CHAPTER ONE: STOLEN HEIR

Damian Caldara’s POV

“How could I have given birth to such an idiot!” Mr Ethan frowns. “So, you want to throw away everything for that stupid boy?”

I didn’t answer. There were no right words to say. Instead, I walk out on him. For the first time in my life, I act out of passion, neglecting my father’s warnings.

Today I will either ruin my life or change the core of my very existence.

It is a cold evening, that unpredictable time of the day that sends shivers down my spine. I am genuinely scared of taking this bold step.

I stare at the blossoming farmland. This beautiful plot that fills my heart with excitement now feels like a memory waiting to be forgotten. I am leaving all this behind.

Damn, I sigh.

Last night, he had called me. I remember the words he spoke.

“Damian, you’ve always learned from experience, but this path you’ve chosen… Hmmm. It will only cause you pain.”

I remember telling him, “I respect you, Dad, but you’ve got to let me have my way this time.”

He reminded me of an old proverb told to him by an elderly acquaintance, Benji: “What an old man sees while sitting, a young man would never see, even if he climbs an iroko tree.” I knew very much what I was getting into. But I have come too far to look back.

Caleb is waiting for me. He is my world. Together we will build from scratch.

I will make a name for myself with him by my side. He will be a shining light to my lonely soul. I fear the aftermath of my decision. Would he send his men to fetch me from wherever I wander to?

I know the Caldara network spans across nations, and if I embark on this journey, I am directly going against it. A name I once embraced with pride, and one my peers recited with jealousy.

Deep in thought, I hear that whistle.

The signal I have been longing for. Caleb is waiting. I need to move now, fast, before the patriarch of the Caldara household sets his eyes on me.

I should have known the night would remarkably alter the trajectory of my existence. The cold this evening is strange, soft, almost celebratory.

It embraces me as if the world already knows the Caldara empire is about to lose its heir.

I stand on the balcony of our home, looking over the estate my father has spent years building: the vineyards, the stables, the swimming pool, the row of luxury cars that glitter like the firmament in the sky, and my obsession, the blossoming farm plot.

A life people fantasize about… and I am about to abandon it because of a guy with a promise of everlasting love and a soft voice that warms my heart with pleasure when I hear it.

I immediately make my decision. I take the rare exit and leave the Caldara household. I leave unwilling, yet with purposeful resolve to meet him.

…………

We board an arranged vehicle and, in no time, we are in his abode. The man I choose to spend the rest of my life with. Caleb.

The first time I saw him, I did not just fall in love. I fell into something deeper. Something consuming. Overwhelming. Something that made my heart quiver.

Yes. He has that effect on me. On everyone he sets his longing eyes upon. His touch is divine. His lips are like the palm tree of Lebanon.

Snapping back to reality, I hear his footsteps before I see him. Light. Confident. Seductive and dangerous.

“You’re really going to do it,” he says.

I turn.

He leans against the balcony, wearing an oversized white shirt barely covering his thighs. His hair is still damp. In that moment, tension brews between us. 

He rushes toward me. Before I even breathe, he hugs me tightly, pulling me into his warmth. He kisses me with a hunger that clouds my reasoning. His lips move like he owns me. His hands rumple my clothes as if he has been waiting ages to have me.

He whispers into my ears sending this tingling sensation through my spine, he says my name like a promise and a threat.

He leaves me lying powerless as I stare at him in awe. While I am weak enough to believe in the illusion, he whispers the line that seals my fate: “Stay with me, Damian. Don’t let them choose your life for you.”

My father’s voice has always been solid. His is cunning and persuasive. And, the idiot that I am, I choose he’s.

“Tell me we leave tonight,” he says now, stepping closer. His fingers slide under my chin, lifting my face to his.

His touch is soft, but his intentions are not. “I’ve already arranged everything,” he adds. “The car. The passports. The route.”

“You did?” I blink.

He smiles. “You didn’t think I’d wait for your family to trap you again, did you?”

There is something off in his smile, something that hints he enjoys having control over my decisions. At this moment, I cannot decipher passion from obsession.

The sky rumbles in the distance. “I’m scared,” I admit.

I have never said those words aloud in my life. Not to my father. Not to anyone, but to him, I hand him the pieces of me without hesitation. His expression softens instantly. 

He takes my face in both his hands. “What are you scared of?” he whispers.

“Of disappointing my family. Of throwing everything away.” I swallow. “Of not knowing who I am without the Caldara name.”

He kisses me slowly, deeply, deliberately, as if he wants to overwrite every fear with desire. “Listen to me,” he breathes against my lips. “You are not just a Caldara. You’re Damian. My Damian.”

I shiver. “My father will disown me.”

“Let him.” His tone sharpens. “He doesn’t own your future.”

He takes a step back, eyes fierce. “They’ve controlled you your whole life. The speeches. The expectations. The legacy. Don’t you want something of your own? Something real?”

“I thought the Caldara legacy was real,” I murmur.

He touches my chest. “This. What we have is more real than any title.”

His words hit me like a drug. Warm. Sweet. Addicting. I let his words get to me. I permit his subtle control and his will to mold my decisions.

“Leave with me tonight,” he whispers. “Or stay and live the life they built for you.”

His gaze pins me. He already knows what my answer will be.

…………

My father calls me to his office the next morning, just before sunset. He stands behind the large desk, reading a file. He does not look up even as I enter.

“You missed the board meeting,” he says.

“I had things to handle.”

“You had Caleb to handle,” he corrects flatly.

My jaw clenches.

He finally lifts his eyes to mine. Cold. Sharp. Unmoving. “Are you leaving?” he asks.

I stand in a daze. “You… know?”

“I’m your father, Damian. I know everything.” The silence in the room gives me goosebumps. “Son,” he says, stepping around the desk, “you cannot build a future on obsession. That boy…”

“Don’t call him that,” I sigh.

His expression hardens. “He has no interest in you. He’s only interested in your name.”

I frown. “You don’t know him.”

“I know people. And I know what he wants.”

“No,” I refute stubbornly. “You know what you want. And you’ve forced that onto me for twenty-four years.”

His patience snaps. “And you’re going to throw away your inheritance for a guy you barely know?”

“Yes,” I declare angrily.

He stares at me as if I have spoken a forbidden language. As if I have become someone unrecognizable. I see a flicker of pity set in his eyes.

“Then leave,” he says quietly. “And don’t come back until you’ve learned what real love feels like.”

His voice is cold, but behind it I hear something like pain. I walk out without looking back. If I had, maybe I would not have gone.

I hear that unauthorized whistle. Like sheep led to the slaughter, I think aloud, “Caleb’s inside already. I need to go.”

…………

This escape is not romantic. It is chaos.

We sneak through the back gardens, climb the old stone wall behind the orchard, run through muddy fields until our feet ache.

He keeps looking back, checking if I am keeping up, as if he is afraid I will change my mind. I glance briefly at the blossoming farm plot, something I truly regret leaving.

At the main road, his friend pulls up in a beat-up truck. “You sure about this?” he asks.

Caleb does not look at him. He looks at me. “Absolutely.”

We drive through the night. Every checkpoint is a nightmare. I lie about my identity, hide my surname, pretend I am ordinary.

One officer recognizes me. “Aren’t you…?”

“No,” Caleb cuts in quickly, grabbing my hand. “His name is Daniel. He’s my husband. We’re traveling for medical reasons.”

He says it so confidently that the officer stares at us weirdly, apologizes and waves us through. When we finally reach the border, my nerves are frayed. Our documents are fake. Our story is shaky. Everything can collapse with one question.

The officer takes his time. Looks at me, then at Caleb. “Purpose of travel?”

Caleb squeezes my hand. “A new beginning.”

The officer stamps the papers. And just like that, we are out. I did not realize I was crying until he touches my cheek. “You did it,” he whispers.

“No,” I correct softly. “You did. You led everything.”

His lips curve into a slight smile. “You needed saving, Damian.”

…………

Our first night in the foreign country is not glamorous. A small hotel. Walls peeling. Water barely warm. Yet he looks at me like I am still his.

He slides into my lap, his fingers threading through my hair. “Do you regret leaving?” he whispers.

“No.” I reply shyly.

He kisses me, and this time there is no secrecy. No hiding. No doubt. He kisses me like he owns me.

Later, in the dim hotel light, our bodies move together slowly and intensely, filled with the rush of escape and the fear of uncertainty. He grinds me with purpose and passion, undeniable raw passion.

When he pulls back, I gasp breathing heavily from pleasure and exhaustion.

He whispers into my ear, his breath warm, his voice melting into me like marshmallows. “Promise me you’ll never leave me. Not for them. Not for anything.”

I am lost enough in his warm embrace. “I promise.”

He smiles in triumph. His smile is soft. Hours later, long after he falls asleep beside me, I stare at the cracked ceiling. The room smells of dust and foreign air.

My inheritance is behind me. My future, if I have one, lies beside me. I think I have escaped my father’s control. I did not realize I have stepped into Caleb’s.

The morning after we cross the border, I wake up to silence.

Not peace. Just silence. Damn. What is going on?

Immediately, my heart starts thumping loudly. Caleb is not beside me. The bed sheets are cold where his body should be. And then panic sets in, that fast, overwhelming panic.