CHAPTER 3

Harper

The penthouse was bigger than my entire childhood home. Marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, and silence so heavy it pressed on my chest. I’d moved in two days after signing the agreement. Fake fiancée for now. Wife soon.

I stood in the massive closet they’d cleared for me, staring at clothes worth more than I’d ever earned. My real mission felt closer than ever, access to private servers, old contracts, everything. Yet every time I remembered that night with Damian, heat crawled up my neck.

He was nothing like I expected. Cold in public, yes. But in quiet moments, when he looked at his daughter Lily, something softer appeared. The little girl was six, shy, and heartbreakingly polite. She’d asked me yesterday if I was going to be her new mommy.

I didn’t know how to answer that.

The door opened. Damian walked in, loosening his tie. He looked exhausted.

“Ethan won’t stop calling,” he said. “He’s threatening to go to the board.”

I crossed my arms. “He always was dramatic.”

Damian’s gaze lingered on me a second too long. “You two were serious?”

“Once. Before I realized he was exactly like the rest of you.” The words came out sharper than I meant.

He nodded, accepting the hit. “Lily likes you. That’s… unexpected.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to play happy family.” Even as I said it, guilt twisted in my stomach. Lily was innocent.

He stepped closer. The air between us thickened, the same pull from that reckless night. “Good. Because this is business, Harper. Nothing more.”

“Exactly,” I whispered, but my voice shook.

His hand brushed my arm. “Then why do you look at me like that?”

I pulled my arm back slowly. “I don’t look at you in any special way. This is all fake, remember? We agreed on that.”

Damian sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. “I know what we agreed on. But Lily asked about you again this morning. She said you seem nice. She wants to know if you will read her a story tonight. What should I tell her?”

I turned away and touched one of the new dresses. “Tell her the truth. That I’m not staying forever. Kids get hurt when adults lie to them.”

“She’s already hurt,” he said quietly. “Her mother died two years ago. She doesn’t understand why everyone leaves. Last night she told me she likes your smile. It made her feel safe. Can you at least try to be kind to her while you’re here?”

I felt a pang in my chest. “I am kind to her. We talked yesterday. She showed me her stuffed bear. But don’t ask me to act like a real mom. I’m not here for that. I have my own reasons for this deal.”

Damian stood up again. “I get it. You hate the Blackwoods. You think we ruined your mother’s life. But I’m not my father or my mother. I try to do things differently. This marriage gives us both what we need. You get your answers. I protect Lily and the company.”

I looked at him. “And what about us? In this big penthouse, we have to share space. How do we act normal?”

“We talk,” he said. “Like now. We eat dinner together sometimes. For the staff and for Lily. No one can suspect it’s fake. Last night at dinner, Lily laughed when you made that silly face. It was the first real laugh I heard from her in weeks. Don’t take that away from her.”

I softened a bit. “She is a sweet girl. She asked me if I like ice cream. I told her yes, and she said we should have some together. But I keep thinking about my mom. She warned me about families like yours. Powerful people who take everything.”

Damian stepped even closer. “Your mom had reasons to be angry. Some deals were too hard. I looked into it after we signed the papers. There were mistakes made. But I didn’t know the details back then. I was busy with my own losses.”

Before I could reply, the doorbell rang. Security voice came through the intercom.

“Mr. Blackwood, your mother is here. She says it’s urgent.”

Damian’s face hardened. “Stay here.”

But I followed him anyway. In the living room stood an elegant older woman with steel-gray hair and eyes like a hawk. Eleanor Blackwood.

She looked me up and down. “So this is the little gold-digger who trapped my son.”

“Mother,” Damian warned.

Eleanor smiled coldly at me. “You think you’re the first? Darling, I know exactly who you are. Harper Vale. Daughter of the woman who couldn’t handle real business.”

Rage boiled inside me. But before I could speak, she dropped the real bomb.

“I’ve already spoken to the lawyers. If this fake marriage continues, I’ll make sure you lose everything, Damian. Including Lily.”

Damian went very still. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.” She turned to leave, then paused. “Oh, and Harper? Welcome to the family. Try not to end up like your mother.”

The door closed behind her.

I looked at Damian. “What are we going to do?”

He turned to me, eyes dark. “We make it real enough that no one can touch us. Starting tonight.”