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Shadows

ผู้เขียน: Lucky
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2025-11-09 01:20:58

Chapter 23:

(Damien’s POV)

I woke up slowly. The air in the room was bright, soft, and still.

I wasn’t burning. The heavy, desperate heat that had trapped me in the study was gone. My head felt clear, but heavy, like a stone at the bottom of a deep lake.

I blinked, taking in the room. I was lying in the middle of my huge bed, under a light cotton sheet. My chest was bare. My wrinkled suit pants and socks were still on. The pillow next to me was indented.

I looked at the bedside table. The digital clock read 10:45 AM. I hadn't slept this late in years. Next to the clock, there was a glass of water, an untouched packet of painkillers, and the glass bowl. It was half-empty. The spoon rested inside. I remembered the simple, clear broth—the best thing I had ever tasted.

Sophia was gone.

The wave of deep shame hit me instantly. It was a cold, tight feeling, worse than the fever. She had seen me weak. She had seen me broken. The Ice King, collapsed on his floor, sweating, mur
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  • Vegas Vows: A Billionaire's Gamble   Invitation

    --- Chapter 55: (Damien’s POV) The invitation felt heavier than paper should feel. It rested in my hand like a verdict, printed on thick, cream-colored cardstock, the letters pressed in gold foil that caught the light every time I moved it. This wasn’t just an announcement. It wasn’t just an event. It was a declaration. A rebirth. A war. And a quiet statement of my irrelevance. It had been addressed simply to Mr. D. Lancaster. No title. No warmth. No familiarity. The envelope had been plain, sealed carefully, delivered by a courier who disappeared before security could even log his arrival. A ghost delivery. Clean. Intentional. It had Sophia written all over it. I stood by the window of my penthouse office, the city lights glowing beneath me, the invitation still in my hand two hours after Lila had walked out and shattered what little denial I had left. The paper felt cold. Fragile. As if one wrong move would tear it in half. I read it again. Lancaster Designs Presents t

  • Vegas Vows: A Billionaire's Gamble   Lila's Intervention

    Chapter 54: (Damien’s POV)The air in my office felt thick and stale, like it hadn’t been replaced in days. It smelled of polished wood, expensive cologne, and something darker—regret. The kind of regret that settles into your bones and refuses to leave.It had been days since I destroyed Ethan Blake’s deal. Days since Marcus stood in this very room and said the words that still echoed in my head: You are not protecting her. You are punishing her.No matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t escape them.I had thrown myself into business with a brutal focus. I closed deals at record speed. I restructured assets that didn’t even need restructuring. I created chaos where there was none, just to keep my mind busy. Meetings blurred into calls. Calls blurred into contracts. I barely slept.But when night came, when the penthouse went silent, Sophia’s absence filled every corner. Her laughter no longer echoed down the hallway. Her quiet presence was gone. And no amount of money or motion could

  • Vegas Vows: A Billionaire's Gamble   Sabotage

    Chapter 53: (Damien’s POV)The Lancaster Group office was the only place where I felt like I could breathe, like I could think. Outside these walls, the city buzzed and roared with indifference, but in here, I was in control—or at least, I pretended I was. My corporate armor felt heavier today, thicker somehow, as if it needed to protect me not just from the world, but from myself.The aftermath of the St. Regis disaster still lingered, an invisible weight pressing against my chest. Clara was taken care of. Legally neutralized, silenced by a non-disclosure agreement, and rewarded handsomely to keep her mouth shut about the wine she had laced. I told myself it was business, nothing personal. But the truth was, every cent I spent to buy her silence left a bitter taste in my mouth.Marcus had been dealt with differently. He didn’t need a silence agreement or a payoff. He had received a raise—astronomical, by all standards—a formal apology, and strict orders never to speak about that nig

  • Vegas Vows: A Billionaire's Gamble   Anchor

    Chapter 52: (Sophia’s POV) The next day, I gave in to Ethan’s quiet persistence. Not because I was ready for company, but because the silence when Lila was at work was too heavy, too inviting for the memory of Damien Lancaster’s betrayal to creep in. “Just for an hour,” I told Ethan when he walked back into the apartment, carrying a pizza box that smelled exactly like the cheap, delicious, greasy slices we used to share in college. We sat on the floor of the living room. The TV was off. There were no flashing screens or aggressive headlines. Just the sound of the rain starting again, soft and steady on the fire escape outside. Being near Ethan was like stepping back in time, a necessary retreat from the high-stakes, high-wire act my life had become. He didn't ask about Damien. He didn't ask about the headlines. He didn't even ask about the collection pinned to the board. He simply talked about Paris, about the irritating customs delays he’d had, and about his sister's ridiculou

  • Vegas Vows: A Billionaire's Gamble   Ashes

    Chapter 51: (Sophia’s POV) The dim light of the second bedroom in Lila’s apartment offered no comfort, only shadows that mirrored the state of my soul. It had been days since the headline dropped, days since the sight of Damien's furious, possessive kiss with Clara had frozen the blood in my veins. I sat cross-legged on the floor beside the drafting table, the headline photo—printed, now, because the digital image kept reappearing like a virus—crumpled tightly in my fist. My eyes were dry, exhausted from a reservoir of tears that had simply run out. Now, there was only the cold, steady ache of devastation. The sketches of my new collection, ‘Unscripted,’ lay untouched. They were meant to be vibrant, defiant, a declaration of my independence. But independence felt fragile, purchased with the currency of utter heartbreak. I felt less like a phoenix rising and more like cold ash scattered on the floor. My mind was a painful, self-destructive loop, cycling through every momen

  • Vegas Vows: A Billionaire's Gamble   Entrapment

    Chapter 50: (Damien’s POV)The engagement dinner was a farce.It was beautiful and glittering, but completely hollow.It existed only for corporate survival.We were at the Four Seasons, in a private dining room.The windows overlooked the glowing chasm of Manhattan.Around us were board members, rival CEOs, and obedient sycophants.Every necessary piece of my prison was present.I moved through the evening on autopilot.I was a puppet, controlled by invisible strings—market stability and self-loathing.I delivered a bland, careful toast.I spoke about “rekindling deep friendships” and “the enduring strength of the Lancaster legacy.”My voice was flat.My eyes were empty.Clara, however, was radiant.She played her role perfectly.Her hand rested on my forearm at the right moments.Her expression showed gentle affection mixed with professional pride.She looked like the ideal partner.She was everything Sophia was not.Predictable.Contained.Cold.As the evening dragged on, the alco

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