Chapter 4.

Damian. 

The car ride back home was quiet.

Rain hammered against the tinted windows of the black Rolls-Royce as the city blurred into streaks of gold and white. 

I glanced at the file resting on my lap before raising the phone back to my ear. 

“I don't care if it's impossible”. My voice remained calm. “Get me a meeting with him”. 

My assistant stayed silent for a while before speaking again. 

“Mr Kingsley, his schedule is completely booked for the next three months”. 

I looked out the window.

“Tell him Damian Kingsley wants to talk to him”.

A brief silence followed. 

“And trust me”. I said calmly. “That will be enough to get him to clear his schedule”. 

“Yes sir”. 

I ended the call without waiting for another response. 

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror before quickly looking away. 

Everyone around me knew one thing. I never repeated an order; if I said something once, I expected it to be done with no excuses or delay. 

Twenty minutes later, the gates of my estate automatically opened. 

The mansion stood against the dark sky, illuminated by the warm light that reflected the rain-soaked mirror. 

The moment the car stopped, one of the security guards hurried towards me. 

“Good evening Mr Kingsley”. 

I gave a brief nod and stepped out of the car as my driver held an umbrella over my head. 

The rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. 

As I walked towards the entrance, the head of security cleared his throat. 

“Sir….”

I paused

“There's a young woman at the gate, insisting on seeing you”. 

“I don't take visitors at home”

“We informed her”

“And?”

“She refused to leave”

I continued walking.

“Send her away”.

“We've tried”. 

I reached the staircase without slowing down. 

“Then try harder”

The head of security hesitated before speaking again. 

“Sir…. she's been standing in the rain since she arrived”

I paused for a brief second. 

“What did you say?” 

“Sir, the young lady has been standing in the rain since she got here. We’ve tried everything but she said she won’t leave until she sees you”. 

I pinched the bridge of my nose. 

“Fine”

My voice remained calm. 

“Let her in, I’ll see her after I take a shower”

“Yes sir”

As much as I wanted to know who possessed that level of stubbornness, I needed a shower after a long day. 

Twenty minutes later, I walked downstairs, wearing grey sweatpants and a black tank top

The rain was still pouring outside the sound echoed through the quiet mansion. 

“Bring her to the main mansion, and make sure she's dried”. I said to my butler. 

The butler nodded. 

A few moments later, the door opened, and never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see the one person I'd convinced myself was off-limits. 

~~~~~~~

Olivia’s pov 

The mansion was even bigger than the picture I saw online. 

White marbles, crystal chandeliers, and paintings that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. 

Everything about the mansion screamed luxury and old money. 

The marble floor gleamed beneath my feet, expensive paintings lined the walls, and the crystal chandelier hanging above me was probably worth more than my entire apartment. 

Forty-eight hours ago if someone had told me I’d be standing in Damian Kingsley's mansion, I would’ve laughed in their face.

But forty-eight hours ago I still believed Nate loved me. 

Leaving California and flying to New York just two days after catching my boyfriend, cheating with my stepsister was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done, which is crazy because I was the girl who didn't do reckless. I was the obedient girl, the girl who always followed the rules. 

But that version of me died forty-eight hours ago. 

Now, I was standing in my ex-boyfriend‘s older brother‘s mansion…. because revenge had a way of making people do things they never imagined. 

I didn’t care that the Internet called Damien Kingsley coldhearted.

I didn’t care about the endless rumors claiming he was gay because he had never been seen with a woman.

I didn’t care that people lowered their heads when they walked past him because they were too intimidated to look him in the eye. 

None of that mattered. 

Right now, Damian Kingsley wasn't the billionaire everyone feared. 

He was simply the only person Nate Kingsley hated more than anyone else. 

And that made him exactly the man I needed. 

A few moments later, footsteps echo from upstairs. 

The footsteps got closer and each step seemed to make my heartbeat pound a little harder. 

Then he appeared. 

Damian Kingsley. 

He wore a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top. His dark hair was still damp from a shower.

He wasn’t dressed like the billionaire every magazine loved to photograph. 

And somehow he looked even more intimidating. 

His sharp eyes landed on me and for the briefest moment, something flickered across his face. 

Surprise. 

It disappeared so quickly I almost thought I'd imagined it. 

“Olivia?”. My name rolled effortlessly off his tongue. “What are you doing here?”

I swallowed, suddenly aware of how ridiculous I must have looked standing in his mansion with a huge blanket on my shoulders. 

For a split second, I started questioning every decision that brought me here. 

Flying across the country, showing up at his mansion And even standing in the rain for almost an hour. 

What if he threw me out, or even worst laugh in my face. 

No

I'd already lost too much to turn back now. 

I lifted my chin and met his gaze.

“I need your help”. 

He studied me for a long moment, his expression giving nothing away. 

I couldn't tell if he was confused or annoyed. 

Then he took a slow measured step towards me. 

“My help?”. His voice was calm, almost indifferent. “With what?”. 

I took a slow breath, trying to steady my racing heart

“More like…..a favor”

His eyes narrowed immediately 

“Olivia”. My name sounded like a warning in his mouth. “What do you want?”. 

There was no point dragging it out, I was already here 

I'd already swallowed every ounce of pride I had left. 

“I want you to marry me”

Silence. 

For the first time since I walked into this mansion, Damian didn't respond immediately.

The calm expression he'd worn since I came here cracked for a split second 

He looked…. surprised. 

Then it was gone. 

“Is this your idea of a joke” 

“What”. I frowned. “No. I'm serious”. 

 His gaze never left mine 

“Is this because Nate cheated on you….with your stepsister and got her pregnant?”. 

I blinked 

“Wait..how did you know?”

“The news”

Of course, the entire country probably knew by now 

“Ohh.. But he also took away my fashion house, which meant so much more”

He studied me for a while 

“Why should I marry you?”

  

There it was. 

Not are you insane or a no. 

I straightened my shoulders.

“The last time your grandfather invited the entire family to dinner, I came with Nate”

He leaned back against the couch and poured himself a glass of whisky without saying anything. 

“I noticed something”. I continued

He took a slow sip before speaking 

“I'm listening”

“The entire night you and Nate didn't say a word to each other, which wasn't surprising. Instead, you kept watching him”

“You asked about Nexora, about its investors, it's expansions plans. And even its latest product launch”

His expression remained unreadable

“I may not understand the tech industry”…. I admitted. “But I understand people. And I know ambition when I see one”.

For the first time, he stared at me a little longer. 

“I don't know how much you hate Nate, but I know you're waiting”. I added 

A faint crease appeared between his brows

“Waiting for what?” he asked 

“For him to make a mistake too many times”. 

I took a step closer. 

“I don't know why you want Naxora. Maybe it's the technology or even the clients or maybe you don't think his capable of running it”. 

I shrugged. 

“But whatever your reason is, you want that company”

I held his gaze. 

“You marry me…. And Nate won't be thinking about business anymore”. 

His fingers stopped midway to his glass

“He’ll be thinking about you. And emotional people make reckless decisions”

I smiled faintly 

“Isn't that exactly the kind of opportunity a man like Damian Kingsley waits for?”. 

His gaze met mine as he stood up and walked closer to me.

“And you?. What do you get from this?”

“Revenge”. I replied 

“That's an emotion”. He said.  

“Maybe”. I replied. 

“I don't make business decisions based on emotions”. He said still holding my gaze

I nodded 

“Neither do I” 

He raised an eyebrow 

“I'm offering a business opportunity disguised as revenge”. I said 

His gaze never left mine. 

“Are you aware that being my wife comes with responsibilities?”. He asked, his voice calm. “There will be more downs than ups”. 

I met his gaze without flinching

“I have nothing left to lose”.

Silence settled between us.

For a long moment, he simply stared at me. There was something in his expression I couldn’t decipher. Curiosity perhaps…. Or maybe respect. 

Then, without another word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. 

He unlocked it and dialed a 

number 

“Who are you calling?”. I asked unable to hide my curiosity 

“My lawyer”. He replied 

He placed the  phone to his ear, his eyes never looking at mine

“Have a marriage contract drafted by tomorrow morning”.

He ended the call and slipped his phone back in his pocket

“Congratulations”. He said, his voice cold as ever. “For the next year, you'll be Mrs Kingsley, my wife”. 

My heart skipped a beat because the deal was no longer an idea. 

It had just become a reality.