Chapter Three: The Proposal

Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his face stayed calm. He held his whiskey and watched Elena without saying a word. She understood he was testing her again. He wanted to see what she would ask for and whether she knew how to push back. She could feel her heart racing, but she kept her voice steady as she set down her glass. She told him she wanted access to everything, every financial record, every operation, every legitimate business and every illegal one. If she was going to be the Donna, she needed to understand the empire she was stepping into. She refused to be a simple figurehead he used for appearance.

Damien’s mouth curved in something that was not quite a smile. He said she wanted full transparency in a world built on secrets. Elena held his gaze and told him she wanted to know what she was walking into before she tied her life to his. He claimed she was smart enough to be useful. Then he could prove it by giving her the information she needed and letting her help run things instead of treating her like decoration with the right last name.

He asked her what she would do if he refused. Elena told him she would walk out the door and take her chances with the Morettis. It was a bluff they both recognized, but she stayed still and patient because her father had once told her that the first person to speak in a negotiation usually lost. The silence stretched between them. Damien watched her with those sharp gray eyes while she fought the urge to shift or look away.

Finally Damien laughed, low and genuine. He set down his glass and walked to the windows, hands in his pockets. He said Marco had been right, she had a spine. Most people in her position would beg for protection and agree to anything. But she was negotiating for better terms like she believed she had power. Elena asked if she did have leverage. Damien turned back toward her, the city lights outlining him in a way that made him look dangerous and beautiful. He told her maybe she did.

Then he gave his counteroffer. He would open the financial records and allow her weekly meetings with the captains. She would have a seat in every major decision. But the soldiers would answer to him first until she proved she could lead them. Any strategic decision about territory or conflict would go through him before action was taken.

Elena said that did not sound like equal partnership. Damien told her it was not meant to be equal, it was meant to be smart. She had been in the world for only six hours. She did not know the players, the politics, the rules, or the dangers.

He came closer but remained standing, watching her with an intensity that made her skin tighten. He asked her to give him six months to teach her, and then they would renegotiate power. Until then she would learn, and he would lead.

Elena wanted to argue, but she could not. He was right. She agreed to six months, but only if it was written that they would renegotiate afterward. She also insisted on veto power over anything involving civilians or children. Damien agreed without hesitation. He held out his hand and asked if there was anything else.

Elena looked at his hand and thought about the consummation clause in the contract. She would have to sleep with him within forty-eight hours to make the marriage valid. She remembered the way he looked at her when she came out of the bathroom earlier, wearing the clothes he had chosen. She remembered her own reaction even though the night had been soaked in fear.

Quietly, she asked how the consummation requirement actually worked. Damien’s expression changed into something darker and more intense. He said it could happen however they wanted. The contract only required it within forty-eight hours of the wedding. It could be their wedding night or the next morning. It could even be in a hotel room with Marco outside the door as a witness. As long as someone confirmed they went into a room together and stayed long enough, the old families would accept it.

Elena said it was barbaric. Damien said it was tradition. His arm stayed extended toward her, waiting for her hand. Then he added that he had been told he was decent in bed. Heat climbed into her face and she told him he was an asshole. Damien said he was practical. Then he told her the truth, that he was attracted to her. He said he had felt it the moment he saw her in her father’s office, covered in blood and refusing to break. The requirement was not a hardship for him. But if she needed time, he would wait until the last moment.

Elena felt her mouth go dry. She had expected manipulation, control, and strategy. She had not expected him to say that so plainly. She stood up so she would not be looking up at him anymore. It brought them closer, almost too close, and she asked what would happen if she was not attracted to him.

It was a lie and they both knew it. Damien smiled, genuinely this time. He said he would change her mind. Then he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed her jaw in a surprisingly gentle touch. Elena’s breath caught. That gentleness felt more dangerous than all the violence she had seen tonight. Damien told her he was making sacrifices too. He was giving up his freedom just like she was, and they might as well make it bearable.

Elena knew she should step back, but she did not. She leaned into his touch without meaning to, and his eyes darkened. She said this was a terrible idea. He agreed but pointed out they were doing it anyway.

He leaned down. Elena’s face tilted up without thinking. For a moment she thought he would kiss her. Instead he stopped with his mouth inches from hers. He whispered that she should sign the contract first. He wanted her to choose it with a clear head, not in a moment she would regret later.

He stepped away and the loss of warmth felt sharp. Elena forced her hands to steady as she picked up the contract. She read it again, truly processing it this time. It was thorough, structured, and more fair than she had expected, especially after adding her conditions.

She asked who would witness it. Damien said, Marco for her and his advisor Vincent for him. Then he told her the wedding would be tomorrow night. It would be small, only the families, held at the Cross estate so his father could confirm everything was legitimate.

Elena asked what his father was like. Damien looked toward the window, his reflection hard to read. He said his father was dangerous, cruel, and sharp enough to hold power for thirty years while everyone tried to take it from him. He warned her that his father would test her. He would try to find her weaknesses and see if she deserved the Cross name. She could not back down or show fear.

Elena made a dry comment about helpful advice. Damien said it was honest. His father believed women belonged nowhere near the business. Her becoming Donna would offend every old belief he had. He would come at her hard.

Elena remembered the man she had helped kill hours earlier. She remembered her foot striking bone, her elbow slamming into his ribcage, his breath choking as he fell. She remembered standing in her father’s office refusing to break. She told Damien she was done being afraid.

His smile sharpened with approval. He walked back to the couch and pulled a pen from his pocket. He signed the contract with a confident stroke and handed the pen to her. He told her this was her last chance to change her mind. Elena signed her name beside his. As the ink dried, she felt the moment settle in her bones.

Damien set aside the contract and told her she should sleep. Tomorrow would be worse than today. She asked where she would be sleeping. He pointed toward the hallway. The guest room had a lock if it made her feel safer. His room was on the opposite side of the penthouse. Marco and his men were stationed throughout the building. She would be protected.

Elena started toward the hallway but paused. She asked him why he had really come for her tonight. He could have waited for the Morettis to kill her and taken everything without a marriage.

Damien was silent for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was different. He told her he had seen her file last week when he learned her father was vulnerable. He had read about her medical work, her publications, her career saving lives. He said it would be a waste if someone like her died in a gang war she did not understand. He said she could call it strategy or sentiment, but he had come because he wanted to, not because he needed to.

Elena did not know how to answer, so she nodded and walked down the hallway. She locked the door behind her. She sat on the bed and looked at her hands. They had stopped shaking, but she still felt the phantom blood on them. She could still feel the weight of everything that had happened.

Her phone buzzed. A message appeared from an unknown number. It read: You made the wrong choice. The Cross family will destroy you from the inside. Watch your back, Donna.

Elena deleted the message and turned off her phone. Tomorrow she would deal with all of it…

Damien, his father, the wedding, the threats, the new world she barely understood. Tonight she needed sleep. But when she closed her eyes, all she saw was Damien’s face inches from hers, his thumb against her jaw, and the quiet promise in his voice.

The worst part was knowing he might be right.