THE WEDDING RING

CHAPTER 7: THE WEDDING RING

KIMBERLY:

Damien placed his hand on mine, his touch warm but firm. It seemed like he was claiming something that was already his.

"Let me treat you to dinner, Mrs. Carter." he murmured as he opened the passenger side for me.

I managed a smile. "Thank you Damien.”

“Why are you thanking me? You're my wife.”

I rolled my eyes. “It's not like we don't know what this is.”

He looked at me, his expression serious. "Kimberly, I'm a businessman. Whatever business I decide to undertake, I do it to the fullest.”

I slipped in, and sat quietly. I glanced around at the beautiful interior of the car while Damien rounded to his side and slid behind the wheel.

“Are you taking this marriage serious?”

He glanced my way. "Yes, Mrs. Carter."

“Oh! Well, time will tell.”

He smirked but didn't say more.

I had a lot on my mind as I looked out the window. The battle line had just been drawn in the Carter's family. Will Damien be able to stand up for me when the heat start coming?

It didn't take long before we pulled up in front of Silverspoon restaurant. Damien stepped out first and the valet practically bowed at him, clearly used to his presence.

Before I could reach for the door handle, Damien was already opening it. Again.

"Stop teasing me, Damien." I said, stepping out.

"I'm just trying to earn husband points."

I chuckled. I found it odd that he would open the car door for me. Don't forget.we're talking about an arrogant billionaire here.

It was a bit windy outside and the wind was messing with my hair.. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I heard someone call my name.

"Kim? Kimberly Walker?"

I turned and saw a tall guy approaching. He wore a tailored navy-blue shirt and jeans, and his brown eyes sparkled as he hurried to me.

"Kim! It’s really you! What a surprise. I haven’t seen you since high school!"

Before I could say a word, he pulled me into a hug. A warm, over-familiar hug.

"Josh? Oh my God, you look... different. In a good way,” I complemented.

He laughed. "So do you! What brings you to Silverspoon? On a date?"

"Actually, I—"

"She’s here with her husband," Damien cut in, suddenly standing so close. His voice was clipped and icy and his eyes were shooting daggers at Josh.

"Whoa. Didn’t know," Josh said, stepping back. "Congrats then."

"Thanks," Damien said curtly, already taking my hand again. He turned to me. "I need to get you a little gift."

"What? We’re not eating?"

"We are. Later."

I waved at Josh who stood there looking at us. “See you next time, Josh.”

Josh simply nodded in response.

Damien led me two blocks down to a jewelry store—high-end, the kind that sparkled through bulletproof glass. We walked inside, and within seconds, a smartly dressed sales associate greeted us.

"Mr. Carter. A pleasure."

"Wedding bands. For a couple."

The associate nodded and led us to a section of the jewelry store where only wedding bands were on display.

"You were jealous of Josh, huh? It was just an innocent hug."

He looked at me, and smirked. "I'm sorry, Kim, but I'm that possessive. Not fond of people touching what’s mine."

I raised a brow. "Really?" I didn't see that coming.

"For better or worse, you’re my wife now."

The sales associate pointed to a set of dazzling rings. “Take a look here, Sir.”

Damien turned and took a closer look. Then he chose a set of white gold band. One was with tiny diamonds embedded into it, simple but elegant.

He gave him his card and paid. The ring was absurdly expensive.

"Give me your hand."

I did, obediently, watching as he slid the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

"Now everyone knows that you're married," he said.

I didn’t argue. I liked the weight of it. It felt real.

But Damien didn't wear his own ring. He slid it into his pocket and took my hand.

“Let's go have dinner.”

Back at Silverspoon, we were finally seated at a private table tucked into a cozy corner. Soft jazz played in the background, and golden lighting made everything feel intimate.

A blonde waiter came over, and wouldn't stop flirting with Damien. She smiled at him radiantly, too radiantly for someone who was just doing her job. She leaned over, almost too close and flipped her blonde ponytail to her shoulder.

“Sparkly or still water, sir?”

Damien waved her off. "We’ll have the chef’s recommendation."

"Yes, sir,” she grinned and brushed her shoulder against his as she stood to leave, winking at him.

After she left, Damien made a call. “I don't want Kate anywhere near my table.”

I stared at him when he dropped the call. "You even know her name”

"I eat here a lot. I know the waiters by name.”

I nodded. “I get it. But you didn’t even look at the menu.”

“They know what I like."

"You’re full of surprises, Damien. What about me. Do they know what I like too?"

"You are my wife. We should share a common interest."

I stared at him, wide eyed. “Are you for real?”

He shrugged as a corner of his lips curled up in amusement. “I have good taste, Kim. You won't be disappointed.”

We sat in silence waiting for our food to be served.

"And Damien..." I reached across the table. "Where’s your ring?"

He looked down at his bare hand and sighed.

"I won't be wearing it all the time," he began.

"Really?"

“Don't start getting the wrong notion into your head. I just don't want to start flaunting this marriage yet. Trust me, it's for a good reason.”

I leaned back, arms crossed. "But mine’s okay to flaunt?"

His gaze suddenly darkened as he looked at me. "I need you to know, Kim. I know we didn't marry out of love but you have to be faithful to me.”

"I never intended to cheat."

“Good! And Kim, it'll do you a lot of good if you don't try to control me.”

I stared at him, feeling the weight of his words.

The food arrived at this point. It consisted of a plate of truffle ravioli for me and a perfectly seared steak for Damien. I took a bite and moaned. It was divine.

"Okay," I said between mouthfuls. "You earned one husband point."

He smirked. "Just one?"

"You’ll have to do more than feed me expensive pasta to earn more."

"Challenge accepted."

We ate in silence for a while, the tension from earlier fading away.

As dessert arrived—chocolate mousse layered with gold flakes—I glanced again at his bare ring finger.

But I could say nothing. He just made himself clear. He doesn't like being controlled.

He raised his wine glass. "To our future happiness."

I clinked mine against his. "To an unpredictable future."

He locked eyes with me as he brought the wine glass to his lips.

Just then, his phone rang. He picked up the call and whispered, “I will join you shortly.”