ChapterThree-TheDinnerDeal
811 Words
The next evening arrived faster than I wanted.
The entire Carter mansion smelled of roses and desperation. Staff moved like ghosts, polishing silver that didn’t need polishing, lighting candles that only made the house look lonelier.
Vivian stood in the grand dining room, overseeing everything with military precision.
“Sit up straight, smile when spoken to, and for God’s sake, don’t talk back,” she said.
I adjusted my simple black dress — nothing sparkly, nothing showy.
“Maybe I should just tape my mouth shut. It’d save us both the trouble.”
She shot me a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
“Don’t test me, Elena. Not tonight.”
Grandma Rose sat quietly by the fireplace, her hands folded over her cane.
“You can’t control everything, Vivian,” she said gently. “Sometimes, the heart decides for us.”
Vivian didn’t even glance at her. “The heart doesn’t pay debts.”
A knock echoed through the house — deep, steady, final.
The air itself seemed to pause.
Vivian straightened, plastering on her flawless hostess smile.
“Show him in.”
When the butler opened the door, Damien Winters stepped inside.
The room seemed to shrink around him.
He wore black again — sharp, precise, perfect — the same color as his reputation. His eyes swept over everything once, landing briefly on me before he took his seat at the head of the table.
“Mr. Winters,” Vivian purred, “we’re honored you could join us.”
“Business doesn’t wait,” he said calmly. “And I like to conclude my arrangements quickly.”
I stiffened. Arrangements. That’s what this was to him. A business deal. A merger in heels.
The first course arrived — delicate, tasteless, expensive. I couldn’t swallow.
Vivian filled every silence with chatter: charity events, social circles, investment gossip.
Damien replied in short, polite sentences, never smiling.
Every time his eyes flicked toward me, my heart jumped.
Finally, he spoke directly to me.
“You don’t talk much, Miss Carter.”
I met his gaze. “Maybe I prefer silence to small talk.”
A small smirk touched his lips.
“So I noticed.”
Vivian nearly choked on her wine. “Elena, dear, Mr. Winters is only being kind.”
“I’m sure,” I muttered, earning another warning glare.
Halfway through dinner, Damien set down his fork and folded his hands neatly.
“Let’s discuss the terms,” he said, looking directly at my father. “Carter Enterprises has three months before the creditors move in. I can clear its debts and restore the brand.”
He paused. “On one condition.”
The room went silent.
Vivian’s smile returned, smug. “We understand. You want to marry Elena.”
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Damien turned his gaze on me again, and for a heartbeat, I thought I saw something — curiosity, maybe — but it vanished as quickly as it came.
“You’re free to refuse, Miss Carter,” he said calmly. “But if you do, I’ll be withdrawing all offers to assist your family.”
I swallowed hard. “So it’s not a proposal. It’s blackmail.”
Vivian gasped. “Elena!”
He tilted his head slightly, unbothered.
“Call it what you like. I’m offering a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
I rose from my seat, hands shaking. “I don’t need your charity.”
“It’s not charity,” he said coolly. “It’s business.”
Grandma Rose’s voice broke through the tension.
“Business may build empires, Mr. Winters, but it destroys people.”
For the first time, Damien actually looked at her — really looked. Respect flickered in his eyes.
“Noted,” he said simply, before turning back to me.
“Think about it, Miss Carter. I’ll expect an answer soon.”
He stood, adjusted his cufflinks, and nodded politely to my father and Vivian.
“Pleasure doing business,” he said, before walking out.
The silence he left behind was deafening.
Vivian rounded on me instantly.
“Do you see what you’ve done? He was being reasonable!”
“Reasonable?” I whispered. “He just offered to buy me!”
Vivian’s eyes glinted. “Then let yourself be bought. At least one of us will survive this.”
She stormed out.
Father sat down heavily, face pale. “Elena… maybe it’s not so terrible. He’s powerful. Influential.”
I stared at him, tears threatening. “And cold.”
Grandma Rose reached for my hand. “Cold things can still hold light, my dear. Diamonds are proof of that.”
I looked toward the door where Damien Winters had vanished.
Maybe he thought I’d be easy to break.
He was wrong.
“If the Ice King wants a queen,” I whispered, “he’ll have to earn her
- Writer
