Chapter 11: Who Betrayed Who?

Lila's POV

The mirror didn’t lie.

“What do you think, JoJo?” I turned around, letting my gown flow around my ankles as I posed with a half-smile. The silk hugged me in all the right places... almost too well.

On the phone, JoJo tilted his head like a fashion judge. “Baby, by now you should be familiar with fashion. I’m bored of rating you. You slay every damn time.”

I hissed, smirking. “Fuck off. I’m getting myself a new bestie. Somebody more useful.”

He leaned closer to his camera with a mocking laugh. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. Your new bestie probably gives you dick.”

My jaw dropped. I covered my mouth with my palm and grabbed my phone from its stand, heat rushing to my cheeks. “How the hell did you know that?”

JoJo cracked up, clapping like he’d caught me red-handed. “Girl, you been all watchful lately. Asking about your skin, your body, acting brand new. I don’t need tarot cards to read these signs.”

I couldn’t hold my grin. “Okay fine, maybe you’re right.”

“Ha! So let me get this straight. Two stepbrothers in one night?” His voice shot up, dramatic as hell.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, JoJo. But nothing beats the last meat.”

“Oh, spill baby,” he leaned back, rubbing his palms.

I licked my lips, lowering my voice like it was confession hour. “Damien. That man is fucking hot. His hand placement? Gracious Heavens! He’s got that rough, raw, hardcore vibe. But Ethan…” I paused, biting my lip. “Ethan was good too. More… making love to me than breaking me. Gentle. Careful. Sweet.”

JoJo screamed so loud I thought my screen cracked. “You’re a witch. You can’t tell me this and expect me to sleep tonight.”

“Shut up!” I burst into laughter. “Stop overreacting.”

“No, for real....which one would you wanna hit again???”

I didn’t hesitate. “Damien, of course. But he’s the type to make you shamefully leave his room after a session. Like you were nothing. Like he hates himself for even wanting you.”

JoJo’s smile dimmed, his sass fading into concern. “And that’s what you wanna spend your life on?”

The question hit harder than I wanted to admit. I sighed. “I don’t know, JoJo. I crave Damien like crazy. But Ethan… Ethan feels like a husband. Like safety. Like forever.”

Before he could respond, my door creaked open. I froze.

“JoJo, hang up,” I whispered, ending the call so fast I nearly threw my phone.

“Hey, Dad,” I turned, trying to hide my racing pulse. Mr. Blackwood stood tall, crisp suit, that billionaire’s aura never fading.

His eyes softened. “You look stunning, Lila. Hurry downstairs, I want to introduce you to some friends.”

“Sure, Dad.” I forced a smile as he left.

I faced the mirror one last time, adjusting the straps of my gown. “You can do this, Lila,” I told my reflection before stepping out.

***

The party smelled like wealth.

Chandeliers spilled golden light across the hall. Polished marble floors reflected glitters from designer shoes. Waiters in black ties floated like ghosts, balancing silver trays with champagne flutes. Laughter rolled between crystal glasses. A live quartet played soft jazz in the corner, their instruments gleaming under spotlights.

I hated it.

Everywhere I turned, I saw smiles too sharp, handshakes too rehearsed, conversations dripping with money and power. My chest tightened; social anxiety crawled up my spine like ice. I searched the crowd, half-desperate, half-terrified to see Damien.

After last night… after the way he tasted me, after the way his hands carved fire into my skin, I thought maybe he’d soften. He’d called me cheap, yes, but he’d also kissed me like I was oxygen. He couldn’t be cruel forever. Could he?

My gaze shifted, and my stomach dropped.

Ethan.

My sweet, flirty Ethan, laughing with a glass of whiskey. My heart skipped, guilt crawling over me. It wasn’t cheating, I told myself. We weren’t official. But damn if it didn’t feel like betrayal.

I spun away, rushing toward the bar, reaching for the first drink I could grab. And collided with the last person I needed.

Stephanie. Ethan’s ex.

Her lips curved in a sly smile. “Not so fast, sweetheart.”

I clenched my jaw. “Is there a problem?”

She stepped closer, eyes gleaming like venom.

“Relax. I’ve got nothing against you.”

“Mhm.” I crossed my arms. “And you shouldn’t.”

Her smirk widened. “Ethan must be taking really good care of you.”

I forced a smile. “You bet.”

She leaned in, her perfume stinging my nose. “Enjoy it while it lasts. And if you ever need me later…” She slipped a card toward me. “…call.”

Before I could touch it, a hand snatched it away.

Ethan.

I froze. Stephanie smirked, sashaying off without a word. Ethan’s eyes burned into me.

“What did she say?” His voice was low, dangerous.

“Nothing. Just pleasantries.”

His hands landed on my shoulders...gripping, tight, almost painful.

“Ethan...” I winced. “You’re hurting me.”

“Answer me,” he pressed. “If she said anything to you...?”

“I said you’re hurting me!” My voice cracked.

Something dark flickered in his gaze. Then, softer but no less sharp, he said: “Don’t ever speak to her again. You hear me? You’re mine to protect. I’ll treat you well. I’m enough for you.”

I stared at him, shaken. He released me suddenly, pacing like a storm. “Fuck. Fuck!”

I staggered back. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer, just stormed off, leaving me trembling in confusion.

I needed air.

I slipped out to the back, hoping for silence. But silence had a name tonight.

Damien.

Leaning against the balcony rail, cigarette in hand, eyes shadowed with thoughts miles away. My heart dropped.

“Hey,” I whispered.

He turned. His jaw tightened, and he looked away sharply, like my presence was a disappointment.

I stepped beside him, staring at the city lights. “Don’t flatter yourself. I didn’t stalk you. Social anxiety chased me out.”

He exhaled smoke, side-eyeing me. “You’re obsessed. Admit it.”

I snorted. “You should learn not to make everything about you.”

He flicked his cigarette. For a long moment, silence stretched. Then he said, “About last night. Everything I said.... I was horny. Don’t take it seriously.”

I swallowed. “I don’t mind. As long as it came out of your mouth.”

He looked at me, stunned. “Are you always this cheap?”

I smiled. “Which is exactly why you should grab me now before I turn expensive.”

His lips twitched, not in humor, in warning. “Careful.”

I touched his chest. “You’re not trying hard enough.”

He smirked, wicked, tilting my chin. “I don’t try hard, Lila. I get hard.”

Heat shot through me, pooling low. I glanced down, then back up, daring. “You mean like this?” My hand pressed against him.

He groaned softly, his grip on my ass firm. “Be careful what you wish for.”

My breath caught. His lips brushed mine, but then he pulled away. “I play ladies like I play PS. And I always win.”

He walked back inside, leaving me raw and wanting.

***

Mr. Blackwood’s voice boomed, glass raised. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight.”

The crowd cheered. He joked about business tycoons, made them laugh, then continued.

“I called you all here not only to celebrate my signed deal with England, but also to honor tradition. For this venture, England asked that I bring forward my bloodline. Young. Engaged. Ready.”

My stomach knotted. Engaged?

I glanced at Ethan. At Stephanie. At Damien. My chest tightened.

“And so,” Mr. Blackwood smiled, “I will send my first fruit, Damien Blackwood.”

Claps exploded. My pulse raced. Damien? Engaged?

But then...

“With his lovely wife-to-be,” Mr. Blackwood announced, “Lila Sinclair.”

The world crashed.

My lips parted. Ethan froze, mouth open. Damien’s face was unreadable, but I knew he wanted to burn the earth.

A maid whispered urgently, and I followed up the stairs, alongside Damien, Ethan and Dad...Inside the guest room, chaos erupted.

The room carried a suffocating silence the moment the door shut behind us. The weight of my father’s announcement still echoed like a curse in my ears. The air was thick, pressing on my lungs as I stood between Ethan and Damien, two storms threatening to collide.

Ethan was the first to break, his fists slamming against the wall with a hollow thud.

“What the hell was that, Dad?” he demanded, his voice cracked with rage. “Why would you throw her name like that without even asking? Without even thinking?”

My father’s eyes narrowed, calm but terrifying. “Watch your tone, Ethan. You’re forgetting who built the ground you’re standing on.”

Damien scoffed, leaning against the edge of the table like he owned the space. His cigarette scent still lingered on him, sharp and dangerous. “He’s right though, Father. This entire stunt.....announcing an engagement that doesn’t exist? With her?” His eyes cut to me, dark and mocking. “It’s reckless, even for you.”

Heat flushed my skin. “I’m not going through with this,” I blurted, my voice trembling but steady enough to cut the silence. “You can’t just throw me into some… some business arrangement like I’m property.”

My father’s head turned toward me slowly, and his eyes hardened. “You think this family runs on feelings, Lila? No. It runs on loyalty, image, and power. And if you truly see yourself as my daughter, you’ll understand sacrifice.”

My lips parted, but no words came.

Damien let out a cold laugh, clapping once as if amused. “Well, it’s simple then. I’m out. Find another puppet bride. I won’t play along with this circus.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Father snapped, his voice deep enough to shake the walls.

Ethan stepped forward, his jaw tight, his voice low and broken. “Then send me. I’ll go in Damien’s place. I’ll handle the England deal myself. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

I turned sharply to him, my chest tightening. “Ethan.."

Father cut him off. “You?” His laugh was short and merciless. “Do you even realize what you’re asking? Those assets are worth more than your life. Do you think you can carry that weight?”

Ethan’s nostrils flared. He looked at me, and for the first time, his anger softened. His hand reached for mine, gripping it tight like a promise. “I can carry her. That’s all that matters. We had a bond last night, Father..a bond for you to just throw her off like an asset, to anyone but Damien?"

My heart flipped, confusion clawing at me. Why did his touch, his words, suddenly feel like a trap? His love, too heavy?

Damien’s chuckle broke me out of it, low and cruel. “Pathetic,” he muttered, his gaze fixed on our joined hands. “So you two already fucked. And you think that makes you some kind of savior?”

The words landed like glass shattering. My stomach dropped. Ethan stiffened beside me, but he didn’t let go of my hand.

I looked at Father, my voice rising, desperate. “Don’t do this to me. Please. Don’t drag me into your business wars. You can’t use me as leverage.”

Father’s face darkened. “If either of you...” his finger stabbed toward Damien and Ethan “....keep spitting this childish nonsense, I’ll pull everything. The England deal, your inheritance, all of it. You’ll have nothing.”

The silence that followed was brutal. I could hear Ethan’s uneven breathing, Damien’s low curse under his breath, my own heart slamming in my chest.

"So, anyone who hits the trip gets your England assets?" Damien said clenching his fists.

I wasn't surprised. If it isn't business. Damien won't be damiening.

Father cleared his throat as he gave out a nod. "Exactly Mr Damien!"

"Nah. That is shitty as hell." Damien voiced out.

“Calm down,” Mr. Blackwood ordered.

“There’s nothing to calm,” Damien spat. “I’m not going on any trip with a low cheap bitch!”

Ethan turned, wild-eyed. “And I would love to, Father..please....” He stopped, jaw tight. “The girl I had something real with last night is being shipped out with my devil of a brother, nah that's not cool ain't gon lie.”

Damien’s lips curled. “So you fucked him too?”

“Stop!” I shouted. I turned to Mr. Blackwood. “I’m not doing this. I can’t go on a trip with Damien. And not just that, Now the world thinks I’m engaged,,, how do I erase that?”

“A divorce will be arranged later,” he said flatly.

Damien scoffed. “I will not be the media’s circus.”

Ethan grabbed my hand. “I’ll take her. I’ll go. Right, Lila?” His eyes burned into me, searching, desperate.

I swallowed hard, head spinning. His gaze scared me now... intense, obsessive.

“No,” I whispered. “I can’t.”

Ethan turned to me, his eyes burning. “We don’t need him. We don’t need this. We can do this together. Just say yes.” His voice cracked at the end, pleading. “Say yes to me.”

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling. My gaze flicked to Damien, who looked at me with that wicked smirk that dared me to deny the pull between us. Then back to Ethan...his desperation, his grip on my hand too tight, too certain.

“Tell me why,” Ethan demanded suddenly, his voice sharp, shaking. His eyes searched mine, furious and broken. “Tell me why you keep pushing me away. Tell me why you can’t just choose me. I can fix this right now if you let me. Why, Lila? Why?”

The room spun. My throat burned. My lips trembled, he was acting scary.

Yes. One Night. One Sex, but his actions? They were fucking uncalled for.

“I am pregnant...”