Bound by the Billionaire’s Debt

Chapter 5: The Line in the Sand

Vivian’s POV

Vivian felt numb as she stared at the shredded pieces of her childhood photo on the floor. It was the last picture taken before her father got sick, back when he still smiled.

Chloe dropped the scissors onto the mattress, leaning back on her hands with a smug, victorious smile. "You don't belong here, Vivian. Damian’s bed, Damian’s house, Damian’s heart... it’s all mine. You’re just a temporary band-aid for his corporate problems."

Vivian stayed calm. The exhaustion from the past week turned into determination. She walked into the room, quietly closed the doors, and went to the pile of clothes. Kneeling, she carefully picked up the torn pieces of the photo. Her hands were steady, even though her heart was racing.

"You think you're untouchable because he brought you here," Vivian said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, calm whisper. She stood up, looking directly into Chloe's eyes.

"Damian is protecting me," Chloe sneered, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder. "He would throw you out in a heartbeat if I asked him to."

"Then ask him," Vivian challenged, stepping closer to the bed. "Go ahead. Call him right now. Tell him to kick me out and breach the contract he just signed with his grandfather. Tell him to risk losing the entire Blackwood empire just to make you happy."

Chloe's smile faltered, her blue eyes narrowing.

"He won't do it, Chloe," Vivian said, her voice steady. "No matter how much he cares about you, Damian cares about power more. He needs me to keep that power. To the board and his grandfather, I’m the most important person in his life right now. You’re still a secret he has to hide."

Before Chloe could finish her sentence, the bedroom door swung open.

Damian stood in the doorway, his tie undone and jacket over his shoulder. He appeared tired, but his eyes quickly focused on the scene: Vivian's clothes on the floor, candles flickering, and Chloe in her nightgown.

"What is going on in here?" Damian demanded, his voice dropping an octave.

"Damian!" Chloe’s demeanor shifted to one of fear. She ran to his side, grabbed his arm, and began to cry. "Thank God you’re home! I only came to ask Vivian if she needed help moving her things to the guest room, but she started yelling at me. She said I was a burden and threw her clothes on the floor to make it look like I did it!" Vivian remained silent, holding the shredded pieces of her father’s photo, watching Damian for his reaction. His expression remained unreadable.

He gently but firmly removed Chloe's hands from his arm and stepped away.

"Chloe, go to your room," Damian said quietly.

Chloe blinked, stunned. "But Damian, she..."

"I said, go to your room," Damian repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Now."

Chloe bit her lip, her expression one of humiliation. She glared at Vivian before leaving the master bedroom and slamming the door.

The bedroom was quiet. Damian walked to his desk, put his suit jacket on the chair, and started unbuttoning his cuffs, not looking at Vivian.

"Are you going to tell me your side of the story?" he asked smoothly.

"Would you believe me if I did?" Vivian asked, her voice tense.

Damian turned, leaning against the desk and meeting her gaze. "What I believe is irrelevant. This house must remain peaceful. I do not have time for unnecessary conflict."

Vivian walked over and stopped a few steps away. She opened her hand to show him the shredded photo.

"This was the only photo I had of my father before his stroke," Vivian said, her voice barely shaking. "Chloe did this. She threw my clothes on the floor and said you told her she could sleep here tonight." For a moment, something dark crossed Damian’s eyes, but it disappeared quickly. He looked up again, his face blank.

"I’ll have Mrs. Gable get a digital restoration team to fix the photo," Damian said. "About the bed, as I said, we sleep here to keep up appearances for my grandfather’s staff. Chloe stays in the guest wing."

Vivian gave a short, bitter laugh. "That’s it? She destroys my things, threatens our deal, and you just want to fix it with money?" Damian’s shadow blocked the candlelight as he reached out, gently holding her chin and making her look up into his cold eyes. His touch was warm, sending an unwanted spark through her.

"Listen to me carefully, Vivian," Damian whispered, his breath brushing against her lips. "I paid thirty million dollars to save your family. That money buys your compliance, your silence, and your tolerance. If Chloe makes your life difficult, you endure it. That is your job."

Vivian swallowed, her chin trembling in his grasp, but she did not look away. "And if I cannot endure it, Damian? What if I leave?"

Damian’s grip tightened slightly, his eyes narrowing.

"If you walk away, the wire transfer gets frozen tomorrow morning, your father’s company assets are seized, and he spends the rest of his sick life in a federal prison hospital," Damian whispered, his voice dangerously dark. "You are locked in this cage with me for the next year, Vivian. No matter who else is in it."

He let go of her chin and turned away, walking toward the bathroom. Vivian felt trapped. She had no power, no money, and no choice.

With a heavy heart, she knelt and picked up her scattered clothes in the dim light. She decided not to sleep in the bed and instead settled on the small velvet sofa near the window. The room stayed quiet and tense.

Vivian curled up on the narrow sofa, shivering under a small blanket. She stared at the dark New York skyline as silent tears ran down her cheeks.

Hours passed in the dark, heavy silence. As Vivian started to fall asleep, a strange, muffled sound broke the quiet. She opened her eyes and listened. Damian was tossing and turning under the sheets. A low, rough groan escaped him, followed by a sharp, desperate gasp.

"No..." Damian muttered, his voice rough, sounding completely stripped of his usual arrogant control. "Don't... don't leave..."

Vivian sat up slowly. In the faint moonlight, she saw Damian’s chest covered in sweat. He was trapped in a severe nightmare.

"Damian?" she whispered, stepping cautiously toward the bed.

Suddenly, Damian sat up with a gasp, his eyes opening wide. He breathed heavily, his chest heaving. Before Vivian could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the mattress beside him.

His grip was firm, holding her in place. He stared down at her, his gray eyes wide and filled with panic.

But he wasn't looking at Vivian.

"Chloe..." Damian choked out, his voice cracking with a terrifying level of despair as he pressed his forehead against Vivian's neck. "Please... don't leave me again..."