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I Couldn’t
Data de publicação:
2026-09-02 10:21:11**Damian’s pov**
**The Morning After The Ball**
I couldn’t remember the last time I woke up smiling. For a moment, I simply lay there,
staring at the ceiling as warm sunlight poured through the windows of the presidential suite.
There was something different this morning.
Something… lighter. I frowned, because that wasn’t normal. Nothing in my life had felt
light in years, I turned toward the other side of the bed, it was empty. The sheets were cold,
she was gone. A strange disappointment settled in my chest before I could stop it. I sat up
slowly, running a hand through my hair.
“So much for mysterious endings.
”
The room still carried traces of her, a faint floral perfume lingered in the air. One sapphire
earring rested beside the bathroom door, I picked it up carefully. A small smile tugged at the
corner of my mouth. She’d probably be looking for this, my gaze drifted toward the desk.
A single sheet of hotel stationery lay beneath a silver pen, I reached for it. Neat
handwriting greeted me.
“Thank you for reminding me that life can still surprise me.
” No
name, and no phone number. Nothing.
I read the sentence again, then a third time. Most women I’d met would have left a
business card, or a phone number. At least some way for me to find them. But she hadn’t,
she’d walked away expecting nothing.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I respected that, more than respected it. I folded the note
carefully and slipped it into my wallet. Something told me I wouldn’t be throwing it away,
three sharp knocks echoed through the suite. Only one person knocked like that.
“Come in.
”
The door opened.
“Good morning, Mr. Ashford.
” My assistant, stepped inside carrying a tablet and a garment
bag. His eyes immediately swept across the room, then to the empty side of the bed. One
eyebrow rose.
“I assume your evening was… successful.
”
I gave him a flat look, he wisely dropped the subject.
“You have a board meeting in ninety minutes.
”
“I know.
”
“Your grandfather moved breakfast forward.
”
“Why?”
“He said, and I quote…
” He cleared his throat dramatically.
“‘If my grandson insists on
working himself into an early grave, I’d at least like to feed him first.
’”
Despite myself, I laughed. A genuine laugh, my assistant blinked.
“I haven’t heard that sound in years.
”
“What sound?”
“You laughing.
”
“I laugh.
”
“No.
”
“I do.
”
“Not at work.
”
I stood and walked toward the window overlooking Manhattan. The city was already
awake, cars filled the streets, and construction cranes dotted the skyline. Everything moved
with purpose, just the way I liked it, control, order, and predictability.
Last night had been none of those things, and somehow… I couldn’t stop thinking about
her.
“Who organized the masquerade guest list?” I asked.
Ethan looked surprised.
“The foundation.
”
“Can we access it?”
“We could.
”
I hesitated. My fingers brushed against the folded note inside my wallet. Then I shook my
head.
“No.
”
“You don’t want me to?”
“If she wanted me to know who she was…
” I looked back toward the empty bed.
would’ve told me.
”
“
…she
Ethan studied me for a moment.
“I’ve worked for you eight years.
”
“And?”
“I’ve never seen you interested in anyone after one night.
”
“I’m not interested.
”
He smiled knowingly.
“If you say so.
”
I ignored him.
Ten minutes later I stepped into a charcoal suit, adjusted my cufflinks, and became
Damian Ashford again, CEO, and future heir. The man everyone expected, the stranger from
last night disappeared behind the same walls I’d spent years building.
Or at least… I thought he had.
*****
The Ashford headquarters dominated Midtown Manhattan. Forty seven stories of steel
and glass. Employees straightened the moment I walked through the lobby.
“Good morning, Mr. Ashford.
”
“Morning.
”
“Good morning, sir.
”
I acknowledged each greeting with a nod, no unnecessary conversation, and no wasted
time, exactly how I preferred it. The executive boardroom overlooked Central Park, by the
time I arrived, every director was already seated, only one chair remained empty.
The one at the head of the table… mine. As I sat down, the doors opened again. Richard
Ashford entered without his usual cane, refusing assistance despite being nearly eighty
years old.
“Good,
” my grandfather announced.
“Everyone’s here.
”
The room immediately fell silent, helooked around before settling his gaze on me.
“Damian.
”
“Grandfather.
”
“You look rested.
”
“I slept well.
”
“Hm.
”
The corners of his mouth twitched.
“I imagine you did.
”
Several board members looked confused.
I narrowed my eyes.
“You know something.
”
“I know many things.
”
He chuckled as he lowered himself into his chair. Then, without another word, he slid a
thick manila folder across the polished conference table toward me. I opened it.
The smile vanished from my face, inside was a legal document. My grandfather’s will, a
single clause had been highlighted in yellow.
“The sole condition for Damian Ashford to inherit Ashford Global Holdings in full is that he
must be legally married before his thirty sixth birthday. Failing this, controlling ownership
shall transfer to Ezra Ashford.
”
I slowly looked up. The room was dead silent, but my grandfather smiled.
“I believe…
” He folded his hands.
“ …it’s finally time we discussed your future. ”
Último capítulo
Signed, Sealed, Seduced? She’s The
TIFFANY“She’s the woman from the masquerade.” My entire body went still, for several seconds, I forgot how to breathe. Damian stood across from me, his expression unreadable, but I could see it in his eyes. He remembered, of course he remembered… how could either of us forget? The silver mask, the balcony, his raspy voice, the way we had talked for hours as though we had known each other forever, and then the night we had spent together. A night I had convinced myself belonged to the past, a night I had promised myself would never matter again, except now the stranger from that night was standing directly in front of me, and he was the man I was considering marrying.Richard looked between us. “You two have met?”I cleared my throat. “Once.”Damian’s eyes remained on me. “More than once.” My cheeks heated, so I immediately looked away.Richard’s eyebrows rose. “Interesting.”“There is nothing interesting about it,” I said quickly.Richard smiled. “Oh, I think ther
Signed, Sealed, Seduced? I Remembered
TIFFANY I remembered Richard’s words. “I won’t ask for your answer today.” He hadn’t forced me, he had given me a choice, and now I finally understood what that choice really meant. I could protect my pride, or I could protect my company. My eyes burned, I hated this, I hated that my father’s mistakes had brought us here, I hated that the Ashfords had the power to fix everything with one signature, most of all, I hated that the decision suddenly seemed obvious. I reached for my phone, I stared at Richard’s number, my thumb hovered over it, then I stopped… no, I wasn’t calling him, not yet. If I was going to consider this, I needed to meet Damian first, I needed to know exactly what kind of man I would be dealing with, and I needed to see whether two years with him would be unbearable. Maybe he was cruel, maybe he was arrogant, maybe he was impossible, but maybe… just maybe… I could survive him, so I called Richard, he answered on the second ring.“Hello, Tiffany.”
Signed, Sealed, Seduced? By The Time
TIFFANY By the time I returned to Bennett Interiors, I had convinced myself that the entire conversation with Richard Ashford had been some bizarre dream, a very expensive, incredibly absurd dream. Unfortunately, the black business card sitting inside my purse was proof that it had actually happened. I walked through the glass doors of the office, trying to look normal, Molly immediately looked up from her desk.Her eyes narrowed. “Oh no.”I stopped. “What?”“You have that face.”“What face?”“The face you make when something terrible happened but you’re pretending it didn’t.”I forced a smile. “Nothing terrible happened.”Molly slowly stood. “Did you get the investment?”I hesitated. “Yes.”Her face lit up. “Oh my God!”She hurried around her desk. “You’re serious?”I nodded. “They’re going to clear our debts.”She grabbed my arms. “Tiffany!”“And keep all our employees.”Her mouth dropped open. “That’s amazing.”“They’re also offering us exclusive design contracts for the
Signed, Sealed, Seduced? Absolutely Not
DAMIAN“Absolutely not.” I stared at my grandfather, he looked entirely too pleased with himself. We were sitting in his private study, and I had spent the last ten minutes listening to the most ridiculous proposal of my life.“You want me to marry her?”Richard nodded. “Yes.”“For two years?”“Yes.”“To save her father’s company?”“Yes.”I leaned back slowly.“This is insane.”Richard shrugged.“You need a wife.”“I need a solution.”“This is the solution.”“No.”He smiled.I hated that smile.“You haven’t even met her.” He continued “I don’t need to.”Richard raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”“No.”“Why?”“Because I don’t marry strangers.”His smile became suspiciously amused. “Interesting.”“What?”“Nothing.” He replied I narrowed my eyes.He was hiding something.“What aren’t you telling me?”“Nothing you need to know.”“Grandfather.”“Damian.”I stared at him.He stared back.Finally, he sighed. “Tiffany Bennett is a good woman.”“That doesn’t mean I should marry her.”“She’
Signed, Sealed, Seduced? I Stared
TIFFANY I stared at the black business card on Richard Ashford’s coffee table as though it had personally offended me.“DAMIAN ASHFORD.” The name was printed in elegant silver letters. I had never met the man, yet somehow I already disliked him. Maybe it was because his grandfather had just casually suggested that I marry him as though marriage were a business merger. Maybe it was because Richard had offered to erase every debt Bennett Interiors owed, protect our employees, and give us exclusive Ashford contracts for two years, or maybe it was because the entire situation felt too perfect, and perfect deals always came with ugly consequences.I picked up the card.“Just so we’re clear,” I said, looking at Richard, “this changes nothing.”His smile widened. “I never said it did.”“I’m not marrying your grandson.”“You’ve mentioned that.”“Twice.”“Three times.”I narrowed my eyes.He chuckled.My father cleared his throat beside me. “Perhaps we should discuss this at ho
Signed, Sealed, Seduced? Some Buildings
**Tiffany’s pov** **Present Day and Time** Some buildings weren’t just made of steel and glass. They were built to remind everyone who walked through their doors exactly how small they were. Ashford Global Holdings was one of those buildings. The seventy story skyscraper pierced the Manhattan skyline like it owned the city itself. Morning sunlight reflected off its glass exterior, making it impossible to look directly at the top. I stood on the sidewalk with my father beside me, clutching my leather portfolio a little tighter than necessary. “This is intimidating, ” I admitted. Dad forced a smile. “It’s supposed to be. ” Luxury cars lined the entrance. Men and women dressed in tailored suits hurried through revolving glass doors while security greeted each by name. Everything screamed power, everything screamed money, and everything screamed that people like us didn’t belong here. “You ready?” Dad asked. I glanced at the building one last time.
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