Elena didn’t sleep.
The photograph remained on the kitchen table long after midnight, its torn edges reminding her that someone had been watching her.
Someone wanted her to stay away from Damien.
But another question kept bothering her.
Why would someone want her to marry him?
By morning, Elena had made her decision.
She would meet Damien again.
This time, she would ask questions.
Real questions.
At precisely nine o’clock, a black car stopped outside her house.
Luca stepped out.
Elena walked toward him.
“Damien sent you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He wants to see you.”
Elena glanced at her father.
“I’ll be back.”
Antonio looked worried.
“Elena—”
“I’ll be careful.”
She entered the car.
The Moretti estate looked different in daylight.
It was still beautiful, but Elena could now see the security cameras positioned around the property and the armed men stationed near the gates.
She suddenly understood something.
Damien wasn’t simply protecting himself.
He was protecting himself from people who wanted him dead.
Luca opened the door.
“He’s in the study.”
Elena stepped inside.
Damien was standing beside the window.
He turned when he heard her.
“You came.”
“You asked me to.”
He studied her face.
“You look tired.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Neither could I.”
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“Do you always lose sleep because of women you barely know?”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“No.”
“Then why me?”
His smile disappeared.
“Because you’re in danger.”
Elena crossed her arms.
“That’s not an answer.”
Damien walked toward his desk.
“Sit.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“Suit yourself.”
He placed a folder on the desk.
Elena looked at it.
“What is that?”
“Everything I know about your father’s debt.”
She stepped closer.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“Because you deserve to know what you’re getting into.”
Elena opened the folder.
There were contracts, bank records, signatures and photographs.
She scanned the documents.
Then she stopped.
“This isn’t three million dollars.”
Damien nodded.
“No.”
“How much?”
“Your father’s original debt was three million.”
He paused.
“The amount someone demanded from him afterward was almost seven million.”
Elena looked up.
“Someone?”
“Your father wasn’t dealing with my organization alone.”
She stared at him.
“Then who was he dealing with?”
Damien’s eyes hardened.
“That is what I’m trying to find out.”
Elena closed the folder.
“So my father was manipulated.”
“Yes.”
“And you want me to marry you because of this?”
Damien leaned against the desk.
“I want you to marry me because it protects you.”
“From whom?”
“Everyone.”
Elena laughed bitterly.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
His calm answer caught her off guard.
“I expect you to discover the truth yourself.”
Silence filled the room.
Then Elena asked the question she had been avoiding.
“Do you actually want to marry me?”
Damien looked directly at her.
“I don’t know you.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“I don’t love you.”
Elena felt something strange in her chest.
She wasn’t sure why his answer bothered her.
She quickly hid it.
“Good.”
Damien raised an eyebrow.
“Good?”
“I don’t want a husband who lies to me.”
For the first time, Damien looked genuinely amused.
“You’re different.”
“So I’ve been told.”
He stepped closer.
“Elena, if you marry me, there will be rules.”
She sighed.
“Of course there are.”
“Rule one: you never leave the estate without security.”
“I don’t like that.”
“Rule two: you never speak to my enemies.”
“I don’t even know who they are.”
“You will.”
“What’s