DAMIEN'S POV
I replay the moment over and over in my head-the look on Lily's face as she walked into my office that day. The disgust, the betrayal, the cold, unflinching way she slapped me. It was like she stripped me bare, pulled away every layer of power I had built for myself, and left me standing there, exposed.
I thought I had control of the situation. I thought I could keep Lily close, even as I tried to bury myself in the familiar comfort of Samantha. But Lily isn't like anyone else. She doesn't crumble; she burns. And that fire-it's intoxicating, maddening, and now it's completely out of my reach.
I've spent days trying to justify what happened, to rationalize my actions. But every excuse I come up with sounds hollow, even to me. The truth? I was weak. Samantha was easy-a distraction, a reminder of who I used to be before Lily came into my life and turned it upside down. But Samantha isn't Lily. She never could be.
Lily owns me, whether she realizes it or not. Every thought, every breath, every dark corner of my mind-she's there, taunting me, haunting me. And now, after tonight, the image of her walking into that gala on Caleb's arm is seared into my memory like a brand.
She looked breathtaking, wrapped in that royal blue dress that hugged her every curve. She was confidence and power personified, and every man in that room saw it. They saw her strength, her beauty. But it wasn't their gazes that made my blood boil-it was Caleb's.
He looked at her like she was his, like he had earned the right to be by her side. As if he hadn't shattered her heart once before. The thought of his hands on her, his lips claiming what should be mine, made my fists clench at my sides.
I stood there, rooted in place, Samantha draped over me like some cheap accessory. I felt her nails digging into my arm, but I didn't care. My focus was on Lily-on the way her laughter seemed lighter with Caleb, the way she carried herself as if I no longer mattered.
But I do.
I matter to her, whether she admits it or not. I know the fire between us hasn't died. It can't. It's too raw, too consuming to simply disappear. She can try to hide it, to bury it beneath her anger and disgust, but I see the truth in her eyes when she looks at me.
Or at least I thought I did.
Until tonight.
Thomas's entrance was a calculated move, as it always is with him. I should have known he'd use this gala to air his grievances, to remind me of who really holds the power in this family. He didn't just expose Samantha's deceit; he exposed my weakness-my inability to see through her lies, my failure to keep control.
And Lily saw it all.
I felt her gaze on me as my father laid everything bare for the world to see. Samantha's fraud, my blind trust, the cracks in the empire I've worked so hard to build. It was humiliating. But what cut deeper than the whispers of the crowd, the sharp judgment in my father's eyes, was the way Lily didn't even flinch.
She didn't gloat, didn't smirk, didn't revel in my downfall. She simply turned away, dismissing me as if I no longer existed.
It was worse than any slap.
And Caleb was there, his hand on her back, guiding her out of the room like some knight in shining armor. He thinks he's won, that he's taken her from me. But Caleb doesn't know Lily the way I do. He doesn't know the depths of her, the fire that burns just beneath her surface.
He can't love her the way I do. He can't destroy himself for her the way I'm willing to.
The car ride back to my penthouse is a blur. Samantha tried to talk, her voice a whimper of excuses and apologies, but I silenced her with a look. She's nothing to me now-less than nothing.
When I finally step into my office, the silence is deafening. I pour myself a drink, the amber liquid burning as it slides down my throat. But it does nothing to dull the ache, the gnawing obsession that grows stronger with every passing second.
I can still see Lily in that dress, the way she held her head high, unshaken by everything I've done to her. It should make me furious, the way she's slipped through my fingers. But instead, it only makes me want her more.
I run a hand through my hair, pacing the length of the room like a caged animal. The darkness inside me, the part of me that has always craved control, whispers dangerous thoughts. Thoughts of how I can get her back.
Because I will.
I don't care what it takes, what lines I have to cross. Lily belongs to me. She always has. And Caleb? He's just a distraction, a reminder of the boy who's always lived in my shadow. He doesn't deserve her.
The memory of Lily's slap flashes through my mind again, and for a moment, I feel something close to regret. But it's fleeting. Regret is a weakness I can't afford, not when it comes to her.
Lily is fire, and I'm the only one who knows how to contain her. Caleb will try to tame her, to turn her into something soft and manageable, but that's not who she is. She's chaos and passion, and she needs someone who can match her intensity.
She needs me.
I down the rest of my drink, the glass slamming against the desk with a sharp crack. My reflection stares back at me from the darkened window-cold, calculating, determined.
Tonight was a setback, but it's not the end. Lily thinks she's done with me, but she's wrong.
I'll remind her who she belongs to.
I'll remind her why she can't walk away.
And Caleb?
He'll regret ever thinking he could take what's mine.