LOGINSelina's POV"I'm… I'm nobody."The words tasted bitter.Ate Rosa studied me for a long moment, her sharp eyes softening just a fraction. She set the ice pack against my wrist more gently this time."A nobody doesn't get their own room at the end of the east wing," she said. "A nobody doesn't eat at this table."I swallowed. "He told you not to break me. What did he mean?"She snorted. "He tells me not to break a lot of things. Doesn't mean I listen."Despite myself, a small smile tugged at my lips.She turned back to the stove, moving with efficient precision. "You hungry?""Yes.""Good. Sit."I obeyed. The kitchen smelled like garlic, butter, and something savory simmering in a pan. It felt… normal. Domestic. A strange contrast to the storm that was Damien.Ate Rosa slid a plate in front of me—eggs, toast, sliced fruit."You should eat properly if you're going to survive here," she muttered."Survive?" I echoed.She glanced toward the door Damien had exited through. "This house has
Selina’s POV I walked quietly down the hallway, my clothes clutched to my chest as Richard led the way. We stopped in front of the last door, the one farthest from Damien’s room. I didn’t know what I’d been thinking. Someone like Damien falling for me? And not just falling, but so fast? It felt ridiculous now. “This is your room,” Richard said softly, already turning as if to leave. I reached out and gently caught his arm. “What happened out there?” I asked. “I… I can’t talk about our operations with outsiders,” he said, not looking at me. “You know that’s not what I meant.” “I still can’t talk about it.” “Please,” I said quietly. “I just want to know what happened. Why he’s being so cold toward me.” “It’s not your fault.” “But I’m the one he’s taking it out on,” I said, letting go of his arm. I turned toward the door, but he spoke again. “He gets like that sometimes after a raid,” Richard said. “He’ll get over it. I just can’t say when.” “Is there anything
The silence Damien left behind was almost deafening. Hours later, I was still thrashing in the sheets, the soft silk a poor substitute for his touch. A restless, aching heat pulsed low in my belly, a constant, aggravating reminder of his absence. My gaze kept cutting to the bedroom door, willing it to open, driving myself half-mad with the hope that he’d come back. With a frustrated sigh, I sat up. The room was a testament to what we’d done, my clothes strewn in every direction like evidence. I’d been with my ex-fiancé for years, all the way from high school, but it had never been like this. He’d been careful. Predictable. Vanilla. He’d insisted on waiting until marriage, something I’d fought him on endlessly, yet he’d had no issue getting Christabel pregnant. The memory twisted in my chest, anger bubbling up as the bitterness of their betrayal resurfaced. Sleep was impossible. I needed a distraction. I slid out of bed, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. I searched for
Selina's POV“Good girl.”He dove right back in, leaving a trail of kisses down my body. I purred, my back arching involuntarily to meet him as his mouth claimed every inch of my skin. My fingers dug into his back, nails raking angry red lines across his skin.He turned my face to his, and I looked up at him with pleading eyes. His lips curled into a smirk.“Keep your eyes open. Don’t close them,” he ordered.A shiver ran through me. My breath caught as I forced myself to watch him go down on me, his eyes locked with mine the entire time. Heat pooled in my stomach, but self-consciousness crept in. I squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed.A sharp sting landed on my inner thigh, forcing my legs apart.“Ow!” I yelped, kicking at him instinctively. He caught my leg easily, laughter rumbling from his chest.“Relax,” he teased between chuckles. “You’re so tense.”“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled under my breath.His lips brushed my thigh, featherlight kisses trailing closer and closer to wher
Selina’s POV“Little Damien… you knew it was me,” he asked, voice low, taunting.I rubbed my palms together, the liquid courage the alcohol had given me was fading, nerves sparking in its place.“Not at first but…”“But what?” His eyes sharpened.“Only someone with a death wish would screw your fiancée in your own house.”He chuckled, slow and dark, before rising to his feet and closing the space between us. His fingers found a loose strand of my hair, twirling it lazily as if he owned it… as if he owned me. But he owns you came a nagging voice in my head.“So now you won’t let me fuck you,” he whispered, leaning close, “because I’m not your suicidal hero… but your captor.”His breath burned against my skin a moment before his lips found my neck, biting, sucking, claiming. A moan tore out of me, long and shaky, my knees buckling beneath the weight of him. His hands clamped on my waist, holding me steady, refusing to let me go.My fingers dug into his shoulders.“Tell me what you want
Damien’s POV“Since when the hell do I have a fiancée?” I asked, amused more than anything.Richard cleared his throat. “Mr. Gaze owed… a substantial amount of debt. No sons to carry it, so your mother saw an opportunity. She arranged the marriage.”I hummed low in my chest, stroking my beard as I stared out the tinted window. “Mother knows I don’t involve women in the business. A daughter doesn’t carry her father’s name. She has no place paying his debt.”Richard shifted, his voice quick, rehearsed. “Your mother anticipated you would say that. The wedding date is already set for Saturday. Invitations have gone out to the entire family.”My eyes narrowed. “You knew.”He nodded, sheepish.“And you didn’t tell me?” My tone dropped, dangerous. “Who pays you, Richard? Me, or my mother?”“You, sir,” he squeaked, tugging at his collar.I shook my head slowly. “I don’t know what to do with you people.” The realization that my mother had laid the perfect trap dawned on me. I leaned back rubb







