Chapter 3

Damon barely flinched. Instead, a slow, dangerous smile curved his lips as he slipped off his jacket and draped it over Ivy’s shoulders. She froze, clutching it tight, confused and breathless.

“Let’s go,” he said coldly, sliding his gun back beneath his clothes.

Ivy didn’t move. Her wide eyes brimmed with fear and defiance.

Damon turned back, voice like ice. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“Why should I?!” she snapped. “I don’t even know you!”

He smirked and stepped forward until her back hit the wall. With two fingers, he tilted her chin up.

“You’ll be a good girl and obey me… okay?” His calm tone was far more terrifying than a shout.

A shiver ran down her spine. Before she could respond, he hoisted her over his shoulder with ease.

“Put me down!” she shrieked, pounding his back.

But Damon walked on, silent and unbothered. The music throbbed, eyes followed, but no one dared to interfere.

Damon Williams was untouchable.

Whispers rose only after he vanished.

🗣️ “Who was that girl?”

🗣️ “Isn’t he still grieving Selena?”

🗣️ “That b**ch is so lucky.”

Everyone knew—Damon hadn’t touched another woman since Selena’s death.

Daniel — Rose Gold Street

Daniel staggered home, reeking of alcohol, muttering insults about Leah.

A man in black appeared, blocking his path. Daniel stumbled, tripped on the man’s foot, and crashed to the ground, nose bleeding.

“Watch where you’re going!” Daniel barked, grabbing the man’s shirt. He raised a hand to strike—only for the stranger to twist his arm until bone cracked.

Daniel screamed.

“You can’t fight a man,” the stranger hissed, “but you can beat your wife.”

One punch sent Daniel unconscious on the pavement. The stranger spat, kicked him once more, and vanished.

---

Damon’s Mansion

“Put me down! This is kidnapping!” Ivy screamed as Damon carried her inside.

The maids bowed. “Welcome home, Mr. Damon.”

He ignored them, marching upstairs. Curious eyes followed, but no one dared whisper.

In his room, he dropped Ivy on the bed. She scrambled to rise, but he pinned her with his weight.

“How did you survive, Selena? Where have you been?” His voice was low, almost tender.

“I’m not Selena!” she snapped, struggling beneath him.

He studied her. Same face. Same scent. The birthmark. “Selena… did you lose your memory?”

“Get off me, creep!”

“I’ll help you remember, wifey,” he murmured, leaning in.

Ivy’s heart pounded—her first kiss would not be stolen like this. But before she could react—

“Daddy!”

Two children burst in, followed by Celeste. Damon instantly pulled away, gathering the kids in his arms.

"Daddy?!! Damon had kids!! That KJ bastard never told me anything!!! " Ivy screamed inwardly as she began to feel anxious.

"Selena?!! Boss is th...." Celeste couldn't complete her words as she stared at ivy in shock.

Damon got up from the bed with the kids in his arms.

"Let's talk outside Celeste" Damon said and stepped out, Celeste followed him looking really dumbfounded.

Once they were finally gone, Ivy took out her phone from her jean skirt and immediately dialed KJ number and he picked-up immediately.

Why didn't you ever tell me Damon had kids?!! _ Ivy

He does ?!! _ KJ

Are you kidding me right now ?! You know what ?! I am not interested in this silly game again I don't want to pretend to be Selena the deal is off _ Ivy

Ivy listen to me you can't just cut the deal off , y......

Ivy hung up before he could finish speaking , she blocked him on her phone and put her phone back into her skirt pocket.

"I have to get out of here I can't do this " She mumbled and walked towards the door but as she tried to open it the door wouldn't open ,it had been locked outside by Damon.

"That lunatic!!! I must get out of here before he comes back " Ivy mumbled and started checking around the massive room if there was anything she could use to escape.

Meanwhile, Celeste and Damon walked side by side, the kids still in his arms.

In front of Damon’s study, he set them down and crouched to their level.

“Penelope, Princeton, you’ve had a long day. Go freshen up—Daddy will see you later,” he said, patting their heads.

“I want to stay with you,” Penelope pouted.

“Daddy, who was that woman in your room?” Princeton asked.

“She’s Daddy’s friend,” Damon said calmly. “Don’t worry, Penelope, I’ll come play with you later. Go on now.”

“Okay, Daddy,” they chorused, heading upstairs.

Inside the study, Damon sat while Celeste stood before him, brimming with questions.

“Boss, do you really think that’s Selena? She might be a trap. We should get rid of her immediately,” Celeste urged.

“She’s not an imposter,” Damon said firmly. “She’s Selena.”

Celeste’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible! Selena died in the fire—you couldn’t save her!”

Something snapped in Damon. He rose in a flash, gripping her throat.

“That is Selena. She is not dead. Remember your place,” he growled before releasing her and storming out.

Celeste collapsed to the marble floor, catching her breath. But her fury wasn’t at Damon.

“I don’t care if she’s Selena or not. I won’t let her take you from me. I’ll get rid of her myself,” she whispered with a chilling smile.

Damon strode toward his room, maids shrinking away from the bloodthirst in his aura.

Celeste’s words echoed in his head: You couldn’t save her. His teeth clenched as memories of that fire flooded back.

“Now that she’s back, no one will take her from me again,” he muttered, pushing open his door.

But the room was empty. Heart racing, he checked the bathroom—nothing.

“Selena!” he shouted.

Then he saw it: the window wide open, curtains whipping in the wind. Bedsheets and clothes were knotted into a rope, dangling down the wall.

She had escaped.

He stood at the window, the night air on his face, and a dark, possessive smirk tugged at his lips.

“Now that I know you’re alive, I’ll find you, Selena. You’ll return to where you belong… my arms.”

FIVE DAYS LATER ~ A RUNDOWN SLUM STREET

These past five days had been both peaceful and stressful for Ivy.

Two days ago, she and her brother were forced out of their apartment after failing to pay rent. Now she lived in a cramped, roach-infested building in the slums, splitting bills with another girl. It was a terrible place, but she had no choice—she needed money for her brother’s treatment.

Matteo had nearly been thrown out of the hospital because of their piling debt, but she managed to beg for more time. Meanwhile, Dr. Zany kept making disgusting advances, which she always refused.

That night, Ivy left her shabby room for her night shift, yawning from exhaustion. The elevator was broken, so she climbed down the grimy stairs before heading to the new shop where she worked. She had no idea something awaited her.

In a dark alley nearby, Damon and his guards were waiting. He had been secretly watching Ivy, convinced she was his Selena, and tonight he planned to approach her.

“Boss, she’s almost here,” a guard reported breathlessly.

“Good. Now hit me,” Damon ordered.

The men froze.

“Boss…”

“I said hit me!” he snapped, and though reluctant, they obeyed, careful not to hurt him badly. Unsatisfied, Damon grabbed a knife and suddenly stabbed himself in the chest, shocking them all.

At that moment, Ivy stepped into the alley. The shadows hid their faces, but she could see a group of men beating someone. Fear urged her to turn back, but when the man cried for help, she couldn’t ignore it.

She pulled out her pepper spray, always ready for perverts, and charged forward.

“Get away from him!” she shouted, spraying the guards. Screaming in pain, they scattered.

Relieved, Ivy put the spray away and turned to the man—only to gasp when she saw Damon.

She wanted nothing to do with him or KJ. She had even sold most of her belongings to repay KJ, but his last warning still echoed in her head:

“Damon will find you no matter what. If he’s seen your face, he won’t let you go, Ivy.”

Shivering, Ivy backed away in fear.

"Please help me " Damon said weakly and she scoffed.

"I am sure this is a set up , what do you want from me you lunatic ? "Ivy asked.

"I came here to get you and I got surrounded by those men , can't you see they stabbed me " Damon yelled pointing at his bleeding chest that still had the small pocket knife stuck into it and was still bleeding even his white shirt was already soaked with his blood.

"You really expect me to believe you came here to get me , where is your car huh ? " Ivy asked.

"Do you really think my car is suitable for this kind of place? There is no good road here and my car will only get damaged " Damon said.

Ivy left with no choice and nothing to say decided to help him.

She helped him up and made him rest half of his body on her for support.

"I will take you to the clinic in this place then first thing tomorrow you leave this place and go to a better hospital to get treated " She mumbled.

"Take me to your place. I don't want to go to the clinic or hospital. That place makes me sick " Damon said and she rolled her eyes.

"No way! I am not taking you to my place!!! " She yelled.

But she was no match for Damon's stubbornness and had to eventually take him to her house.

Lucky for her, Hazel—the girl she shared the apartment with—wasn’t back yet.

Ivy didn’t want her to see Damon. How could she explain why a billionaire like him was in their shabby apartment?

She hurried him into her room and placed him on her small bed. With Damon’s tall, broad frame, it looked even tinier, and the room felt suddenly cramped.

"I don’t think I can treat this. We should go to a clinic," Ivy said, staring at his bleeding chest.

"Just pull the knife out and clean the wound," he said casually.

She gawked at him. "I don’t have painkillers. It’ll hurt—"

Before she could finish, he yanked the knife out himself and tossed it aside, leaving her stunned.

"Didn’t that hurt?! Are you immune to pain or something?!" she shouted, dumbfounded.

Damon only smirked. "Your husband is really strong." He winked.

"I’m not your wife, so stop calling yourself my husband," Ivy snapped, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her small first aid kit.

Damon watched her silently as she sat beside him on the bed, unbuttoned his shirt, and began wiping the blood from his chest.

"You still look the same," he murmured huskily. "Beautiful as ever."

Her cheeks warmed, but she quickly scolded herself. He wasn’t talking to her. He thought she was his wife—Selena.

I’ll tell him the truth after I finish cleaning this wound. Maybe then he’ll finally leave me alone, she thought.

Just then, knocking came at the door. Hazel was back.

"Ivy, are you in there?" her roommate called.

"Yes! Do you need anything?" Ivy asked nervously.

"I just got home and saw blood on the living room floor. Are you okay?"

Ivy froze. Damon’s blood must have dripped on the way in.

"I should say hello to your friend," Damon teased, trying to get up.

Acting on impulse, Ivy pushed him back down, pinning him with a glare. "Don’t you dare."

"Ivy?" Hazel knocked again.

"I’m fine! Just a small cut on my finger. Nothing serious!"

Hazel wasn’t convinced. "There’s too much blood. Let me come in and check."

Panic rushed through Ivy. She couldn’t let Hazel see Damon.

Noticing her distress, Damon smirked and decided to torment her. His hand slid under her blouse, icy fingers brushing her bare waist.

Ivy gasped. "Oh!"

He pulled her closer until no space remained between them, her heart hammering wildly.

"What...are you doing?" She stammered as he kept leaning in more.

"I want to kiss you " He said without hesitation and before she could stop him he slammed his lips on hers and began kissing her.

His eyes were wide open, he stared deep into Ivy's shocked eyes as he kissed her.

He tightened his grip around her waist and she moaned out in pain , unintentionally giving him access into her mouth.

Ivy's mind was in total shock as she stared into Damon's mischievous dark eyes.

This was never how she had imagined her first kiss to be!!!, she had always day dreamed about it to be soft and romantic but it was quite the opposite now.

Ivy laid on top of Injured and shirtless Damon , he kissed her madly like he wanted to claim her soul through the kiss while ivy seemed to have frozen from shock , letting him kiss her while his naughty hands rubbed her waist and belly....................