Chapter 4 - Friends with Benefits

Damian's POV

Vanessa's heels clicked on the marble floor as she entered, heads up high and confidence oozing out of her like she owned the place. She didn't wait for an invitation, she carried herself with the boldness of a woman who has absolutely nothing to lose, her hips swaying effortlessly with practiced precision, her perfume filling the air, sweet but sharp, an evidence of her presence.

Damian set his glass on the table, watching her every step like a predator does its prey. He wasn't surprised she had come back. Vanessa was like fire, always hungry, always consuming, never satisfied.

She dropped her coat over the arm of his sofa, standing there in silk that clung to her curves. “No reply?” she asked. “Rough night?” she inquired again.

Damian's eyes narrowed. " You should have gone home.”

Vanessa smirked, unbothered. “Maybe I don't like being dismissed so easily.” She walked closer, her fingers trailing the edge of the bar, brushing past the glass Damian had abandoned on the table. " Or maybe I don't like hearing that I'm not good enough for you.”

His jaw flexed. “I told you the truth. You're not pure enough to carry my heir. Don't twist it into something else.”

She laughed softly, low and mocking. “Pure enough? Come on Damian, this is New York, not some ancient times. You think you'll find a saint that'll bear your child? Well, good luck with that.”

Her words were sharp, but Damian didn't flinch. “ This isn't about luck. It's about control. And you, Vanessa, are chaos in heels.”

Her lips curled into a sly smile. “Chaos keeps life interesting, life's boring without it.”

She moved closer until she was right in front of him. Damian didn't move back, nor did he flinch. He never gave her that satisfaction. But when she reached up, brushing her fingers against his lips, he held her wrist, firm and unyielding.

“Don't mistake me for something I'm not”, Damian said quietly, his voice edged. “This, whatever that is between us, it's convenience, fun. Don't look for permanence where there's none.”

Vanessa's eyes stung, though she masked it quickly with a sultry smile. She leaned forward, close enough for her lips to graze Damian's ear. “You can say whatever you want, Damian, but you keep letting me back in, never resisting. You need me, whether you'll admit it or not, I know.”

Damian released her wrist and stepped back, turning away as if she wasn't behind him and she never existed. He grabbed his glass and poured himself another drink, ignoring the way her eyes followed his movements and bore into him.

He didn't need her, not her body, not her chaos. The only thing he cared about is his father's ultimatum , and the gnawing emptiness inside him made Vanessa a distraction he hadn't yet admitted.

“Stay if you want to,” he muttered absentmindedly, drowning his whiskey. “But do not have high hopes, and don't confuse this for what it's not.”

Evelyn's POV

Across the town, Evelyn, still unable to fall asleep, sat at the small kitchen table of her apartment. The glow of a single lamp throwing shadows on the peeling wallpaper. She's deep in thoughts, her thoughts wouldn't stop circling.

She stared at her phone, looking at the agency's number that stared back at her like it was daring her.

She thought of the debts and her bills for the umpteenth time.

Her heart twisted. “Maybe … maybe Carmen was right”, she whispered to herself.

Everywhere was silent, only the steady ticking of the time reminded her that time was running out.

Vanessa's POV

Back at Damian's penthouse, Vanessa lay on Damian's bed, sheets tangled around her legs, watching him as he stood by the window, with his back to her.

He looked like a king surveying his kingdom, untouchable.

And yet, she thought bitterly, “He refused to crown me his queen”.

She bit her lower lip, determination hardening in her chest. She wasn't going to let any faceless ‘ideal’ woman steal her position in his life. She has fought too hard, climbed too far to end up being overthrown.

Her fingers trailed absentmindedly across the empty space where he was supposed to lay.

“You'll change your mind", she whispered, a dangerous promise hidden in her tone.

Her eyes flickered, sharp and calculating.

She wasn't leaving. Not tonight, not ever. Until Damian Blackwood was hers.

Damian finally turned, his icy gaze directed at her. “Vanessa”, he said flatly.

She smiled, waiting for his surrender.

But his next words hit her like a slap, throwing her off balance.

“You’ll never be the mother of my heir”.