Chapter 16
1000 Words
Veronica's POV
The clink of glass was the only sound in the penthouse as Veronica Longard poured herself a glass of champagne.
Across from her, a designer sketch for her upcoming gala sat unfolded, detailing everything including the floral installations, media coverage, and guest list down to the initials.
She didn't even glance at it anymore.
Her phone buzzed once.
“Everything is confirmed,” her assistant messaged. “Press release goes live at noon. Damian’s name is first on the list.”
Veronica smiled without warmth.
“It’s time to remind the world who he belongs to,” she murmured.
Because if Elena Morgan thought a hospital bed and a pity marriage made her relevant, Veronica was about to educate her in the language of power.
Elena's POV
The article spread across social media. It was a carefully orchestrated leak.
Veronica Longard’s Annual Light Gala. It was an exclusive, grand and lavish party.
The kind of event that drew presidents and stockholders alike.
And there, at the top of the expected attendees?
Damian Blackwood, CEO of Blackwood International.
Elena blinked as she read the headline again, seated in the lounge beside Emma, who was busy coloring a unicorn blue.
Beatrice, seated across from her with her hands folded neatly in her lap, said nothing at first. She’d seen it too. Oh… of course she had.
Elena cleared her throat and set the tablet aside. “I think Damian would be attending an event.”
Beatrice replied, calm as always. “Damian isn’t going.”
Elena flinched. “Are you sure?”
“I asked him,” Beatrice said simply. “He said he wouldn’t leave tonight. Not with you and Emma here.”
A flicker of warmth bloomed in Elena’s chest. But so did uncertainty. She wasn’t used to being chosen, not over the world he once fit into.
Damian's POV
The invitation had been delivered in person, gold-embossed, sealed in red wax with the Longard family crest.
He hadn’t even opened it.
Instead, he stood in the kitchen watching Elena help Emma sprinkle sugar over a tray of cookies. The girl was giggling. Elena’s sleeves were rolled up, flour on her wrist, hair falling loose down her back.
It was chaos in the most beautiful way.
The gala could go on for all he cared
He pulled out his phone only to see yet another message from Veronica.
“I saved you a dance. I hope you won't use your pet as an excuse.”
He didn’t reply.
Instead, he slipped the phone into his pocket and approached the counter.
“Mind if I steal one?” he asked, reaching for a warm cookie.
“You didn’t help,” Elena said with mock indignation.
“I’m contributing by eating.”
Emma grinned and held up a second cookie.
He took it and crouched beside her. “Best chef in the house.”
Emma nodded solemnly, pleased.
Elena tried not to stare, not at the way he softened around the girl or how easily he ignored the world calling at his name outside the gates.
*Later That Night*
Veronica's POV
The flashbulbs were endless. Her dress was silver, sewn with real pearls. She looked like royalty.
But Damian Blackwood never walked through those doors.
She waited. Smiled at reporters. Toasted CEO's and politicians.
And still, no Damian.
But what she did get, around midnight, was worse than silence.
A picture got leaked to the press.
A candid shot of Damian in a white shirt, sleeves rolled, kneeling beside Emma as she stirred batter.
Elena was behind them, laughing. The glow of the kitchen lights made the scene intimate
It looked and felt like a real family
Veronica’s hand tightened around her wineglass until it cracked.
A female socialite beside her whispered, “Guess the CEO has found something better than ballrooms.”
She smiled tightly.
But inside, the storm had begun.
Elena's POV
She had gone to bed late, her hands still smelled of sugar.
Damian had stayed a little longer than usual. He hadn’t said much, just lingered in the hallway as she tucked Emma into bed, just stood by the door after, as if there was something he wanted to say and couldn’t.
She hadn’t asked him
Now, alone in her room, she lay on the covers staring at the ceiling.
She had seen the new photo that got posted.
She loved it, although she felt exposed.
That photo, whoever had taken it had shown something intimate. Something that wasn't ready for the world.
She turned and pulled the blanket tighter.
Whatever this was between her and Damian, it couldn’t stay hidden forever.
But neither could it survive under the spotlight.
*The Next Morning*
Leo's POV
“I traced the photo,” Leo said, pacing Damian’s office.
“Where?” Damian asked
“One of the maids took a casual photo and sent it to her sister, who thought it was sweet and uploaded it. Someone cropped that part out after seeing you in the background.”
Damian didn’t reply.
Leo exhaled. “It could’ve been worse. People are loving it. The media’s calling it your ‘private family moment.’ You’ve gone viral in a good way for once.”
“I don’t care about public opinion,” Damian said.
“You care about her.”
That stopped him.
Damian looked out the window toward the garden. Elena was there, walking slowly, Emma’s hand in hers.
“I do,” he said quietly.
Veronica's POV
She had woken up in a not so good mood.
In her penthouse, Veronica stared at the viral headline.
“Damian Blackwood’s Domestic Side Shocks the Internet.”
And beneath it, there was another headline making waves
“Who is this mysterious woman that has the cold Billionaire Beast in her kitchen”
She read it all over again
Then smiled.
Because if Damian wanted to play house with a dying woman?
She would make sure their foundation cracked from the inside.
- Writer
