Chapter 5

Damon ‘s pov 

Four months had passed since I divorced the nagging Junia and married the love of my life. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. She never came crawling back to me. I had expected her to beg me for another chance, or at least ask for something after our divorce, but she never did. That only proved to me that without me, she had absolutely nothing.

Ann’s pregnancy had grown bigger over the past few months, and I was doing everything I could to become the perfect husband for her and our unborn son. My parents adored her. Unlike Junia, who always seemed to bring one problem after another into my life, Ann was gentle, cheerful, and knew exactly how to make everyone around her happy.

A few weeks ago, she had also told me that she was related to the Larson family, one of the wealthiest families in the country. She even promised to help me secure the partnership I had been chasing for years. The only condition was that I shouldn’t approach them without her because, according to her, she was only their niece, and she wanted to introduce me personally. I had agreed.

But today was different. Our annual family banquet had finally arrived, and almost every influential family and business empire in the city had been invited. The Larsons were among the guests. Since Ann hadn’t arrived yet, I decided to approach them myself. Surely introducing myself first wouldn’t hurt.

As I searched the ballroom, I suddenly bumped into my mother. “Oh, my son!” she exclaimed happily before pulling me into a hug. “When did you arrive?” “About thirty minutes ago,” I answered with a smile. “And you didn’t even come looking for me?” I chuckled. “Come on, Mom. It’s not a big deal. I was greeting some of our relatives first.”

She smiled as she looked me over. “You look good. I bet your new wife is taking good care of you.” I nodded proudly. “She is.” “I wish you had listened to me years ago,” she sighed. “You would’ve looked this healthy a long time ago.” I laughed awkwardly. “Mom, let’s not ruin today by talking about Junia.”

She waved the topic away before leaning closer. “Did you hear that arrogant Sinclair finally got married? They didn’t even bother informing our family.” I scoffed. The Carter and Sinclair families had been rivals for years. We had always believed we deserved to be the most powerful family in the city, but somehow the Sinclairs always stayed one step ahead of us.

Before we could continue talking, I finally spotted Mr. and Mrs. Larson. Perfect. I excused myself and immediately walked toward them. “Good evening,” I greeted politely. “Welcome.” They smiled warmly. “Thank you.” Up close, they didn’t seem nearly as intimidating as everyone described them.

I extended my hand confidently. “My name is Damon Carter.” The moment I said my name, I noticed a strange flicker pass between their eyes. Did Ann already tell them about me? Even better. “I’m married to your niece, Ann.”

The couple exchanged confused glances. “Ann?” Mrs. Larson repeated. “Yes. Ann Blake.” She looked at her husband. “Do we know an Ann Blake?” He frowned before slowly shaking his head. “No… I don’t believe we do.” Mrs. Larson looked back at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, young man, but I think you’ve mistaken us for another family.”

My smile slowly disappeared. What? Had Ann lied to me? Wasn’t she supposed to be their niece? Before I could ask another question, Mrs. Larson smiled toward the entrance. “Actually, today we came with our daughter. She’s running a little late.” She laughed softly. “Oh… speak of the devil. There she is.”

I instinctively turned toward the entrance. The wine glass slipped from my hand and shattered against the marble floor. My entire body froze. It was Junia. She looked even more beautiful than I remembered. Elegant. Confident. Radiant. Gone was the broken woman I had thrown out of my house four months ago. Instead, she walked into the ballroom with her head held high, her arm wrapped around the man beside her—my uncle, Lucas Sinclair.

Every guest turned to admire them as they entered together, looking every bit like the perfect power couple. My heart stopped. Junia was the Larsons’ only daughter. And she was now Mrs. Sinclair.