The cars disappeared and the mansion was quiet once more, too silent.
The rain was still beating outside, loud on the windows, but for a few seconds no one moved in the entrance hall.
Amelia stood at the door, frozen.
She shuddered a little, not of the cold all of them, Her father’s voice, Victor’s stare and Air pressure.
And Damien right there with her through it all.
She exhaled that breath that had been caught in her chest.
Then all of a sudden,
Her knees buckled, Damien snatched her arm at once, Good and Slowly.
“Deliberately.
Amelia shut her eyes for a moment, “I’m okay.” “You’re shivering.” “I saw.
Her voice was weak.
Damien looked at her face in silence, the anger she’d worked so hard to keep together all night was beginning to crack at last.
Bit by bit, the security guards nearby bowed their heads respectfully and left the entrance hall in silence.
Soon only Damien and Amelia remained, the enormous room suddenly seemed much larger, Too big.
Amelia stepped back from the door, Her heels clicked softly on the marble floor as she made her way toward the stairs.
Then she stopped half-way, Without turning round she asked quietly, “Meant it?
Silence trailed behind her.
Amelia swallowed.
“When you told my father your intention to keep me.
Now the words sounded dangerous, way too personal.
At last she turned slowly to Damien, he was at the entrance, in his black suit, one hand still in his pocket, calm as usual.
But his eyes still lingered on her.
“Do you want the truth?” he asked softly, Amelia dipped her head once, Damien moved slowly toward her.
It was a calculated step,Controlled.
“I meant every word of what I said to him tonight.” Unanticipated, her heart skipped a beat.
Amelia looked away first.
Because suddenly the air between them seemed too thick again.
Too close.
“This deal was supposed to be about revenge,” she whispered.
“It still is,” he whispered back.
The answer tumbled out, but somehow it didn’t seem quite right.
Amelia hugged herself again.
“Then why does this already feel so complicated?”
Damien drew back just before her.
Close enough to cause tension between them again.
“Revenge gets dangerous when emotions get mixed in.”
The sentence hit hard, inside her chest.
Amelia slowly lifted her eyes to him.
“And is it mixed in with the emotions?”
For the first time since she had met Damien Vale, He ceased small and almost unnoticeable.
But she saw it, then his face was unreadable again.
“You’re tired.”
Amelia almost laughed.
“You evade questions.”
“And you keep asking dangerous questions.”
Their eyes met once more, the air was tense, Warm and unsteadiness.
Then Damien finally backed off a bit.
“You should sleep, the moment shattered instantly.
Amelia quietly looked down, she felt a little relieved, oddly, another part didn’t.
Upstairs a female staff appeared politely.
“Miss Laurent, your room is ready.
Amelia nodded, Slowly, but before she could move, Damien spoke again.
“One more thing,” he said.
She looked back at him.
His expression grew serious again.
Things will go from bad to worse tomorrow.
Amelia’s stomach instantly clenched.
“The press?” “That too.” Damien’s voice was still cool.
“Your father’s not going to stop after tonight.
Amelia knew this already.
Somewhere inside, she knew it the minute Richard showed up at the mansion himself.
This was not wrath, It was a control obsession.
Damien continued, quietly.
“If we’re doing this, he reached into his suit jacket pocket and pulled out a folder of documents dark as black, Classy and pricey.
Amelia looked at it.
“Well, what is it?
The deal
Her breath caught a soft sound.
Yes.
The contract marriage.
It all began with those words in the ballroom, Marry me, for revenge.
But now suddenly,It felt real, anyway.
Too close, Damien went back to the living room, and put the folder down gently on the table by the fireplace.
Now everything seemed weirdly personal, dangerously close.
Calmly, Damien opened the folder.
There were some papers lying inside, Nice, organized and done.
Amelia immediately frowned.
“Did you already have this?” “I had it prepared by lawyers an hour ago.
She looked up at him, wide-eyed.
“You go too fast.
Horribly fast.
For a moment a faint smirk passed his lips.
“I’ve heard that before.
Amelia sat down slowly across from him.
Her silver gown glittered slightly in the firelight.
But she looked tired now, emotionally exhausted.
Damien shoved the papers at her.
“Read it carefully.”
Amelia glanced at the contract, the words swam a little at first, because her mind was still on overload.
She was able to concentrate, a marriage that is lawful.
Public appearance stipulations.
Shared House Family protection from interference of each other.
Then all at once.
her eyes paused in one sentence, The marriage agreement cannot be dissolved without the agreement of both parties.
Amelia looked up, immediately.
“What is this?
Damien leaned back, calmly.
“The condition.
Her heart-rate ticked up a little.
“A marriage that can never be undone?” “Until we both decide to stop.
Amelia looked at him.
‘That’s crazy.
“Your father is powerful,” Damien said softly.
If this marriage can be easily broken, he will break it at once.
Amelia looked down at the paper again, suddenly the words seemed heavier permanent, it ties and risky.
Her fingers brushed lightly against the edge of the contract.
“That changes everything.
“Yes.”
There was silence in the room, nearby the fire crackled softly, Amelia read more closely.
No financial pitfalls.
There are no hidden ownership clauses.
No tricks.
If anything, the contract strangely gave her more protection than she had thought.
That threw her off, she looked at Damien again, studying him.
“You really want me to trust you?”
Damien didn’t look away.
“No.
Again she was surprised at her own honesty.
“But I expect you to believe less in your father.
Amelia dropped her eyes in silence, that was the easy part.
Too simple, her heart was heavy with a silence that hurt and with gently.
What if I regret this?
Damien looked at her for several long seconds.
“Then regret it with freedom.
The words struck her harder than they should have.
For freedom was not something Amelia Laurent knew much of.
Her life choices had all been made for her already.
Learn this.
Dig deeper.
Say cheese for the cameras, marry Edward Kane.
Even to-night, her rebellion stemmed from despair and not liberty, Amelia closed the contract folder slowly.
“You don’t like to lose do you?” Damien’s eyes darkened a little.
“No.
He paused for a moment.
“I hate being controlled.
The way he said it, it sounded personal again.
Like another secret wound under the skin.
Amelia saw she was studying him more now.
The sharpness of his jaw.
The small scar by his face, the weariness in quiet eyes.
Damien Vale didn’t really feel like a monster tonight but more like a man who bore his own damage in silence.
And somehow, It only made him more lethal, because it was easier to trust him when you understood him, even a bit.
Incorrect, Probably a bad mistake.
Amelia’s voice dropped a notch.
“If I sign this…”
“then there’s no turning back.
The firelight played gently across his face.
“No,” he said gently.
“There isn’t.”
Silence stretched again, Dense and significant.
A faint rumble of thunder sounded outside the city.
Amelia stared at the contract one more time.
Then slowly She reached for the pen next to it.
Damien watched her closely, take your time, No break and Only silent attention.
Amelia paused, pen hovering over the paper, but all at once,Her hand froze, a sudden fear seized her chest.
This was the real McCoy, One signature and she would officially be against her father.
Laurent Group.
Against everything she had built in years.
Her fingers shook a little, Damien saw it immediately.
“Ya can still walk away.
Amelia laughed, softly.
Broken.
“Now, telling me that somehow makes this harder.
He sighed a little, and very gently, another laugh, almost suppressed, not quite.
Amelia regarded him narrowly.
“You won’t compel me?
Damien’s face froze cold, I would never ask you to do anything.
The sentence hit home.
Because her dad would, Edward Kane would and men like them always would.
But Damien even now he was offering her options, that scared her worse than force.
Because it made her want to remain, again Amelia lowered the pen slowly.
And then at last, She wrote her name down.
The writing on paper sounded louder than thunder Final and Dangerous.
Good, Damien’s eyes dropped to the signature for a second.
There was some unreadable flicker over his face.
He picked up the second pen and signed next to her, calmly.
Just like that and that changed all.
Then Amelia sat and looked at the papers in silence.
Her chest was constricted.
“Now what?
Damien closed the folder gently.
“Now tomorrow the city wakes up and finds out you’re Mrs. Vale.”
At the words a strange heat rushed through her.
Mrs. Vale, the title was not familiar but Intimate and dangerous.
Amelia looked away immediately.
“You say that too calmly.”
“I’ve had longer to prepare.”
She frowned slightly.
“What does that mean?” Damien stood slowly from the couch.
But before he could answer, a loud ringtone suddenly shattered the quiet room again.
Amelia’s phone.
Sophia.
Amelia answered right away.
“Sophia?”
Sophia sounded panicked.
“Amelia” Her breathing shook violently through the phone.
“They know I talked to you.”
Amelia shot to her feet instantly.
“What?!”
“I think someone followed me earlier.” Sophia sounded terrified now.
“There’s a car outside my apartment and there was a loud bang on the phone.
Sophia drew in a harsh breath.
“Oh my God.
All blood left Amelia’s face.
“Sophia?!
Another loud crack, then, somewhere in the background, a man’s voice came faint.
“Open the door!”
Sophia burst into tears.
I am afraid, Amelia”.
The line went dead.
Silence.
Amelia froze dead still.
She slowly lowered the phone with her trembling hand.
Damien was on his feet at once.
His eyes sharpened with dangerous intent.
“What did you do?”
Now Amelia looked at him, her face suddenly flooded with real fear.
And murmured, they found Sophia.