Chapter 11Yes, Daddy:Eduardo nodded quickly. "Yes. Absolutely. Thank you, Mr. Blackwood. Thank you for taking care of her."As her father hurried away, probably to try to salvage what was left of his business, Scarlett turned to look at Damien. The ballroom was still buzzing with shocked conversation, but she felt strangely calm."Is it really over?" she asked."It's over," he confirmed. "Marcus Wellington will be too busy fighting fraud charges to bother you. Your father will be too grateful for my mercy to cause problems in his company. And everyone in this room now knows exactly who you are and who protects you.""Who am I?" she asked, even though she thought she knew the answer."You're mine, sweetheart" he said simply. "And I'm the most powerful man in Valdoria. Which makes you untouchable."The way he said it, with such absolute certainty, made her feel like she really was a queen. Like she could conquer the world if she wanted to."Let's go home," she said, suddenly wanting t
Chapter 10Mine In The Spotlight:The charity gala was being held at the Grand Valdoria Hotel, one of the most exclusive venues in the city. As their car pulled up to the red carpet entrance, Scarlett could see photographers and reporters waiting to capture photos of all the arriving guests."They're going to take pictures of us," she said, suddenly nervous."Good. I want everyone to see you with me." Damien's hand found hers and squeezed gently. "Remember, you belong here. You belong with me. Don't let anyone make you feel otherwise."When they stepped out of the car, camera flashes immediately started going off. Scarlett heard people calling Damien's name, asking who his beautiful companion was, but he didn't stop to answer questions. He just kept his hand on her back and guided her through the crowd like he owned the place.Which, she realized as they walked through the hotel lobby, he probably did.The ballroom was stunning, crystal chandeliers, elegant flowers, and hundreds of Va
Chapter 9You Belong To Me:Something flickered in his expression. Surprise, maybe? Like he hadn't expected her to be angry."I told Mrs. Chen to take care of you. You had everything you needed in my house.""Everything except an explanation. Everything except knowing whether you were dead or alive. Everything except feeling like I was more than just a convenient toy you played with and then put away."He pushed off from the door and walked toward her, his movements predatory like that of a hunter. But Scarlett didn't back away, she was too angry to be intimidated."Is that what you think?" His voice was soft, dangerous. "That you're a toy to me?""What else am I supposed to think? You made all these promises about protecting me and helping me destroy Marcus, and then you vanished. For seven days I've been stuck in this house with no idea where you were or what you were doing or if you were ever coming back.""You tried to escape," he said, stopping just out of arm's reach. "Three day
Chapter 8Seven Days Without Daddy:Seven days. Seven whole days since Damien Blackwood had turned her world upside down in his study, and Scarlett hadn't seen him once. Not a glimpse. Not even the sound of his voice echoing through the hallways of his massive mansion. After Mrs Chen had taken her to his room, she hasn't set her eyes on him till now.She sat on the edge of the king-sized bed that had become her prison, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the perfectly manicured grounds. The same grounds she'd tried to escape across three days ago, only to be caught by his guards before she'd made it halfway to the gates.The memory still stung. She'd waited until what she thought was the middle of the night, slipped out of the bedroom in the dark clothes Mrs. Chen had provided, and crept through the mansion like a thief. She'd almost made it too. Almost.But Damien's security was better than she'd given them credit for. They'd appeared out of nowhere, just like the first time
Chapter 7Crossing The Line:"You will soon know enough sweetheart." His finger stopped its movement, resting right over her racing pulse. "You know I can protect you. You know I can give you what you want. You know I can help you destroy the people who want to hurt you."She did know that. But she also knew she'd just crossed a line she could never uncross. There was no going back to the woman she'd been this morning, standing at that altar in her white dress. That woman was gone forever."I liked that we had sex and it is much better than the kiss," Damien said, his voice warm with satisfaction. "Though the kiss was good too."Heat flooded her cheeks. "Don't say that.""Don't say what? Don't tell you how incredible you were? Don't tell you how much I enjoyed hearing you say my name like that?" He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her neck. "Or don't tell you that I'm already planning all the ways I'm going to make you say it again?"Her pulse jumped under his lips. "Damien..."
Chapter 6❤️ Mine and Only Mine ❤️"What comes next?" Scarlett asked, she didn't know she was leaning on him.And instead of answering, Damien kissed her again this time around, it was as if he was claiming her soul through the kiss, and she found herself responding with a hunger she didn't know she possessed.When they broke apart once again, she was breathing hard, her heart racing like she'd just run another sprint across his grounds."That was..." she started, then stopped. She didn't have words for what that was."Just the beginning," Damien said, his voice rough with something that made her stomach flip. His hands were still on her face, his thumbs tracing along her cheekbones. "You have no idea what you've just agreed to."She should have been afraid. Should have pulled away and demanded he let her go since they agreed to a kiss and they already had the kiss, twice. But that seemed impossible when he was looking at her like that, like she was the most fascinating thing he'd eve