Dear Ex, Vengeance Made Us Three

Chapter One The Deal Elena Hayes had never imagined that she would beg a stranger to marry her. Yet here she was. Standing inside the private office of the most powerful billionaire in New York, with her father's entire future resting on a single sheet of paper. The rain outside hammered against the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the city into a blur of silver lights. Elena tightened her fingers around the strap of her handbag. Across the enormous desk sat Damien Blackwood. The man who owned half the city. The man whose name appeared on the covers of business magazines almost every week. And, unfortunately, the man who hated her father. His reputation had reached Elena long before she ever met him. Cold. Ruthless. Impossible to negotiate with. She had always assumed those descriptions were exaggerated. She was beginning to think they weren't. Damien leaned back in his chair, studying her as though she were a business proposal he hadn't decided whether to accept. “You understand why you're here?” Elena swallowed. “Yes.” “Then say it.” Her jaw tightened. “My family's company is bankrupt.” “Not quite.” His voice was calm. “Your family is thirty-seven million dollars in debt.” Elena's face burned. She already knew. She had spent the last three days watching her father's empire collapse piece by piece. Employees were being dismissed. Banks were calling. Suppliers were refusing to deliver goods. And this morning, the final blow had come. The Hayes Group would be officially liquidated within seventy-two hours. Unless someone paid the debt. Someone like Damien Blackwood. “I can pay it,” he said. Elena's eyes lifted. Hope appeared before she could stop it. “You can?” “I can do more than pay it.” Damien opened a drawer and removed a black folder. He pushed it across the desk. Elena stared at it. “What is that?” “Your solution.” She hesitated before opening it. The first page contained a contract. Her eyes moved down the page. Then stopped. Her heart nearly stopped with them. MARRIAGE AGREEMENT. Elena looked up slowly. “You want me to marry you?” “Yes.” The answer came so easily that she almost laughed. “You're serious.” “I don't joke about business.” “This isn't business.” “For me, everything is business.” Elena closed the folder. “Find someone else.” She stood. Damien didn't stop her. He simply said, “If you walk out of this room, the Hayes Group disappears tomorrow.” Her feet froze. Silence filled the room. Elena slowly turned around. “You wouldn't.” “I would.” “You hate my father.” “I do.” “And you're punishing me because of him?” Damien's expression remained unreadable. “I'm giving you a choice.” “A choice?” “Yes.” He stood. At over six feet tall, Damien suddenly seemed even more intimidating. “You marry me, and I clear your family's debt.” Elena stared at him. “And if I refuse?” “Your father's company dies.” Her chest tightened. She hated him. She hated the arrogance in his voice. She hated the fact that he knew exactly how desperate she was. Most of all, she hated that she didn't have another option. “What are the conditions?” Damien's eyebrow lifted. “You're considering it?” “Just answer me.” He walked around the desk and stopped in front of her. “One year.” Elena frowned. “One year?” “You will remain my wife for twelve months.” “And then?” “We divorce.” That sounded almost too easy. “What else?” “No interference in my business.” “Fine.” “You will attend public events with me when required.” “Fine.” “You will live in my house.” Elena hesitated. “Fine.” Damien's gaze settled on her. “And you will not fall in love with me.” For some reason, those words irritated her more than everything else. Elena gave him a cold smile. “Don't worry, Mr. Blackwood.” She picked up the contract. “That's one rule you won't have to worry about.” Something flickered in his eyes. Amusement. Or perhaps annoyance. She couldn't tell. Damien extended his hand. “Then we have a deal.” Elena stared at his hand. This was insane. She was twenty-four years old. She had never been married. She barely knew this man. And yet, in order to save her family, she was about to sell him one year of her life. She placed her hand in his. His fingers closed around hers. Warm. Firm. Possessive. A strange shiver ran down her spine. She immediately pulled away. “Tomorrow,” Damien said. Elena blinked. “What?” “Our wedding.” “Tomorrow?” “You wanted your father's company saved.” He picked up the contract. “I don't like wasting time.” Elena stared at him in disbelief. “You've already arranged everything?” “Of course.” “You knew I'd agree?” Damien looked directly into her eyes. “No.” He paused. “I knew you wouldn't let your father lose everything.” The words struck deeper than they should have. Elena turned away. She refused to let him see the tears gathering in her eyes. She had spent three days watching her family fall apart. She couldn't afford to break now. “Fine,” she whispered. “Tomorrow.” She walked toward the door. Her hand had barely touched the handle when Damien spoke again. “Elena.” She looked over her shoulder. His expression had changed. For the first time, the coldness in his eyes seemed almost personal. “There's something else you should know.” “What?” Damien's gaze hardened. “Your father is the reason my family lost everything.” Elena went still. “I know.” “No.” He took a slow step toward her. “You don't.” His voice dropped. “One day, you'll learn exactly what your father did.” Elena's heart began pounding. “What are you talking about?” Damien didn't answer. Instead, he smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. It wasn't even a pleasant one. It was the smile of a man who had been waiting years for something. “Get some sleep, Mrs. Blackwood.” Elena stared at him. “We're not married yet.” “Tomorrow we will be.” She opened the door. “And Elena?” She turned. Damien's eyes held hers. “Once you become my wife, there will be no turning back.” She didn't understand the warning. Not yet. She stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind her. Damien remained standing in the middle of his office. His jaw tightened. For ten years, he had planned this moment. Ten years of rebuilding his empire. Ten years of waiting. And now Elena Hayes was walking straight into his hands. He picked up the photograph lying on his desk. A younger Damien stood beside his parents. The photograph was old. Burned around the edges. His thumb brushed over his mother's face. Then he looked toward the closed door. “I'll destroy your family,” he whispered. His eyes darkened. “Just like your father destroyed mine.” But Damien didn't know one thing. The woman he had just married for revenge would soon become the only person capable of destroying him. And by the time he realized it... It would already be too late.