The air suddenly shifted.
A pin-drop silence descended over the courtyard until—
Cough!
Xavier suddenly broke into a fit of coughing.
Evelyn’s defiance was something he hadn’t expected.
Not so soon, at least.
Just an hour and a half ago, he had watched her break down in that empty wedding hall, weeping beneath the weight of betrayal and abandonment.
Most people would have needed days, perhaps even months, to recover from such devastating pain.
Yet here she was, already standing her ground and talking back to his boss without a trace of fear in her eyes.
Had this been what made his boss change his plans and marry her instead?
Her flair.
Her daring.
Those were charms too tempting for a man like Damian Callahan to resist.
Xavier couldn’t help but grow curious about her.
However, before he could think any further, Damian’s cold gaze snapped toward him.
Xavier immediately understood the warning in those eyes.
He lowered his gaze and cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry, sir.
It seems the wind is a little colder tonight.
Should I go in and get you a coat?”
Damian’s eyes darkened.
Xavier offered an awkward half-smile before pressing his lips together, effectively zipping them shut —not daring to say another reckless word.
Damian turned back toward Evelyn, his gaze sharp.
Evelyn didn’t look away.
She met his eyes with equal intensity, showing no sign of surrender.
She might have given in to his cruel demand and married him.
But she had never surrendered herself to him.
Her willingness and obedience would be the last things he would ever have from her.
Not in this lifetime.
So if he thought he had won simply because he had deceived her once and betrayed her in the worst possible way, he was gravely mistaken.
And she would make sure he understood that from the very first minute of their doomed marriage.
Her jaw tightened as she held his gaze.
“Since you dared to marry me and bring me here, you have to own it —completely.”
She paused before continuing, her voice turning colder.
“We took sacred vows.
Even if they were built on a lie, I won’t allow you to turn around and hide me from the world just to humiliate me.”
Her gaze hardened. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“I’m your legally wedded wife, Mr.
Damian Callahan.
I won’t accept any position less than that.”
She took a slow breath.
“So don’t even think about making me some sort of secret.
Because I won’t agree to it.”
Damian’s expression grew colder.
The way she challenged him, looking directly into his eyes without the slightest hint of fear, snapped something inside him.
For a fleeting moment, he wanted to step forward and wring her neck just to remind her that she didn’t get to set the terms with him.
That she didn’t get to decide how their relationship would be defined.
But then—
He moved.
He took a step toward her.
Following the usual script of a forced marriage like theirs, Evelyn should have stepped back almost instinctively.
But she didn’t.
She remained exactly where she was, the defiance in her eyes never dimming.
Not even when Damian stopped inches from her, and his large frame towered over her intimidatingly.
She simply stood there, meeting his gaze while tilting her chin upward slightly.
There was no discomfort in her expression.
No fear.
Her eyes made her intention perfectly clear.
She wasn’t backing down.
The corner of Damian’s lips lifted.
He pulled one hand from his pocket and hooked his fingers beneath her chin, tilting her face upward.
“Given how repulsed you looked by me earlier, I thought you’d be more than happy to deny our relationship the moment you got the chance.”
He nudged her chin slightly.
“What?” A faint smirk touched his lips.
“You’re suddenly so eager to claim your title as my wife?”
Evelyn’s eyes turned colder.
“Being repulsed by you doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to make me your secret and enjoy this game on your terms.”
She reached up and tried to remove his hand from her chin, but she couldn’t.
His hold was firm, yet strangely controlled.
Damian didn’t even flinch.
That lack of reaction only fueled her anger.
Her eyes blazed.
“I might have married you,” she said through clenched teeth, “but I’ve already refused to be part of your game.”
She met his gaze without blinking.
“So you’d better not try to play it with me.”
Damian didn’t respond immediately.
He simply stared into her eyes.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then, slowly, the corner of his lips curved upward.
“I, Damian Callahan, don’t regret the things I decide.” His voice was calm —almost dangerously so.
“So if you think making your stance against me clearer will make things difficult for me, you’ll be disappointed, Mrs.
Callahan.”
His thumb shifted slightly beneath her chin.
“There’s no fun in keeping you a secret when I can make you suffer far more effectively in the open.”
Evelyn’s fingers curled into fists.
She knew he hadn’t married her out of love.
She might not know his exact motives, but she could already tell that this marriage was part of his revenge against her father.
His sole intention was to make her life difficult in a way that would make her father suffer through her pain.
She knew all of it…
Yet hearing him say it aloud still hurt as deeply as his betrayal had.
Warmth returned to her eyes, threatening to spill over.
But she refused to let it.
She would never give him the satisfaction of watching her break because of his words.
“Then why are we still standing out here?” she said suddenly; her tone carried a quiet challenge.
“Shouldn’t we be heading inside and meeting your family?”
She knocked his hand away from her chin and took a step back, deliberately gesturing toward the mansion’s grand entrance.
Damian’s expression chilled once again.
He stared at her for a moment.
Then his gaze shifted toward the imposing doors of the mansion.
Without another word, he turned and began walking inside.
His steps were steady and unhurried.
Behind him, Evelyn remained where she was for a moment, watching his retreating figure.
Then she heard Xavier’s voice beside her, urging her to follow.
“Mrs.
Callahan, please.”