My Enemy's Son Is My Husband

An Unwanted Assignment

Serena knew something was wrong the moment her supervisor asked her to come into the conference room.

Damian was already there.

He sat at one end of the table with a laptop open in front of him, looking considerably less relaxed than usual. A second folder lay beside his computer.

Serena stopped in the doorway.

"Why is he here?"

Damian glanced up.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Her supervisor ignored them both.

"Take a seat. The two of you are working together on this."

Serena looked at the folder.

"Working together on what?"

"One of our suppliers has failed to meet several obligations under their current contract. We're negotiating a replacement agreement, and we need the financial reports reviewed before the meeting tomorrow."

Damian leaned back.

"I can handle it."

"Then you can handle it with Serena," the supervisor replied. "She already found an error in the previous report, and I want another set of eyes on the numbers."

Serena looked at Damian.

He looked back at her.

Neither seemed pleased.

"When do you need it?" Serena asked.

"Before the end of the day."

Her supervisor left.

Silence filled the room.

Damian glanced at the folder.

"This should be quick."

Serena pulled out a chair.

"Then start."

He looked amused.

"You always talk to your colleagues like that?"

"Only the difficult ones."

"I see."

They began with the financial report.

For the first twenty minutes, they managed to work without arguing. Serena checked the figures against the supporting documents while Damian examined the contract terms.

Then she stopped.

"This number is wrong."

Damian looked over.

"Where?"

She pointed to the report.

"The projected cost for the second quarter doesn't match the supplier's revised estimate."

Damian checked his screen.

"You're right."

Serena looked at him.

"You sound surprised."

"I am."

"That I caught it?"

"That you caught it that quickly."

She returned her attention to the report.

"You'll have to get used to being surprised."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

They continued.

The longer they worked, the more Serena realized that Damian understood far more about the business than she had assumed. He asked precise questions, understood the financial implications of the contract and challenged figures that didn't make sense.

He was still arrogant and irritating.

But he wasn't incompetent.

"Why do you pretend you don't care about this place?" Serena asked before she could stop herself.

Damian looked at her.

"Who says I pretend?"

"Your reputation."

"My reputation is based on what people see."

"And what are they missing?"

He studied her for a moment.

"Why are you interested?"

"I'm not."

"You're asking a lot of questions for someone who's not interested."

Serena gave him a look.

"Forget it."

She returned to the report.

Damian smiled slightly, but he didn't push her.

An hour later, they had identified several problems with the supplier's numbers.

Damian closed his laptop.

"We need the original agreement."

"It's probably in the legal archive."

"Can you get it?"

"Probably."

"Good."

Serena stood.

"I'll go."

"I'll come with you."

She turned.

"Why?"

"Because I need to see it."

"You could wait here."

"I could."

She recognized the same expression he had worn the day they'd first met.

Serena sighed.

"Fine."

The archive was in another part of the building, and once they found the correct section, Serena located the contract.

She opened the folder and began comparing the original figures with the current report.

Damian leaned over her shoulder.

"Look at this."

He pointed to a clause near the bottom of the agreement.

Serena read it.

"They changed the payment schedule."

"Without informing us."

"Can they do that?"

"Not according to this contract."

He took a photograph of the page with his phone.

Serena watched him.

"You're actually taking this seriously."

Damian looked at her.

"Does that disappoint you?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

She smiled faintly.

"It's just difficult to reconcile with the man I met on my first day."

"Maybe you didn't meet me on my best day."

"Or maybe you were exactly who everyone said you were."

He looked amused.

"Which is it?"

"I haven't decided."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence felt different from the ones they usually shared.

Damian looked at her a little longer than necessary.

Serena noticed and looked back at the contract.

"We should finish this."

"Probably."

They returned to the conference room and completed the review.

By the end of the afternoon, they had enough information to challenge the supplier's revised proposal.

Serena closed the last file.

"Done."

Damian nodded.

"You were good."

She looked at him.

"Was that a compliment?"

"Don't get used to it."

She laughed before she could stop herself.

Damian noticed.

Serena immediately looked away.

It was the first time they had laughed together.

It shouldn't have mattered.

Yet neither of them seemed eager to forget it.

Damian gathered the reports.

"I'll present this tomorrow."

"You?"

"My father wants me there."

Serena raised an eyebrow.

"Does he usually trust you with meetings like this?"

"Not lately."

"Then don't give him a reason to regret it."

Damian smiled.

"I won't."

They walked out of the conference room together.

Neither noticed Alexander standing several feet away at the end of the corridor.

He had seen them working together.

More importantly, he had seen Damian smile.

Alexander's expression changed.

His son had spent years resisting every attempt to make him take the company seriously.

Now he was standing beside Richard Vale's daughter, discussing contracts as though he had finally found something worth caring about.

Alexander watched them disappear around the corner.

He had spent years trying to understand what could possibly make Damian change.

Now he was beginning to suspect he had finally found the answer.

For the first time, Alexander Blackwood wondered whether bringing Serena Vale into his company had been the biggest mistake he had ever made or the first thing that might finally save his son.

Time was going to tell