Wolves At The Gate
712 Words
Damien didn't break eye contact with me as his mother’s heels clicked sharply against the marble hallway outside.
The cold, dangerous aura he wore like a shield was fully back in place.
"Stay in bed," he commanded softly, straightening up and buttoning his suit jacket. "Let me handle this."
"No," I said, a sudden wave of stubbornness overriding my fear.
I threw off the silk sheets. "She called me a girl from the gutter. This is my contract too, Damien. I'm going out there."
Damien paused. His gray eyes narrowed as he scanned my face. A low, dark hum traveled down his throat.
"Then put on the robe. And remember your lines."
I grabbed the heavy black silk robe from the foot of the bed, tying it tightly around my waist. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, but I forced my chin up.
When we walked into the open-concept living room, Eleanor Vance was already seated on the velvet sofa.
She looked like royalty wrapped in Chanel—sharp, severe, and radiating absolute disapproval. Two suit-clad lawyers stood stiffly behind her.
"Damien," Eleanor said, not even glancing at me. "Explain this impulsive, embarrassing farce. You married a Sterling? A family on the brink of a public bankruptcy? Have you lost your mind?"
"I don't lose my mind, Mother. I make investments," Damien replied. His voice dropped into a terrifyingly calm, corporate register.
He walked over to the sofa, but he didn't sit. Instead, he pulled me flush against his side, his large hand wrapping possessively around my waist.
Eleanor finally looked at me, her eyes tracking down my bare feet, up the oversized silk robe, and landing on my messy hair.
"She’s a child. A discarded fiancée. The papers are calling you a predator, Damien. This ruins our family alignment for the upcoming board vote."
"The board vote is secure because I now control the Sterling shares," Damien fired back, his grip tightening on my hip. "And Chloe is not a farce. She is my wife."
"She is a temporary distraction," Eleanor sneered, standing up to face him. She stepped closer, ignoring the space between them.
"I’ve already had the legal team draft an annulment. Sign it, pay her off, and let’s end this before the Gala tonight."
One of the lawyers stepped forward, holding out a sleek silver pen and a single sheet of paper.
The room went completely still. I looked at the paper, then up at Damien.
If he took the pen, the contract was over. I would be thrown back to Austin and my father, completely ruined. My breath hitched in my throat.
Damien looked down at the paper. Then, a slow, mocking smile spread across his lips.
"You brought an annulment into my home?" Damien asked softly.
Without warning, he snatched the paper from the lawyer's hand and tore it completely in half, dropping the pieces onto the floor.
"Chloe is staying right here," Damien growled. His gray eyes flashed with a raw, dark fury that made even his mother step back.
"If anyone challenges her place in this family, I will personally strip them of their board seats by Monday morning. Are we clear?"
Eleanor gasped, her face turning pale with rage. She stared at Damien, then fixed a venomous look on me.
"You think you’ve won, little girl? Let's see how well you survive the wolves at the Gala tonight."
She turned on her heel and stormed out, her lawyers scrambling to follow her. The heavy penthouse doors slammed shut behind them.
The silence returned, heavy and suffocating.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, my body suddenly going weak. I leaned into Damien's side for support, but he immediately let go of my waist, stepping away.
The warmth of his touch vanished, replaced instantly by his cold corporate demeanor.
"You did well," Damien said, not looking at me as he checked his watch. "But my mother was right about one thing. Tonight is going to be an absolute bloodbath. A stylist will be here at three. Be ready."
He walked toward the front door, leaving me standing alone in the massive, empty living room next to the torn pieces of the annulment contract.
- Writer
