The quiet that followed Damon's remarks was stifling. As I handled the threat—masked in cool, deliberate words—my pulse flew. It was a test, a moment that would define my life going forward, and he understood this. Eyes black and unreadable, he studied me waiting for my response. My fingers nested into fists on my lap, nails piercing into my palms, I battled the want to shake.
I looked back at him, rebellious. And if I agree, what then happens?
Damon's gaze softened, just a bit sufficient to cause me to doubt what I had seen. Leaning back, the strain in his frame relaxed as he appeared content that I was beginning to understand the implications. "You will enter my house tomorrow. The public will be notified of our participation; you will be visible at every event, every gala at my side. Two months will find you Mrs. Damon Blackwood.
Two months is it. Given the brief time span, my chest tightened. "You're serious," I said, half-doubting. "You want this to look authentic, don't you?"
"It has to be real, Elena," he murmured, every word tinged with subdued power. "The world is watching and they cannot see fractures in this alliance."
League. The word tasted strongly like something sour. a team to protect my family, but at what price to me? My mind drifted to my university, the late evenings spent researching, the fantasies of launching my own company. Now, everything seemed so far-off, like sand slipping through my hands.
"Why myself?" I questioned, trying to grasp. "Any woman ready to fulfill this role may be yours. Why did you select me?
Damon's look changed to show something I couldn't name crossing his face. "For you are not like them. I have great interest in your fire. And deep inside, I believe you realize you were designed for more than a modest, predictable life.
I started to argue, but the words stopped on my lips. He was in a sense right. Though I had always yearned more, not like this. I intended it on my terms. Still, Damon Blackwood's stare had a way of making me seen—even in the most disturbing manner.
"What now then?" Though my heart thumped with expectation and fear, I made myself sound unaffected.
"We now present the world they should see." Rising, Damon waved for me to follow suit. His great height made me feel both imprisoned and shielded. He grabbed my hand before I could respond, the touch jolted my arm. His thumb silently promised a commitment by grazing my knuckles. If you are in this, Elena, there is no turning back.
I nodded, not sure of the motion. For a brief instant, his fingers tightened around mine, as though closing an unspoken bond.
He responded, releasing my hand and turning away to dismiss me like a closed business transaction: "I'll have someone pick you up tomorrow morning." Get ready for your next life.
I hesitated, feeling the finality settle in my bones as I watched his wide back. I turned to go, but he spoke once more, his voice low and menacing, just before I got to the door. "And Elena, betray me, and I'm going to destroy more than just your family name."
I turned not back, unable to believe myself to be facing him. Walking from his office into the dazzling lobby lights, my legs felt weighty. Whispers of the strong resounding through the Blackwood Enterprises walls seemed to press in around me.
The chilly breeze that greeted me outdoors anchored me in reality. Now I was not only Elena Rivera. Soon to be Mrs. Damon Blackwood, shackled to a man wielding all the authority, I couldn't get rid of the impression I was entering the lion's den.
An automobile stopped at the curb; the driver nodded as he unlocked the door. I entered, my head racing. Questions whirled in my head as the city lights blurring past I hurried home. I would lose how much of myself to this arrangement? And why did Damon Blackwood seem so sure I wouldn't try to fight my fate?
When my phone buzzed in my pocket, the idea hardly entered my head. I took it out and perused the message that ice coursed through my body:
We should meet tonight. We must discuss. I know Blackwood facts you would not find credible.
Though the number was blocked, my curiosity and terror seized me. Who was this, and how informed of my deal they were? Realizing one thing—that the actual game had just started—my heart thumped.
Damon's eyes were black pools dragging me down further; his focus never wavered. "Why not you?" His voice was low and deliberate. You come with the ideal package, are smart, driven, and Your family will be respected by mine as well. For a guy like me, you will be the ideal wife.
The words hung between us, choking, heavy with ramifications I wasn't ready to confront. But something in his eyes made me doubt all I knew, including myself.
Before I could open my mouth to ask the question I knew was approaching, his office door crashed open. Breathless, a man in a fine suit entered, his face pallid.
"Mr. Blackwood, the board situation is... We must now manage it.
Damon's demeanor stayed the same, but in his eyes a flutter of something—danger, urgency? Standing, he turned to face the man. "Handle it." In five I will be there.
The man nodded and dashed off, leaving Damon by himself. He turned back to me, his attitude stiffening and his eyes cooler now.
"We will wrap up this later."
But I had no idea if I would endure whatever was ahead.