: The Man Who Always Gets What He Wants
1995 Words
Scarlett spent the rest of the day trying to focus on work.
Unfortunately, that became increasingly difficult every time her gaze drifted toward the corner table.
Damien's meeting lasted almost two hours. During that time, she learned something important about him.
He was terrifying.
Not in an obvious way.
He never raised his voice. He never lost his temper. He never demanded attention.
Yet somehow, every person around him seemed determined to keep him happy.
The two men accompanying him spent most of the meeting explaining numbers, projections, and investment opportunities. Damien listened quietly, occasionally asking a question that immediately exposed flaws in their plans.
Watching him work was fascinating.
And dangerous.
Because the more Scarlett learned about him, the harder it became to view him as simply another customer.
This was a man who controlled billion-dollar projects.
A man whose signature could change someone's life.
A man who belonged in a world she couldn't even imagine.
And for reasons she couldn't understand, he kept coming back to a small coffee shop just to talk to her.
The thought followed her all evening.
By the time her shift ended, she was mentally exhausted.
The folder Damien had given her remained hidden inside her bag.
She had promised herself she wouldn't look at it again.
She broke that promise halfway home.
Sitting on the subway, she opened the folder and reread the offer for what felt like the hundredth time.
The salary still seemed unreal.
The benefits were even more unbelievable.
By the time she reached her apartment, she was no closer to making a decision.
Her landlord's latest rent increase sat heavily in her mind.
So did her student loans.
And the growing stack of unpaid bills waiting on her kitchen counter.
Scarlett closed her eyes.
For the first time since moving to New York, she felt trapped.
Not because she lacked options.
Because one option was becoming impossible to ignore.
The following morning arrived with grey skies and steady rain.
Scarlett hurried into the café, shaking water from her umbrella before beginning her shift.
The weather kept customers away for most of the morning.
The café remained unusually quiet.
At exactly nine o'clock, the door opened.
Damien walked in.
Of course he did.
Scarlett hated the tiny flutter in her stomach.
She hated it even more because she was beginning to expect him.
That couldn't be good.
"Good morning," he said.
The simple greeting felt strangely personal.
"Morning."
His eyes lingered on her face.
"You look tired."
Scarlett sighed.
"Do you always analyze people?"
"Only interesting ones."
The response caught her off guard.
Before she could think of an answer, Damien placed an order and moved toward his usual table.
The conversation should have ended there.
Instead, she found herself thinking about his words for the next hour.
Interesting ones.
The man really had no idea how to behave normally.
Around midday, the rain intensified.
Thunder echoed across the city.
Most customers remained indoors.
Damien was one of only three people in the café.
Scarlett was refilling napkin dispensers when her phone vibrated.
A message from her bank.
Her stomach immediately tightened.
She opened it.
The balance staring back at her was significantly lower than she expected.
A bill she'd forgotten about had been processed overnight.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Scarlett closed her eyes.
For a moment, frustration threatened to overwhelm her.
She had worked nonstop for months.
Yet somehow, she never seemed to get ahead.
A shadow fell across the table.
She looked up.
Damien stood nearby.
His expression remained unreadable.
"Bad news?"
She forced a smile.
"Nothing I can't handle."
He studied her for several seconds.
The look made her feel as though he could see straight through every lie.
"You don't have to pretend with me."
The words landed harder than they should have.
Because nobody had said something like that to her in a very long time.
Most people expected smiles.
Confidence.
Strength.
Very few people acknowledged how exhausting life could be.
Scarlett looked away first.
"It's just money."
A dangerous silence followed.
Then Damien asked quietly, "How much?"
Her head snapped toward him.
"What?"
"How much is causing the problem?"
Scarlett nearly laughed.
The question was absurd.
Completely absurd.
"You can't just solve everyone's problems with money."
"Why not?"
The fact that he sounded genuinely confused only made her shake her head.
"Because that's not how life works."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Damien surprised her.
"It has worked for most of mine."
The honesty caught her off guard.
Something about the statement felt important.
As though he'd revealed more about himself than he intended.
Before she could respond, the front door opened.
A stunning blonde woman stepped inside.
Everything about her screamed wealth.
Designer clothes.
Perfect makeup.
Expensive jewelry.
The type of woman Scarlett imagined beside a man like Damien.
The woman spotted him immediately.
A smile spread across her face.
"Damien."
The warmth in her voice made Scarlett's stomach twist unexpectedly.
The blonde crossed the café and kissed Damien's cheek.
Clearly, they knew each other.
Very well.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Scarlett suddenly became fascinated by a napkin dispenser.
The woman sat across from Damien and began talking.
Laughing.
Touching his arm occasionally.
Looking exactly like she belonged in his world.
Scarlett hated the strange feeling settling in her chest.
She had absolutely no right to feel jealous.
None.
Damien wasn't hers.
He wasn't even her friend.
He was a customer.
A billionaire customer.
That's all.
Yet every time the woman laughed, irritation grew inside her.
The feeling only worsened when Mia appeared beside her.
"Uh-oh."
Scarlett frowned.
"What?"
Mia glanced toward Damien and the blonde.
"Competition."
"There is no competition."
Mia's grin widened.
"Sure."
Scarlett opened her mouth to argue.
Then stopped.
Because at that exact moment, Damien looked up.
His gaze moved past the blonde.
Past everyone else in the café.
Straight to Scarlett.
The woman was speaking.
Damien wasn't listening.
His attention remained entirely focused on Scarlett.
Heat flooded her cheeks.
For several long seconds, neither looked away.
Then something unexpected happened.
Damien stood.
The blonde looked confused.
So did Scarlett.
Without saying a word, Damien walked directly toward the counter.
Toward her.
Every step seemed deliberate.
Certain.
Dangerous.
When he finally stopped in front of her, his blue-grey eyes held hers captive.
"I'll ask one last time."
Scarlett's pulse quickened.
"Ask what?"
"The job."
The entire café seemed to disappear.
Only Damien remained.
Waiting.
Watching.
Certain of his victory.
The worst part?
For the first time since receiving the offer, Scarlett wasn't sure her answer was still no.
Scarlett stared at him, suddenly aware of how quiet the café had become. Or perhaps it only felt that way because every ounce of her attention was focused on the man standing in front of her.
Damien waited patiently.
He wasn't the type to fidget.
He wasn't the type to beg.
The confidence radiating from him suggested he already knew how this conversation would end.
The realization irritated her.
"You're very persistent," she said.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I've been called worse."
"I can imagine."
Something flashed in his eyes.
Amusement.
The sight was surprisingly distracting.
Scarlett hated that.
The blonde woman sitting at Damien's table was openly watching them now. The expression on her face made it clear she wasn't happy about being ignored.
For some reason, that knowledge gave Scarlett a small amount of satisfaction.
A very small amount.
One she absolutely shouldn't have felt.
"Who is she?" the question slipped out before she could stop it.
One of Damien's eyebrows lifted.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Then, the corner of his mouth curved upward.
And that was when Scarlett realized her mistake.
She had just sounded jealous.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
"You know," Damien said slowly, "most people would pretend not to care."
Scarlett felt heat creep into her cheeks.
"I was making conversation."
"Liar."
The word wasn't insulting.
If anything, it sounded amused.
Which somehow made it worse.
Before she could think of a response, the blonde woman approached them.
She was beautiful.
There was no point pretending otherwise.
Tall. Elegant. Perfectly dressed.
The kind of woman who appeared on magazine covers.
Her smile was pleasant enough, but her eyes told a different story as they settled on Scarlett.
"Damien," she said sweetly, "aren't you coming back?"
The possessiveness beneath the question was impossible to miss.
Scarlett suddenly felt underdressed in her café uniform.
Not that it mattered.
Women like that belonged in Damien's world.
Not women like her.
Damien glanced toward the blonde.
"Later."
The woman's smile faltered.
Only slightly.
But Scarlett noticed.
Apparently, she wasn't accustomed to being dismissed.
Neither was Damien's attention on her.
Interesting.
"Fine," the woman said after a moment. "I'll wait."
She walked away, but not before sending Scarlett one final look.
The message was clear.
Stay away.
Scarlett almost laughed.
If only the woman knew.
The moment she disappeared, Scarlett folded her arms.
"You should go back to your girlfriend."
The words sounded far more annoyed than she intended.
Damien's expression became unreadable.
"She's not my girlfriend."
"Oh."
Scarlett immediately wished she hadn't sounded so relieved.
Unfortunately, Damien noticed.
Of course, he noticed.
Nothing escaped him.
"No?" she asked, trying for casual.
"No."
"Then who is she?"
"A family friend."
The answer seemed genuine.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Scarlett believed him.
A dangerous feeling of satisfaction settled inside her chest.
She ignored it.
"Well," she said, "your family friend looks ready to murder me."
For the first time, Damien laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound caught her completely off guard.
It was deeper than she expected.
Warmer too.
The transformation was startling.
For a brief moment, he looked younger.
Less intimidating.
Less untouchable.
And somehow even more attractive.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"You have no reason to worry about her," he said.
Scarlett wasn't sure why the statement lingered in her mind long after he spoke it.
Before she could dwell on it further, another customer approached the counter.
Work called.
Reality returned.
Damien stepped back.
But not before placing a business card on the counter.
Another one.
Scarlett stared at it.
Then at him.
"Seriously?"
"Keep it."
"I already have one."
"Then now you have two."
The man was impossible.
Completely impossible.
Yet despite her annoyance, she found herself smiling.
A real smile.
One she hadn't expected.
Damien's gaze softened slightly.
The change lasted only seconds.
Then his usual expression returned.
As though the moment had never happened.
"I'll expect your answer soon."
Scarlett sighed.
"You really don't like giving up, do you?"
Something dangerous entered his eyes.
Something that made her pulse quicken.
"No."
The single word carried far more meaning than it should have.
For a second, neither moved.
Neither looked away.
The air between them felt different.
Charged.
Heavy.
As though something invisible had shifted.
Scarlett became painfully aware of how close he was standing.
How broad his shoulders were.
How easily he seemed to dominate any room he entered.
And for the first time, she wondered what it would be like to belong in his world.
The thought terrified her.
Because a small part of her wanted to find out.
Damien seemed to sense the change.
A look of quiet satisfaction crossed his face.
Not arrogance.
Certainty.
As though he knew he was slowly winning a battle she hadn't realized they were fighting.
Then his phone rang.
The spell broke instantly.
Damien glanced at the screen.
Something hardened in his expression.
Business.
Important business.
The reminder should have reassured her.
Instead, it highlighted how different their lives truly were.
He answered the call immediately.
By the tone of the conversation, someone on the other end had made a very expensive mistake.
Scarlett watched him return to his table.
The blonde woman resumed speaking.
The businessmen joined him again.
Within seconds, Damien was surrounded by people.
Yet somehow, he still felt separate from everyone else.
Alone.
- Writer
