CHAPTER 7:THE EX RETURNS

The next morning I woke up alone.

Damian’s side of the bed was cold.

There was a note on the nightstand:

[Meeting at 8AM. Don’t wait up. - D]

My heart sank. Was last night just... a moment?

My phone buzzed. Again.

[Unknown]: Meet me at La Rose Cafe. 2PM. We need to talk.

- S

Sophia.

---

2PM. La Rose Cafe.

She was already there. Perfect blonde hair. Red dress. $10K bag.

Sophia Cole. Damian’s ex-fiancée.

"Ali Carter," she said, sipping wine at 2PM. "The charity case."

I sat down. "What do you want, Sophia?"

"To warn you." She leaned in. "Damian doesn’t do love. He does contracts. Deals. And you? You’re just his latest PR stunt."

My hands shook under the table.

"He paid me $5 million for my brother’s surgery."

"Exactly." She laughed. "See? Transaction. In 6 months he’ll get bored and pay you to leave."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I was supposed to be Mrs. Cole." Her eyes were cold. "Not some broke waitress."

Before I could answer, the cafe door opened.

Damian.

In a suit. Looking furious.

"What are you doing here?" he said to Sophia.

"Damian baby--"

"Don’t." His voice cut like ice. "You have no business talking to my wife."

Wife.

He said it like he meant it.

He came to me, pulled my chair out, and sat next to me. His hand found mine under the table.

"Sophia, leave. Now."

"Fine." She stood, furious. "But this won’t last, Damian. She’ll break you."

"She already did." He looked at me. "And I’m not mad about it."

Sophia stormed out.

The cafe was silent.

"Are you okay?" Damian asked softly.

"I’m fine." I lied.

"Liar." He brushed his thumb over my knuckles. "She hurt you."

"She told the truth." I looked down. "This is a contract."

Damian’s jaw clenched.

"Not anymore." He turned my face to him. "Ali, look at me."

I did.

"I don’t care about the $5 million. I don’t care about the board. I care about you."

Tears filled my eyes. "What if you change your mind?"

"Then I’ll be the dumbest man alive." He kissed my forehead. "But I won’t."

We left the cafe together. Hand in hand.

Paparazzi snapped photos.

By 6PM, the headline was everywhere:

**BILLIONAIRE DAMIAN COLE SPOTTED WITH MYSTERIOUS WIFE. EX-FIANCÉE FURIOUS.**

Damian saw it and just smiled.

"Good. Let them talk."

He pulled me into his arms.

"Let the whole world know you’re mine

That night the penthouse was full of noise.

Not from us. From my phone.

Notifications nonstop.

I*******m. T*****r. News sites.

#DamianColeWife was trending.

Comments:

"Who is she??"

"Gold digger!"

"She’s so lucky omg"

"Sophia is gonna kill her"

I threw my phone on the couch. "I hate this."

Damian came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Hey. Look at me." He turned me around. "None of that matters."

"It matters to me." My voice shook. "I’m not used to people talking about me."

"I know." He tucked hair behind my ear. "But you’re with me now. That means you get the good and the bad."

"And the crazy exes?"

He smiled. Crooked. "Especially the crazy exes."

He led me to the window. The city was glowing below us.

"Ali, I meant what I said in the cafe."

"What if Sophia tries something?"

"Let her try." His eyes went cold for a second, then soft when he looked at me. "I have lawyers. Security. And I have you."

He kissed me. Slow. Deep. Like he was promising something.

When we pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine.

"The board meeting is tomorrow. I have to tell them about us. Officially."

My stomach dropped. "Are you scared?"

"Terrified." He admitted. "But not of them. Of losing you."

I reached up and kissed him first this time.

"I’m not going anywhere, Damian."

"Good." He smiled against my lips. "Because I’m not letting you go."

Outside, the cameras were still flashing.

Inside, for once, the world felt quiet.

It was just us.

And maybe that was enough.

END OF CHAPTER 7