The Devil Bargain

Chapter 2 

The Devil’s Bargain

Damien Blackwell has endured aggressive takeovers from those who wanted to take over the empire he had built for years, the boardroom betrayals he had faced severally as he struggled to stand where he was today and the power-hungry rivals who could do everything for a piece of his empire to be snatched away. But nothing—nothing—unsettled him like the man currently sipping whiskey across from him.

Luca.

No—Lucas Vale.

The name suited him now. It wasn’t just a change of identity; it was a warning to Damien.

 The soft, wide-eyed artist Damien had abandoned five years ago was gone, replaced by someone sharper, more calculating, and entirely untouchable.

Damien had spent the past week trying to track him down, expecting a simple retrieval. A loose end to tie up. But Lucas had built walls higher than Damien anticipated—walls fortified by influence, money, and a ruthless reputation.

When the investigators failed, Damien had resorted to the only method he knew would work. A direct confrontation.

Which was how they ended up here.

A private lounge, expensive and dimly lit, where only the city’s elite could afford to breathe the same air. Lucas had agreed to meet—but only after Damien personally reached out.

Now, he was sitting opposite towards him. His facial expression which wasn't bothered and amused tells it all, as he was swirling the amber liquid in his glass like he had all the time in the world to waste with Damien.

“You’ve been busy for a while now” Damien said, keeping his voice steady, not wanting him to think he is desperate.

Lucas lifted a brow. “And you’ve been desperate.”

The words hit their mark. Damien inhaled softly, his fingers tightening around the glass while he swirled it. He had not seen Lucas in years, yet the man still understood how to make him uncomfortable.

“Let’s not waste time here,” Damien began, leaning forward with his eyes piercing through Lucas' eyes as he gulped down the wine. 

“You already know why I’m here,” he added.

Lucas tilted his head, feigning thoughtfulness before he responded “Do I?”

Damien clenched his jaw. Of course he knew. Lucas wasn’t just rich—he was dangerous now, the kind of powerful that came from knowing how to manipulate information.

He was the owner of Vale Media, the most influential digital empire in the country. He controlled news, narratives, and the secrets of men like Damien.

And he was using that power to make Damien suffer.

Lucas sighed, finally taking pity on him. “Fine. Entertain me. Why are you here, husband?”

Damien’s stomach twisted at the word. But he had no option than to speak. He needed him and must get him no matter how rude he sounds. All he needed was to play along.

“Because,” he paused, then exhaled. The thought of telling Lucas the main reason why he wanted him stocked him. Questions filled his mind but he waved it off, after all he must know.

 “My father has commanded me to get a wife before he could fully give the Blackwell Enterprises to me. If I don’t fulfill that command within the next two months, I will lose everything and will have no share in the business..”

Lucas hummed, unimpressed by the word. “And this concerns me because?” he asked, needing a clarification.

Damien’s patience thinned, he knew Lucas understood but was just punishing him but he was smart enough to reply.

“Because, legally, I am married. To you.”

Lucas’s smirk didn’t falter when Damien dropped the bombshell, but something flashes behind his green eyes—something dark, something unreadable. “How unfortunate.”

Damien set his glass down with a quiet clink. “I need you to play the part. Just for a while. If I can prove I have a spouse, I can keep my company. After that, we can finalize the divorce, and you never have to see me again.”

Lucas exhaled, long and slow, before setting his drink down beside Damien’s. Then he leaned in, his presence sharp and suffocating.

“You really think I’d help you?” His voice was soft, dangerous. “After what you did?”

Damien’s throat tightened.

“I know I hurt you—”

“Hurt?” Lucas laughed, a bitter sound. “Damien, you destroyed me.”

The words hit like a slap.

Damien had prepared for anger, for resistance—but not for the sheer weight behind those words.

He swallowed hard,forcing himself to keep his composure straight “I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

“Good. Because I won’t.”

Silence thickened between them.

Then, finally, Lucas pulled back, eyes sharp as ever.

 “Let me get this straight,” he mused. "You abandoned me, left me with nothing, and now when you need something , you realize we are married?"

Damien didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. They both knew the answer.

Lucas exhaled through his nose, shaking his head as he gazed at Damien "You have got some nerve, Damien and I love that.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I had another choice.”

Lucas studied him for a long moment in silence . Then, slowly, he smiled.

And Damien hated that smile. He wasn't comfortable with the way Luca smiled. He wasn't sure if the smile was a yes or a no.

Because it wasn’t warm. It wasn’t nostalgic. It was cruel.

“You need a husband,” Lucas murmured, tapping his chin thoughtfully while his other hand swirled the glass cup. “How ironic. Considering you never wanted one.”

Damien stiffened, but Lucas wasn’t finished.

“You hid me,” he said. “Treated our marriage like a dirty little secret. And now? Now you need me?” He scoffed. “Tell me, Damien, do you even know who I am anymore?”

The words stung. Because no—Damien didn’t.

The man before him was not his Luca.

His Luca had been soft-spoken, affectionate, easy to love.

Lucas Vale was none of those things.

"You may hate me all you want," Damien murmured, pushing himself to meet Lucas' stare and for a moment both went silent.

 "But you do not do things for no cause. You agreed to meet with me tonight, therefore you are interested in what I have to offer."

Lucas tapped his fingers on the table, creating slight sounds.. “You’re right. I am interested in the offer.”

Damien’s chest tightened in relief as he exhaled slowly.

 “So you’ll do it?”

Lucas’s smirk widened; it was as if he was laughing but holding it back.“That depends.”

“On what?”

Lucas leaned back, gaze glittering with something Damien couldn’t quite place. Something dangerous.

“I’ll agree to be your husband,” he said, voice dripping with amusement. “But only under one condition.”

Damien’s stomach twisted. “Which is?”

Lucas took his time, finishing his drink before leaning in one last time.

“You give me control over Blackwell Media.”

The air between them was still.

Damien went rigid. “Absolutely not.”

Lucas only shrugged. “Then I guess you’ll be losing your empire after all.”

Damien’s pulse thundered. This was a power play. A calculated move to claim something Damien had spent his entire life protecting.

Lucas Vale wasn’t just here for revenge.

He was here to win.

And for the first time in years, Damien wasn’t sure if he could stop him.

Silence stretched between them.

Then Lucas stood up , adjusting his clothes properly.

“Think it over, darling,” he said in a silky voice. “You know where to find me when you need me.”

He turned and walked away without saying anything further, leaving Damien alone to deal with the weight of an impossible decision.

And the understanding that this was just the start.