Chapter 4

I stared into his ruthless golden eyes and realized he had completely trapped me in an inescapable corner because my older brother was currently sitting on a private jet waiting to flee the country. I could not let the federal authorities drag my only sibling into a maximum-security prison and Damien Sterling knew exactly how to use my family loyalty to force my absolute physical surrender.

"Do not call the FBI," I whispered bitterly while I dug my fingernails deep into the expensive fabric of his suit lapels to keep my hands from shaking uncontrollably. "I will get in your car and I will go to your penthouse, but I am never going to forgive you for destroying my family to get exactly what you want."

Damien did not look the slightest bit concerned about my hatred and a dark, victorious smirk spread slowly across his handsome face before he wrapped his massive hand firmly around the back of my neck.

"I do not need your forgiveness, Chloe," Damien growled darkly while his calloused thumb pressed heavily against the frantically beating pulse point under my jaw to monitor my racing heart. "I only need your complete submission and you are going to learn exactly how to give it to me before the sun comes up."

He did not give me a single second to argue or brace myself before he grabbed my wrist and forcefully pulled me out of the private study into the brightly lit hallway of the estate. He kept his iron grip entirely locked around my forearm and dragged me directly toward the grand staircase leading down to the main ballroom where hundreds of elite guests were still drinking his expensive champagne.

"We are going out the back exit," I demanded frantically while I dug my high heels into the thick carpet to stop his relentless forward momentum because I absolutely refused to let the high-society elites see me being dragged out of the party by my brother's best friend.

Damien immediately stopped walking and yanked my body hard against his solid chest, completely ignoring my useless resistance while he slid his heavy arm entirely around my waist to physically anchor me to his side.

"We are walking directly through the center of my ballroom so every single billionaire in this city clearly understands that you belong exclusively to me," Damien commanded ruthlessly while his fingers dug painfully into my hip bone through the thin red silk of my dress to warn me against fighting him in public. "If you try to pull away from me or cause a scene in front of my guests, I will pull my phone out right now and order the pilot to turn your brother's jet around."

I completely stopped fighting his grip and swallowed the thick lump of humiliation burning in my throat because I knew he would execute his threat without a single ounce of hesitation. Damien steered my body down the grand marble staircase and forced me to walk perfectly in sync with his long, predatory strides while hundreds of wealthy guests stopped talking to stare at us. He kept his hand possessively clamped on my waist and completely ignored the shocked whispers echoing across the ballroom because he wanted the entire world to know he had successfully conquered my family.

We walked out the massive front doors into the freezing night air where a line of armored black SUVs was waiting on the circular driveway with the engines already running. A heavily armed security guard immediately opened the back door of the lead vehicle and Damien practically shoved me into the dark leather interior before he climbed in right behind me and slammed the heavy door shut.

The driver instantly rolled the soundproof glass partition up to completely seal us inside the back cabin and the SUV sped away from the estate before I could even properly secure my seatbelt. I pressed my back hard against the passenger door to put as much distance between us as possible but Damien reached across the wide leather seat and forcefully grabbed my bare knee.

"Do not try to hide from me in my own car," Damien instructed in a dangerous, gravelly tone while his large hand slid slowly and deliberately up my exposed thigh to push my red silk dress dangerously high. "You officially signed your life over to me the second you walked out of that ballroom and our private wedding officiant is currently waiting in my penthouse living room to make this arrangement completely permanent."

My blood completely turned to ice because I thought I had at least a few days to figure out an escape plan before he actually forced me into a binding legal contract.

"I am not marrying you tonight," I spat fiercely while I grabbed his thick wrist with both of my hands and tried uselessly to pry his rough fingers off my bare thigh. "You promised to let my brother go if I submitted to you. You did not say a single word about a forced wedding at midnight."

Damien effortlessly pinned both of my wrists to the leather seat with his free hand and leaned his massive body completely over the center console until his face was inches from mine. His golden eyes burned with a terrifying, feral possession in the shadows of the moving car.

"I do not negotiate the terms of my own deals, Chloe," Damien growled darkly while his thumb dug possessively into the sensitive skin of my inner thigh. "I want legal, permanent ownership of you so absolutely no one in this city can ever try to take you away from me. You are going to stand in my living room, you are going to say your vows, and you are going to sign the marriage certificate. If your hand shakes or you hesitate for a single second, I will call the airstrip and ground your brother's plane."

I stopped fighting his grip and my chest heaved with ragged breaths because he had completely trapped me in a cage I could not break out of. I turned my face to look out the tinted window and watched the city lights blur past us in the freezing rain while Damien kept his heavy hand firmly planted on my bare skin to remind me exactly who was in control.

The armored SUV pulled into the private underground parking garage of the Sterling enterprise building and stopped directly in front of a pair of gold elevator doors. Damien released my wrists and climbed out of the car before he reached back in and forcefully hauled me out by my waist. He dragged me into the private elevator and scanned his thumbprint on the security pad to send us shooting up to the top floor in complete, suffocating silence.

The doors opened directly into his massive, ultra-modern penthouse and my stomach violently dropped to the floor. Standing perfectly still in the center of the living room was an older man in a dark suit holding a leather-bound legal book. Standing right next to him were two of Damien’s heavily armed security guards acting as our mandatory legal witnesses.

"Damien, please," I whispered desperately, my voice breaking in front of the strangers because the terrifying reality of my situation was finally crashing down on my shoulders. "Do not do this. You have my family's company. You have my total submission. You do not need to bind me to you legally."

Damien ignored my pleading completely and forcefully dragged me to stand directly in front of the terrified officiant. He wrapped his thick arm tightly around my waist to hold my trembling body flush against his hard side and looked the older man dead in the eye.

"Start the ceremony," Damien commanded in a cold, authoritative tone that echoed through the massive penthouse. "And skip the useless romantic vows to get directly to the binding signatures."

The officiant swallowed hard and rapidly read through the mandatory legal declarations while I stood completely frozen in Damien’s crushing grip. When the man finally handed me a silver pen and pushed the marriage certificate across the glass coffee table, my fingers shook so badly I dropped the pen onto the floor.

Damien did not yell at me. He simply bent down, picked up the silver pen, and forcefully wrapped my fingers around it. He covered my small hand entirely with his massive palm and physically guided my hand across the thick paper to force my signature directly onto the dotted line next to his.

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife," the officiant rushed out nervously while he stamped the official seal onto the paper.

Damien handed the man a thick envelope of cash and ordered the guards to escort him out of the building. The heavy front doors clicked locked, leaving me entirely alone in the silent penthouse with the ruthless billionaire who just legally bought my life.

I took a terrified step backward, but Damien caught my hips and easily lifted me completely off the floor.

"You are officially my wife, Chloe," Damien growled darkly against my mouth while he carried me directly down the dark hallway toward his master bedroom. "And now I am going to show you exactly what I expect from my property on our wedding night."