Chapter 2

Dragged Away

Elena’s POV 

"She's mine."

The words still hung in the air when all hell broke loose.

"Damien Cross, have you lost your mind?" Richard's roar cut through the stunned silence.

Then everyone started talking at once. Shouting. The cathedral became a storm of voices, shocked gasps, angry exclamations, excited whispers. Camera flashes exploded like lightning. I heard the rapid-fire clicks of professional cameras. The press. Of course the press was here.

"Mr. Cross! Mr. Cross, a statement please!"

"Who is she?"

"Is the wedding off?"

My legs felt like water. The room spun. What had I done? What had we done?

"Vivienne!" someone screamed.

I turned just in time to see the bride crumple, her white gown pooling around her like spilled milk. Two bridesmaids lunged forward, catching her before she hit the marble floor.

"Get a doctor!" 

"Vivienne, darling, breathe!"

My stomach twisted with guilt. She fainted because of me. Because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Because I was selfish enough to ruin someone's wedding day.

"I didn't mean.." I started, but my voice was drowned out.

"Damien, explain yourself this instant!" Richard was charging down the aisle now, his face the color of a heart attack waiting to happen.

But Damien's hand was still wrapped around my wrist. Tight. Unbreakable.

"We're leaving," he said. Not to me. Not to anyone specific. Just a statement of fact.

"You can't just.." I tried to pull away, but he was already moving, dragging me behind him.

"Damien, stop!" I stumbled in my borrowed heels, nearly twisting my ankle.

He didn't stop. Didn't even slow down. His grip shifted from my wrist to my hand, fingers interlacing with mine in a way that felt both intimate and forceful.

We pushed through the crowd. Guests scrambled out of our way. A photographer got too close, his camera inches from my face. Damien's free hand shot out, shoving the lens away.

"Back off," he snarled.

The massive cathedral doors burst open. Late afternoon sunlight blinded me. The stone steps stretched down to the street where a line of expensive cars waited. More cameras. More shouting.

"Mr. Cross! Is the wedding cancelled?"

"Who is this woman?"

"Are you in a relationship?"

I tried to cover my face with my free hand, but Damien pulled me forward relentlessly. My cheeks burned with shame. Everyone was staring. Everyone was judging. The girl in the cheap dress who ruined the wedding of the year.

A sleek black Mercedes sat at the curb, engine already running. The driver jumped out, opening the back door.

"Get in," Damien commanded.

"Wait, I can't just.."

His hands gripped my waist, lifting me. Before I could protest, he practically threw me into the car and slid in behind me. The door slammed shut, cutting off the chaos outside. The driver was back in his seat in seconds, and we were moving.

I pressed myself against the opposite door, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might break through my ribs. The windows were tinted, turning the world outside into shadows and blurred lights.

"Damien, what are you doing?" My voice came out high and panicked. "You just left your own wedding. Vivienne fainted. Your father.."

"Don't." His voice was ice.

I flinched.

He sat rigid in his seat, staring straight ahead. His jaw clenched and unclenched. The muscle in his temple throbbed. I'd seen him angry before, during board meetings, dealing with incompetent executives but never like this. Never directed at me. The silence stretched, suffocating.

Finally, he turned to face me. His gray eyes were storms.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Each word was precisely controlled. Dangerous. "You stood up in front of three hundred people, business partners, investors, family, the entire board of directors and humiliated me."

"I humiliated you?" The words burst out before I could stop them. "You were marrying someone else! You used me for three years and then.."

"I told you it was business!" His voice rose, filling the car. "I explained everything. The merger with Laurent Industries depended on this marriage. My father's entire empire was riding on it. You knew that!"

"You said I was the one you wanted!" Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "You said she didn't matter, that it was just a contract, that we.."

"And then you destroyed everything." He leaned forward, his presence overwhelming. "The merger is dead. My relationship with my father is ruined. The company's stock will tank tomorrow. And for what? Because you couldn't control yourself? Because you had to make a scene?"

Each accusation felt like a physical blow. He was right. God, he was right. What had I been thinking?

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come. Just let me out. Please. I'll disappear. I'll quit. You'll never have to see me again."

"Let you go?" He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You think I can just let you walk away now? After what you did? After what I said in front of everyone?"

His hand shot out, fingers threading through my hair, gripping tight. Not painful, but firm. Controlling. He pulled me closer until our faces were inches apart.

"You wanted my attention, Elena? You have it. All of it."

My breath caught. This close, I could see the gold flecks in his gray eyes. Could feel the heat radiating from his body. Could smell his cologne, cedar and something darker.

"From this moment on, you belong to me."

"Damien.."

His mouth crashed against mine. Hard. Angry. Nothing like the gentle kisses we'd shared before. This was punishment. 

I tried to push him away, but my body betrayed me. My hands, instead of shoving, clutched his jacket. Three years of wanting him, needing him, couldn't be erased by anger.

When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.

"You're mine now," he said against my lips. "No more hiding. No more pretending. You made your choice when you stood up in that cathedral."

"I didn't choose this," I protested weakly. "I just wanted.."

"I don't care what you wanted."

The car slowed, turned. I glanced out the window and my stomach dropped. We weren't heading toward my apartment. We were driving through the wealthy district, where mansions sat behind tall gates and manicured lawns.

"Where are we going?"

He didn't answer.

The car turned again, and massive iron gates swung open before us. A driveway stretched ahead, lined with perfectly trimmed hedges. At the end sat a mansion that looked like it belonged in a magazine, all glass and white stone and modern angles. Beautiful. Sterile. Cold.

"This is your house," I said stupidly.

"Our house now."

The car stopped. Damien got out, then reached back in and grabbed my arm, pulling me with him. I stumbled on the pristine stone driveway.

"I can't stay here. I have work tomorrow. I have my apartment. I have.."

"You have nothing anymore except what I give you."

He dragged me up the front steps. The massive door swung open, had someone been watching for us? We stepped into a foyer that was all marble and gold fixtures and a chandelier that probably cost more than my entire year's salary.

"Sir, shall I prepare the guest room?" A woman in a crisp uniform appeared from somewhere.

"The master bedroom," Damien said. "Miss Martinez will be staying indefinitely."

My face burned. "Damien, this is crazy. You can't just.."

He spun to face me, his eyes blazing. "I just walked away from my wedding for you. I destroyed a multimillion-dollar merger for you. I publicly claimed you in front of everyone who matters in this city."

His hand came up, fingers gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.

"You wanted to be mine? Congratulations. You got your wish."

Behind us, I heard the heavy clang of the iron gates closing. Locking.

Damien's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "From now on, you'll never leave."