Chapter Four: The Clause

Aria has read clause 18 thrice before the sun rose.

Every instance saw the words morph in her mind from an innocuous phrase to a trap in disguise in the form of corporate speak.

Personal attendance

 Mandatory attendance

It was professional-sounding enough, though she knew enough about boardrooms to recognize a power play when it happened in one. Damian Vale didn't just want her company, he wanted control over her presence, her image, her time.

And he was smart enough to mask it with corporate-speak.

At 9 a.m., her phone was vibrating.

> VALE INDUSTRIES

> Good morning, Miss Morgan.

> Mr. Vale would like you to join him at the opening of the Crown Gallery tonight.

> Black tie. 8 p.m. sharp.

> Attendance is mandatory.

She gazed at the screen, her pulse accelerating. _Clause 18, engaged_.

---

The Crown Gallery was one of those establishments that most women only experienced through photos in magazines – marble flooring, champagne lighting, and patrons whose smiles were as cutting as the diamonds that sparkled in them. Aria spent the entire afternoon convincing herself it was only that: work. Nothing more. She dressed in a simple black cocktail gown and styled her hair in a soft chignon.

However, upon entering the art gallery, all of Olga's confidence was lost.

Every camera was trained on them. Every eye seemed to be watching them.

And right in the middle of it, Damian Vale.

He was standing in front of glass-and-light sculpture, dressed in the black tuxedo that hugged him like skin. He radiated in the room, not even trying to. Conversations swirled around him. He was power, charisma, and danger, all rolled into one toxic package.

When his eyes locked with hers, it was instant. Precise.

The atmosphere changed.

He crossed the room with long, deliberate steps, pausing only close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body. “Miss Morgan,” he murmured. “You clean up well.”

“So that was what Clause 18 was all about,” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. “Being your… accessory?”

His mouth twitched. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not decoration. You’re strategy.”

“‘Strategy,’ she repeated.” “‘Interstingu word for being tould what to wear and wen to appeah,'”

He inched closer, his whisper low enough that only she could pick up on it. “You represent the heartbeat of my brand, Aria. I need to show investors that I'm capable of change.that I can work with others who make me look.human.”

“So I’m your proof of humanity?” She met his gaze.

“Exactly.”

His eyes blazed with an unreadable expression “For now.”

Industries:

The night was like a show. Damian introduced her to billionaires, artists, media barons – persons who talked in coded language that was couched in compliments and price tags. Aria smiled and nodded and exchanged handshakes, answering questions about her company as if oblivious to his stare that landed on her every so often.

However, it was taking its toll on them.

For a moment, there was a small interlude between the toasts, and Damian reappeared beside her with a glass of champagne in his hand. “You’re doing well,” he whispered to her.

“Am I?” she whispered back. “It sure feels like I'm on display.”

“You knew what you were getting into,” he said, the tiniest bit of chill in his voice.”

“No, I didn't.” Her tone turned cold. “You hid it.”

His jaw clenched, but his face remained calm. “That is Clause 18, standard for any partnership at this level.”

“Then why does it feel so personal?"

“Because it is,” he said, and before she could answer, he went on, “Walk with me.”

He led her through a side corridor with dark velvet drapes lining it. The sounds of the crowd receded until only they were left, along with the hum of the city beyond.

“Aria, turn on him.” “This isn't partnership, Damian,” she said, anger rising in

“Control keeps things from falling apart.”

“And what about trust?" she asked back. “Does that exist in your world?"

For one moment, his mask slipped. Only a glimpse – something raw revealed behind the polished mask. “Trust,” he whispered, “is something I've not afforded in ages.”

His eyes met hers. Her breath hitched. For the very first time, she saw not the billionaire, nor the strategist. but the man. Alone, guarded, and so very dangerous because he'd forgotten what it was to need someone.

“‘You don’t get to hide behind business,’” she whispered. “‘Not with me.’”

“Careful, Miss Morgan,” he whispered, “you're beginning to sound like someone who cares.”

“Maybe I do.” The words spilled out before she could catch them back.

 premises

There was something that changed in his face – not surprise, but heat. A spark that she definitely hadn’t meant to light. His hand grazed against hers, not accidentally this time.

The touch was fleeting, yet charged with electricity.

He leaned close to whisper, “Don't make me regret choosing you.”

“Then stop treating me like an acquisition,” she whispered back.

Silence. Tension. The space between defiance and desire narrowed until it seemed to vanish completely.

At last, Damian stepped back, and the mask seemed to settle perfectly back in place. “The night is far from over,” he said, adjusting his cufflinks. “Do not allow your feelings to tarnish it.”

“Emotion,” Aria said, tilting up her chin, “is what you pay me for.”

He gave her one final unreadable glance – half warning, half invitation – before turning back toward the crowd once more. Aria stood frozen in place, her heart pounding in realization that she'd just won the first battle in a war she didn't yet understand.

___

She poured herself a glass of wine and opened the laptop after she arrived back home that night.

There were pictures from the event on the web that showed Damian Vale, as stoic as always, standing beside her.

“*Vale’s New Partner Humanizes the Empire,*” declared one headline.*

*The Enigmatic Woman Behind Damian Vale’s Smile,* added the other. Her phone was buzzing again. > You conducted yourself well tonight. > We’ll talk tomorrow.* > — D. Vale Aria looked at the text, her thumb hovering over the screen. He was winning. And somehow, she wasn't sure that she wanted him to stop.