LIORA'S POV
My hand tightened around his tie for a long, suffocating second before I slowly released my grip.
Damien straightened his spine, using his fingers to brush off his tie before calmly tightening it against his collar.
"We have a company gala tomorrow night," he ordered softly. "You will appear as my wife."
"What makes you think I would—"
"You will," he interrupted, bending down slightly until his eyes were level with mine. "Because you have no other choice." His dark eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity. "I'll make sure of it."
He glanced over my shoulder at the decaying building behind me before looking back into my eyes. "I'm the only one who can save what little remains of your life."
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded, taking a furious step closer. "Why?! Why do you think you can push people around and expect them to bow and obey you just because you're the devil?!"
"Tomorrow night,” he whispered, his dark eyes fixed entirely on mine. "Meet me at my house."
He pressed an elegant black card into my palm, turned on his heel, and began walking away.
Would everything end if I picked up one of those broken glass bottles and stabbed him in the neck right here?
As if reading my mind, Damien stopped and glanced back over his shoulder.
"You can decide not to come, but you'll just be wasting your time. Because I’ll still take the building." A slow, wicked smirk spread across his face. "And eventually……you."
He looked ahead once more. "Don't be late."
He climbed into his sleek black SUV, shutting out the storm.
"Your dress, Mrs. Sterling," a bodyguard said, stepping up to me out of nowhere and placing a heavy, sleek black box into my arms.
Through the rolled-down car window, Damien's voice carried over the sound of the rain: "Postpone the demolition for now. Resume the day after the party... if anyone dares to test me."
The SUV doors slammed shut, and the engine roared to life as the vehicle sped off. The workers quietly packed their equipment and left the site, leaving only the sound of the rain.
My blurred eyes lifted from the retreating car to the collapsing building, then down to the ruined photograph scattered in the mud.
I squatted down on my knees, my hands trembling as I picked up the damp picture frame. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, mixing with the rain.
"I'm sorry," I sobbed, pressing the soaked photo against my chest. "I failed you... I'm so, so sorry."
I dragged myself through the mud, picking up every piece of her scattered belongings that had been thrown out into the rain and dragging them back inside the house.
“Hey, Mum... I love you so much, and I’ll protect you like a superhero!” my younger self cheered in my memory.
My mother laughed, pulling me into a warm hug.
“But Mum, I have a question.”
She nodded, smiling.
“Why do you love this apartment so much? You always come here... why?”
“Because this place is magical, Liora.”
“Magical?”
“Yes... because whenever I come here, it takes all my pain away.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Whenever I’m here, I forget every heavy burden on my heart. And it holds all of your beautiful memories.”
“Do you also forget that Dad got another daughter?”
She nodded slowly, her eyes brimming with sadness.
My chest tightened painfully at the memory.
"I'm so sorry, Mum... I couldn't keep my promise," I whispered into the empty, decaying room. "The same people who put you in your grave are about to take this place away... and I can't do anything to stop them."
Buzz. Buzz.
My phone vibrated loudly in my pocket. I pulled it out, wiping the rain from my eyes.
Elena.
"Elena, I'm at—"
"You've been fired, Liora," Elena, my colleague, blurted out before I could finish.
For a moment, the words refused to register in my brain. "Elena, I'm really not in the mood for your jokes right now..."
"Liora, I'm serious..."
A notification popped up at the top of my screen, cold and unforgiving:
Notice of Termination: Miss Liora Hale, your employment with the firm has been terminated effective immediately.
I read the email twice, the numbness inside me giving way to a dark, simmering rage.
"Word got out that you had personal issues with the Sterling family," Elena explained, her voice frantic. "The executives got terrified. I heard them saying you were a liability who would bring ruin to the firm."
My grip tightened around the phone so hard the screen cracked beneath my thumb.
"I'm so sorry, Liora... I couldn't do anything to stop them."
"It's fine," I whispered, lowering the phone from my ear.
Everyone is playing me. They treated my life, my feelings, and my heart like a disposable toy.
Oscar betrayed me. Dora stabbed me in the back. My father sold me out like livestock. And the Sterlings were trying to bury my mother's memory in the mud.
I stood up slowly, looking at the ruined apartment, and then down at the rain-soaked photo of my mother's smiling face.
My eyes swept across the floor—past the framed photo of Oscar and me, my father's picture, and the family portrait with Dora. I stepped over them, the glass crunching beneath my shoes, and picked up only my mother's picture.
Fresh blood dripped from my clenched fists onto the floorboards. I turned and walked out of the ruins.
"I will destroy every single one of you," I swore to the howling storm.
***
"Ma'am, you can't go in like that!" the receptionist at the grand estate panicked, eyeing my bloody palms and soaked clothes as she rushed to block my path.
And I will use the devil himself to do it. He shows no mercy... and from tonight on, neither will I.
"Open the door," I said softly, my voice devoid of any emotion.
"Please, you have to leave! You can't see Mr. Sterling looking like—"
"Open the damn door!" I growled, taking a threatening step forward. "I want to see my husband."
Before the guard could argue, her desk phone rang loudly. She picked it up, listened for a fraction of a second, and slowly lowered the receiver.
Without waiting for her, I shoved the heavy double doors open and stepped inside.
Damien stood in the center of the dimly lit penthouse suite. He had his hands tucked into his trousers, his back turned to me as he stared out at the glittering city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
"You're early," he remarked smoothly, his voice a low purr. "Couldn't wait for tomorrow night's party?"
I took a slow step into the room.
"You want me, right?" I asked boldly, my voice cutting through the quiet room. "Then take me. I'm yours."
Damien didn't answer.
He remained facing the city, one hand resting in his pocket.
The silence stretched.
Liora let out a hollow laugh.
"What?" she whispered bitterly. "Have you changed your mind already?" My fingers reached for the zipper at the back of my dress and yanked it down. The soaked, heavy fabric slid off my shoulders and hit the marble floor with a loud, wet thud.
Still... he didn't turn around.
"I'm yours now," I declared quietly, unhooking my lace bra and dropping it to the floor.
I stripped away every last piece of clothing until I stood completely naked before him in the center of the room. The cool air kissed my damp skin, my body shivering as fresh blood trickled slowly down my palms from my cut hands.
Damien’s broad Shoulders tensed. Slowly, he raised his whiskey glass to his lips.
I took another step closer to his back. "You're wasting time for someone who was threatening me just a few hours ago."
I took another step.
"Wasn't this what you wanted."
The glass stopped inches from his lips.
For the first time since I met him, Damien Sterling didn't move.
His long fingers tightened around the crystal glass. Then, slowly, he lowered the drink and set it down on the table.
