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Gilded Hearts
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2025-10-02 12:41:32-----------Glimpse-----------
The stillness of the penthouse felt just like some gilded cage pushing me down.
I still could hear my mother’s rasping breaths in my head alongside seeing a hopeful smile on my brother’s face when I told him about tuition. Survival along with books in addition to breath that is what the money represented for me.
Under a man who looked directly at me as though I were some poison wrapped up in pearls, I found myself still wrapped well in silk I’d never truly own.
With sleeves rolled up and jaw clenched, Damian stood on the other side of the room. A particular storm brewed within Damian's eyes.
“You think I don’t see through you?” His voice was sharp, practiced cruelty.
“Marrying me was just your ticket. Admit it. You got what you wanted: my name and my money. Isn’t that what gold diggers dream of?”
The word seared through me. For a moment, I almost believed him. Hadn’t I signed my name on that contract, bartered my freedom for funds? What else was it but a transaction?
I had sold myself, even if it wasn’t for diamonds and gowns but for hospital bills and textbooks. My chest tightened with shame; I couldn’t quite swallow.
“I never wanted your money for me,” I snapped, my voice trembling against the fire in his. “I wanted it for my family. For a roof over their heads, for medicine to keep my mother alive. But you wouldn’t understand that, would you? Because everything in your world comes served on a silver platter.”
Damian closed the distance in two strides, his face inches from mine. His anger was a heat I could feel against my skin. “Don’t play the martyr. You’re no different from the low-class women who throw themselves at me for a taste of wealth. You just wear your desperation better.”
The insult burned, but before I could hurl words back, his mouth was on mine. It wasn’t tender; it was a punishment, a forceful claiming.
I pushed at his chest, fists curling in defiance, but his grip was iron at my waist. And the worst betrayal? My body wavered. The resistance bled into something else, something I hated myself for. My lips betrayed me, pressing back against his, a spark catching fire where there should have been nothing but ice.
The kiss deepened, reckless and consuming, carrying us backward until the bed caught me. He followed without breaking the pull, and for a fleeting heartbeat.
He was kissing me hungrily, while his hands keeps on moving from my breasts to my ass
I forgot everything: Edward’s deal, the money, and the venom in Damian’s words. It was only us, tangled in a kiss that felt like it could destroy and save in the same breath.
Then, just as suddenly, he tore away. The loss of him was a whiplash, air rushing back into my lungs. I looked in his eyes until they landed dark and unreadable, and before the certainty of a bare crack of his hand hit the air to my cheek.
The pain burned deep without a sound; I felt air drive deep to my ear, but it was his words that ripped me in two.
"You are nothing but a whore," he smirked, voice like melted sugar, and spoke terribly with disdain.
"A woman who has no self-respect."
The taste was still sharper on my lips, bitter as ash. I grabbed my stinging cheek, thinking about if this was what Damien meant: a man who clearly despised me, and I despised myself for even wanting him back a few moments before.
Damian’s gaze raked over me with venom, his voice low and merciless.
“This marriage will be a nightmare for you, Sophia. And I’ll make sure of it.”
"The countdown to your disaster begins right now," he spat and walked out.
The words cut deeper than did the slap since they promised torment and the silence. At that moment, I realized survival in this marriage would be another kind of battlefield.
Love had no place here, only fire and ruin.
Último capítulo
Gilded Hearts Chapter 22
Damien POVI knew that the moment when grandpa's name flashed across my phone screen., It was late in the morning, just as I was going through quarterly projections that I did not care about. I allowed it to ring twice as long as it was necessary--out of habit, out of rebellion--before I answered.“Yes,” I said, curtly.“Come home for lunch,” Edward said, voice calm, unhurried. “Today.”I frowned. “I have meetings.”“You can cancel them.”That alone told me this wasn’t a request.“For what?” I asked.There was a pause on the other end. Deliberate. Measured.“Sophia will be there,” Edward said.The name hit harder than it should have.“What?” I straightened in my chair. “Why would she be there?”“I’ve invited her,” Edward replied. “She’s meeting the family.”My jaw tightened.“You didn’t think to mention this earlier?” I asked sharply.“You didn’t ask.”Of course he hadn’t.Images flooded my mind instantly—Sophia standing in the Hayes Manor.Her in my house.“That’s unnecessary,.” I sa
Gilded Hearts Chapter 21
Sophia POVI had not expected this night to end with dinner with Edward Hayes.But there I was, sitting opposite him in a quiet, graceful restaurant out of the bustle of the city. It was not lavish in the manner in which riches tend to proclaim themselves--no chandeliers and show-off opulence. Only dimmed gold lamps, smooth wood, and privacy were so conscious as to be protective.Edward Hayes chose his environments the way he chose people—with intention.I sat straight, hands folded neatly in my lap., though my mind refused to be as composed as my posture.“You seem distracted, Sophia,” Edward said gently, lifting his glass,. “Perfectly understandable.”I offered a restrained smile. “It’s been… a long day, sir.”That was an understatement,.Even as he spoke, my thoughts kept drifting backward uninvited, relentless,.Damian’s office.The sharp click of the door closing behind me.His hand around my wrist.The way his voice cut through the air.Why did you agree to marry me?,My chest t
Gilded Hearts Chapter 20
Sophia POVThe hospital room was no longer a place of emergency,.It was still reeking of disinfectant,. Machines continued to hum in the background. Nurses still came and went. But the fear--that sharp, choking fear which had been in my chest for weeks, had been loosened.Mom was better.Not healed. But better.She slept more peacefully now. Ate when she could. Even scolded me when she caught the dark circles under my eyes.I was cutting few apples for her when she suddently spoke.“You look tired, mija.,” she murmured, her fingers curling weakly around mine.“I’m okay.,” I said without thinking.She smiled., the kind that said she didn’t believe me for a second.My phone buzzed in my hand,.Edward Hayes.I stepped into the hallway before answering.“Yes, Mr. Hayes?”“Sophia,” he said, calm and composed, all business.“I need you at the office today. There’s a client meeting, an important one. Your presence is required.”Required?“I’m at the hospital with my mother.,” I said.“I kn
Gilded Hearts Chapter 19
Damien POVThe summons came without explanation.Claire’s voice over the phone was clipped, formal.“Mr. Hayes, your grandfather requests the entire family at the manor this evening.”Entire family.That alone was enough to put me on edge.Edward Hayes didn’t gather us unless something irreversible was about to happen.The Hayes Manor looked the same as always, immaculate, intimidating, steeped in legacy. The kind of place where decisions were made that altered lives while crystal glasses clinked softly in the background.My father was already there, seated straight-backed on the leather sofa, expression unreadable as ever. My mother sat beside him, elegant in ivory silk, fingers wrapped tightly around a porcelain cup. My younger sister lounged near the window, scrolling her phone, clearly bored but curious.And at the head of the room—Edward.He didn’t waste time on pleasantries.“Sit,” he said.We did.Silence followed, heavy and deliberate. Edward’s sharp eyes moved across each of
Gilded Hearts Chapter 18
Sophia POVTwo days the hours blended together. I sat in hospital corridors., with the sweet smell of medicine, and heard the beep of machines, that monitored the weak heart of my mother. I could hardly sleep. My brother barely talked. It was all as though by a thin thread. Today morning, when I had at last bent my head back, in the uncomfortable hospital chair and closed my eyes, I heard footsteps. They were stable, quiet, and too refined to be in such a place,. I opened my eyes and froze.Edward Hayes.He stood at the end in the corridor with two of his own staff like he carried the whole empire behind him.. His eyes became soft when he saw me.“Sophia,” he greeted in that warm, composed voice of his,. “May I see your mother?” I nodded blankly and led him inside.My mother lay half dozing, her white face so thin and wan against the white pillow, the oxygen mask fogging gently with the effort of each frail breath.Edward walked partway down the aisle. He stood for a moment by
Gilded Hearts Chapter 17
Damien POVThe Grand Arc Hotel was inundated with golden lights and costly perfume, a place where I belong with ease.I was known among many people, people smiled a little when they saw me, and even the mention of my last name could alter the atmosphere in the room.I was not afraid of anything in that room.Nothing in that room intimidated me.Except her.Sophia Rivera.She walked in wearing something simple—black, modest, clean.Not flashy. Not loud.Nothing like the other women who dressed like they were competing for the cover of a luxury magazine.But she—She still stood out.Not because of her clothes.Because of her confidence.Her voice.The calm way she spoke to executives twice her age.The way they actually listened.My eyes followed her across the room.At first, I was only curious to know how she was carrying herself in this elite party, but soon it turned into irritation, then into something I refused to acknowledgeEvery time she smiled softly at someone, explaining t
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