005

Serena's point of View

The next morning, I woke up with the taste of last night still clinging to me- Not food, not wine, but tension. The kind that settled in your bones and refused to leave.

For a moment I just lay there, staring at the ornate ceiling above me like it held answers.

What the hell was I thinking yesterday?

why did I push back at the dinner table? why did I meet Damien gaze like I belonged at his side?

This wasn't real. it was a farce. A calculated arrangements. A survival tactic dressed up In diamonds and lies.

and yet...

something inside me twisted when I remembered the weight of his hand on my back, the subtle way he shielded me from certain questions, like a lion guarding a prize.

I shouldn't feel anything. Not curiosity. not attraction.

and definitely not this gnawing ache I couldn't name.

I was brushing out my hair when there was a knock on the door.

I opened it to find one of the kitchen maids- mid- thirties, quite, red hair tied back in a sever bun. she looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.

"Mr. Damien requests your present in the west courtyard, miss," she Said without meeting my eyes. " he said to dress well.".

Dress well.

Not please. Not if you have time.

just another order from the devil dressed in silk.

I shut the door and stood there for a moment, gripping the edge of the dresser.

so this was how it would be now. dress up when summoned. Look pretty. smile like I wasn't choking on the charade.

I grabbed the ring Damien had given me from the dresser. it lay there like a curse- glittering, heavy and hollow.

I held it in my palm and stared.

This thing represented everything I hated about him. about this deal. it was a shackle, disguised as love.

but still I didn't drop it

Instead I took a deep breath and walked toward the wardrobe.

I dressed in a soft cream gown with thin straps and a slight slit that hinted at rebellion. I twisted my hair into a low knot, then applied a subtle touch of make-up nothing too dramatic. just enough to hide how tired I looked.

I wasn't doing this for Damien. I was doing it for control.

I met him in the west courtyard, the sun high now, casting shadows beneath the marble archways.

The courtyard smelled like roses and salt- garden grown over graves.

Damien stood with his back to me, looking out over the fountains. He wore a navy suit, perfectly tailored, dark hair slightly tousled like he hadn't bothered to pretend.

He turned when he heard me approach.

we stared at each other for a beat.

no good morning. No "You look nice." just his usual piercing stare and that unreasonable expression he wore like armor.

"I'm making the engagement public," he said flatly.

my pulse skittered.

I blinked, "What?"

"Tonight. The family will be there. The press too. you'll act surprised. you'll say yes. then you'll smile and let me put the ring back on your finger."

I narrowed my eyes.

"And if I don't?"

His jaw twitched, just slightly.

"Then I remind you that your options outside this arrangement are limited. painfully limited."

He didn't raise his voice. Didn't threaten. But the chill behind his words sliced clean through the morning sun.

I looked down at the ring in my hand- the one I hadn't put on yet.

I said nothing.

instead, I walked forward and gently placed it in his open palm.

then I turned and left him standing there.

I didn't say a word as I walked back to my room l, my steps echoing across the polished floors. No one dared speak to me- not the housekeepers dusting priceless artifact, not the guards stationed like shadows in every hallway.

Because now they knew who I was.

Damien Alaric's financee.

Even if it was all a carefully orchestrated illusion.

I locked the door behind me and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. my have trembled slightly as I leaned against the door. I hated that he could still rattle me so easily.

I opened the jewelry box on the table and stared at the collection they'd laid out for me- pearls, emeralds , diamonds. symbols of wealth I didn't want. symbols of control.

but still, I dressed.

if he was going to put on a show tonight, then I'd give him one to remember.

I wore a black stain dress with an open back and thin straps, the fabric hugging me like a second skin. Elegant. subtle. Deadly. my lops were painted red..not for seduction, but for war.

And then I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't see the broken girl who was kidnapped and sold like property.

I saw a woman who was going to burn Damien Alaric's world to the ground.

The Alaric estate had transformed by sunset.

The terrace had been dressed in soft golden light, casting a glow over the sprawling garden.

White roses climbed the trellises, and candles floated in the fountains. Guests filled the space- socialites, business partners, and most importantly, the family.

The vultures.

I spotted Emilia in a silver gown near the head table l, laughing too loudly at something someone said. Her eyes flicked to me briefly, unreadable.

Damien wasn't in sight.

Good.

let him make his grand entrance. I needed time to steel myself.

A butler offered me champagne on a tray. I took the glass with a small nod, not trusting myself to speak.

Around Me, whispers buzzed.

"That's her."

"She's beautiful. Didn't think Damien went for the delicate type."

"she won't last a month."

I smiled at them all. sweet. silent. dangerous.

Then I Saw him.

Damien descended the stone steps like a king entering his court. Black suit. Black shirt. No tie. Every inch of him screamed power, control, danger.

And beside him walked his father.

Victor Alaric. The man behind the empire. The devil before Damien took the throne.

He said nothing to me as he passed, but his eyes sharp and colorless met mine for a single beat.

it was like being assessed by a predator.

Damien joined him at the center of the terrace and clicked his glass.

The crow hushed instantly.

"My father taught me that power isn't inherited," Damien began, voice smooth as silk but sharp as a blade.

"it's seized.Built. protected. And to protect what's mine, I need someone who understands the weight of legacy."

He turned to look at me.

"For a long time, I thought that person didn't exist."

I felt the stares. The tension.

No. Not here. Not in front of them.

But Damien kept walking. Each step slow, measured like predator circling it's prey.

He stopped in front of me.

my breath caught in my throat.

He dropped to one knee.

Gasps echoed around us like gunshots.

"Serena vale," he said, opening the ring box I'd given back just hours earlier. " Will you marry me?"

I froze.

Not because I was surprised..

Because I knew this wasn't just for the press or the family.

This was a move.

I looked around.

The cameras were already flashing. His father's face unreadable. Emilia smiling like she knew something I didn't.

everyone was watching.

I couldn't say no. Not here. Not like this.

so I smiled.

I reached out and let him take my hand.

He slid the diamond ring onto my finger with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"smile for the cameras, fiancee," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the applause.

and I did.

I smiled so brightly it hurts.

because I knew something he didn't.

This wasn't the end of my story..

it was the beginning.

And as the Flashblubs exploded around us freezing the moment in the fake joy, I leaned in just slightly, my lips curling at the edge.

"I'm going to destroy you, Damien Alaric."

His eyes flickered for just a second.

He heard me.

Good.