Ch 6

Damon's kiss on Clara's lips was more than a simple touch—it was a declaration of possession that left every part of her frozen. Warmth and cold raced down her spine at the same time. When Damon finally pulled away, his fingers lingered against her jaw, his rough thumb brushing gently over her slightly damp lips.

Clara drew in a shaky breath, blinking in confusion as she stared into the pair of dark eyes watching her without the slightest trace of regret.

"Damon... you can't do this to me," she whispered, her trembling voice barely audible. "I'm not even officially divorced yet. I'm falling apart, and you're taking advantage of that to—"

"I'm not taking advantage of your situation, Clara." Damon interrupted gently, though his tone remained firm. "I'm taking advantage of the opportunity."

He released her arms and walked toward the corner of the room, retrieving the black suit jacket hanging neatly nearby.

"My lawyers will meet with you this afternoon to deliver copies of the court documents. Once Julian signs them—and he will sign them today—you'll be legally free from him."

"And then what?" Clara demanded, taking a step toward him. "Once I'm free from Julian, do I become your prisoner in this penthouse?"

Damon paused while adjusting his tie.

Turning to face her, he met her gaze with eyes filled with a strange blend of deep affection and unwavering resolve.

"You're not my prisoner, Clara."

His voice remained calm.

"You're free to go wherever you want, buy whatever you wish, and live however you choose."

A brief silence followed before he added,

"There's only one rule between us."

His expression hardened.

"You'll never go back to Julian, and you'll never run from me. If you need something, you come to me. If you're hurt, I'll be the one who heals you."

Without waiting for her reply, Damon walked past her toward the front door.

Before leaving the penthouse, he glanced back over his shoulder.

"Get some rest. My driver and security team are downstairs if you'd like to go out."

His gaze lingered on her.

"But remember what I told you, Clara... the world can be merciless to a wounded woman."

A pause.

"And I'll always be here if you need a safe place."

The door closed behind him, leaving Clara alone inside the vast, luxurious penthouse.

---

Across the city, the consequences of Damon's actions were rapidly unraveling Julian Vance's life.

Inside what now felt less like an executive office and more like an execution chamber, Julian sat with both hands gripping his head.

Financial reports, demands from creditors, and bankruptcy notices were scattered across his desk.

Standing before him were two impeccably dressed attorneys carrying leather briefcases—representatives of Zephyr Group.

"Mr. Vance, we don't have much time," the senior lawyer said emotionlessly as he placed a stack of documents onto the desk.

One pile contained the divorce petition.

The other contained acquisition documents.

"Mr. Damon has presented you with two very simple options."

Julian looked up, exhaustion and rage burning in his bloodshot eyes.

"Options?" he snarled.

"He destroyed my company! He froze every one of my bank accounts! What gives him the right to interfere in my marriage?"

The lawyer remained perfectly composed.

"Mr. Damon now owns eighty percent of your company's outstanding debt after purchasing it from the bank this morning."

He folded his hands neatly.

"Option One: You sign these divorce papers without objection, agree to a fair property settlement for Mrs. Clara, and accept the clause prohibiting you from contacting or approaching her again."

Julian's jaw tightened.

"And Option Two?"

"Option Two..."

The lawyer's tone never changed.

"...you refuse to sign."

"Within three hours, we'll petition the court for full bankruptcy proceedings against your company. You'll lose your business, your home, your vehicles, and potentially face criminal charges based on financial irregularities our auditors uncovered earlier today."

Julian's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

Cold sweat rolled down his temples.

Near the office door, Vivian—the secretary who had been his mistress—had gone completely pale.

Quietly, she began backing toward the exit, realizing the ship she had chosen was sinking.

"You're all protecting that useless fat woman?!" Julian shouted.

"Clara is nobody! She was just a pathetic woman begging for my attention every single night!"

The lawyer calmly placed an expensive gold fountain pen in front of him.

"Perhaps that's how you saw Mrs. Clara, Mr. Vance."

His expression remained unreadable.

"But to our client... she is everything."

He pushed the pen slightly closer.

"We strongly advise you to sign before Mr. Damon loses his patience... and decides to offer a third option."

A brief pause.

"Trust me—you don't want to find out what that would be."

His entire body trembling with helpless fury, Julian snatched up the pen.

One signature after another appeared across the divorce documents.

Without realizing it, he had finally surrendered Clara completely—into the hands of a man far more powerful than he had ever imagined.

---

That afternoon, Clara decided to leave the penthouse.

The suffocating silence had become too much.

She asked Damon's driver to take her to a small park near her old neighborhood—a place she had often escaped to whenever the pain of her marriage became unbearable.

Two bodyguards dressed in casual clothes followed at a respectful distance, allowing her space while never truly letting her out of their sight.

Clara sat quietly on a weathered park bench, watching fallen leaves drift across the ground.

The cool afternoon breeze brushed against her face as old memories resurfaced.

She remembered being a teenage girl.

She remembered a boy named Damon sitting beneath the trees beside her, promising he would always protect her from anyone who tried to hurt her.

Back then...

She had believed it was nothing more than innocent childhood affection.

Now she understood something terrifying.

Damon's possessiveness hadn't developed with adulthood.

It had simply grown.

A seed planted years ago had become something vast, consuming, and impossible to ignore.

A tall shadow suddenly blocked the afternoon sunlight.

Clara looked up.

Damon was standing beside the bench.

He had removed his jacket, leaving only a crisp white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves neatly rolled to his elbows.

His striking features and commanding presence drew curious glances from passing pedestrians.

"Do you like this place?" Damon asked quietly as he sat beside her without waiting for permission.

"This was where I came whenever Julian yelled at me... or pretended I didn't exist," Clara admitted softly, staring ahead.

"I'd sit here for hours asking myself... what was wrong with me."

Her voice cracked.

"Why did the man I loved start hating me just because my body changed?"

Damon's jaw tightened.

Anger flickered unmistakably in his eyes.

"There was never anything wrong with you, Clara."

His voice was deep and unwavering.

He reached for her hand, enclosing her cold fingers within both of his.

"That fool simply lacked the ability to recognize a masterpiece."

He looked directly at her.

"He chased shallow pleasures because his soul was empty."

Clara slowly turned toward him.

"And what about you?"

Her eyes searched his.

"What do you want from me, Damon?"

She swallowed.

"I'm not the same Clara you knew years ago. I'm a woman who was abandoned. My body isn't perfect. My heart is broken."

A faint smile of sadness crossed her face.

"I have nothing left to give you."

Damon never looked away.

He lifted his free hand and gently caressed her cheek with astonishing tenderness, as though she were the most precious thing he had ever touched.

"I've never asked you to give me anything, Clara," he whispered.

"I don't care how your body has changed."

"I don't care how broken you feel."

His thumb softly brushed her skin.

"All I've ever wanted... is for you to be by my side."

He held her gaze.

"Let me help you heal."

"Let me be the reason you smile again."

Clara lowered her eyes.

"But the way you control everything... the way you destroyed Julian..."

She looked back at him honestly.

"It frightens me, Damon."

A faint smile curved his lips.

There was something undeniably dark within it.

Yet there was also absolute certainty.

He leaned closer until only a breath separated them.

"Call it frightening."

His voice was scarcely above a whisper.

"Call it madness."

Another inch closer.

"Call it obsession."

His eyes never left hers.

"But one thing will never change, Clara."

"I'll never let you go again."

A quiet silence settled between them.

"You became precious to me the day you made that promise all those years ago."

He gently rested his forehead against hers.

"And now that the law has finally freed you from him..."

His words came slowly, each one deliberate.

"...nothing in this world will stop me from spending the rest of my life trying to earn a place by your side."