Semua Bab THE CEO'S VENGEFUL BRIDE : Bab 11 - Bab 20

Eleanor  I had seen Damian command boardrooms, news headlines, and even the cover of a certain luxury lifestyle magazine but I had never seen him speechless.Until tonight.His usually impassive eyes tracked over me slowly, taking in every detail with a sharpness that made my skin flush. I stood at the entrance of the San Diego Aquarium in a navy blue gown that hugged my curves and dipped dangerously low in the back, more skin than I usually showed, and more attention than I was ever comfortable with. But tonight was different. Tonight, I wasn’t just the PR specialist in a pressed blazer. I was his date.Well, fake date. For optics. For PR. For strategy. That’s what I told myself as I straightened my spine and smiled up at him."You wore navy blue because I told you not to wear black, didn’t you?" he asked, his voice low, the words grazing my skin like silk. His hand came to rest at the curve of my exposed back,

Eleanor  “This is absolute garbage.”Damian’s voice boomed through his office as he slammed the printed pages onto his desk. His entire body was rigid with fury, his muscles drawn tight like a predator moments before it pounced.I stood across from him, gripping the back of the leather chair in front of his desk to keep my hands from shaking. The tension in the room was suffocating. I’d just heard the tail end of the phone call with his younger sister, Maddy her voice cracked and laced with tears. The sound haunted me.It wasn’t often I saw Damian lose control. He was a man built on discipline and order, never giving an inch more than he intended to. But right now? He looked like he could destroy a city with his bare hands.His jaw clenched as he picked up the article again. I already knew the headline: “Young Intern Ruins CEO’s Marriage Callahan’s Wife Files fo

Eleanor Late into the night, the private jet touched down on Koh Samui and I felt a tight knot simmering in my chest. I knew Damian ran things like clockwork, but seeing it in action, jet, driver, limousine waiting in the humid dark drove home how completely he controlled the narrative. It was impressive. And unnervingly efficient.I took a deep breath of the warm, salty air, letting it slide past me as I entered the stretch limo. Heat, humidity, tropical life mashing together in an overload of sensation… and I still felt icy around the edges. Damian sank into the seat beside me, his posture relaxed, sleeves rolled up to reveal sun kissed forearms that made my skin clench with a cocktail of admiration and self loathing.He leaned over and whispered, “Don’t feel the limo is cliché?”My gaze drifted across the cool leather interior. I ran my fingertips over it. “It’s a bit much.” I kept my tone casual businesslike, not breathy.He chuckled. “Practical. Privacy. Room to work.” Then his

EleanorThe table was quiet, save for the soft clinks of silverware against porcelain. A rare thing, silence especially with me. Normally, I filled the room with quick wit and sarcastic comebacks, masking discomfort with carefully timed jokes. But tonight? I didn’t have it in me.Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the jet lag. Or maybe it was the man sitting across from me.There was an impressive spread between us, grilled fish, spiced rice, and sautéed noodles in rich sauces. The kind of meal that would usually have me humming with delight and demanding seconds. But I barely tasted anything.Damian sat across from me, a man who always seemed larger than life. Brooding, sharp jawed, impossibly wealthy and even more impossibly private. A man I had worked beside for years, trading clipped emails, strategic conversations, and the occasional deadpan joke. But never this. Never... dinner.He was watching me now, not with the cold calculation I was used to, but something gentler. Curious.

EleanorThe morning sun broke through the gauzy curtains like a thief, slipping across my face and dragging me, unwillingly, into consciousness. I blinked against the light, momentarily disoriented. The sheets were tangled around me, a silky prison of confusion and twisted dreams. For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was.Then I heard the soft clink of porcelain from the other room.Damian. The villaThe board meetings. And the emotional whiplash that was now my daily reality.I sat up slowly, the sheets sliding off my bare arms. Last night replayed like a film behind my eyes the quiet dinner, the unexpected stories, the stolen glances. It had all felt... intimate. Too intimate. And I hated how easily I had let my guard drop, even for a secondI ran a hand over my face, trying to banish the lingering heat that clung to my skin like a secret. This wasn’t a vacation. This wasn’t a honeymoon. And Damian was not my lover, no matter how many times my traitorous mind tried to imagine ot