Chapter 6 The Calm Before the Storm

The city was already buzzing as Emma woke up. Street sounds drifted up from below. Sunlight pushed past the curtains, making shapes all over the floor. She blinked, a little disoriented, and sat up, looking around. Her room was fancy and spacious, like something fit for royalty, but it felt sterile and uncomfortable. Nothing about it felt safe or like her own.

She ran her fingers through her messy hair, the stress of everything hitting her hard. Her whole life had been flipped upside down overnight, in a way she had never seen coming. No amount of planning could have stopped it. Now, she was stuck in this gilded cage and didn't feel free to roam around. Not anymore.

A knock at the door caught her off guard.

"Come on in, she said. Her voice was barely audible. She knew who it was-she just knew it.

Damien walked in, filling the room with his presence. He had on a perfect black suit, and his hair was slicked back. He radiated authority and power. No smile, no greeting, just that intense stare of his. Emma's stomach did a flip-flop.

"Sleep, ok?" he asked. His voice was quiet, but you could tell he was used to calling the shots.

Emma didn't reply right away. How could she? She barely slept at all, her thoughts whirling with plans to get away and worries about her old man and how she got into this trouble. She was completely cornered, couldn't slip away.

"Did I seem to be fine with it?" she replied, with a sharp tone.

Damien didn't react to her attitude, just kept staring like he was looking right through her. "No need for that, Emma. You aren't in the lockup in some prison here. Not yet, anyway."

She shivered. Not yet, anyway. Like a warning that she was stuck there as long as he likes. Maybe she wasn't behind bars, but it felt like it. She had no say in anything. Her dad's mess-ups had taken everything from her. And Damien was going to be sure she didn't forget it.

Emma crossed her arms, trying to guard herself against him. She felt bare and cornered, trapped. It was all too much. "You don't get to run my life, Damien."

He took a step closer, closing the gap with each move. His presence felt intense, like a coming storm. "Think I'm telling you what to do?" He stopped close, his eyes searching hers. "I'm giving you a way out. You're just not seeing it yet."

"I don't need a way out from you," she shot back, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I want out of this whole story. I want out of whatever this weird deal is."

He just stood there for a second, studying her like she was something he was sizing up. "You can fight all you want. he finally said, his voice so low. Fighting just makes it tougher on you. You'll see."

Emma struggled to stay calm. "I don't get why you're doing this. This isn't helping; it's punishment. For me, and my dad."

Damien tightened his jaw at the mention of her dad, but his face gave nothing away. "Your dad messed up, Emma. And now you're stuck fixing it. I'm giving you a chance to clean up that mess. You're in it now, whether you like it or not."

His words stung, but she wasn't about to let him see it. "I didn't ask for this. It isn't my fault."

"I know," Damien said quietly, his voice a little softer but still with that edge. "But life doesn't play fair. It just happens. You'll get it soon enough."

Emma turned away and walked to the window, trying to get a grip. She needed some space. She needed to think. The room felt little all of a sudden, closing in as she thought about her options. Maybe she could get away? Was there any way out of this terrible situation?

But Damien didn't give her space. He followed her, every move deliberate. "You'll get used to it here. You'll get used to me."

She swallowed, clenching her fists. "I'll never get used to this."

For a second, Emma thought she saw something in his eyes, a hint of something softer, like regret. But it was gone so fast.

He pulled out a folded paper from his pocket. "Need you to sign this. Standard stuff, just making sure we're both on the same page about the deal."

Emma took the paper and skimmed it, her mind racing. A contract, written in dry legal language, spelled out her part in this so-called deal. She would live there, in his place, having to listen to his rules, until the debt was taken care of. She'd have to pretend to be his wife. No wiggle room.

She was just a piece in some game she never signed up for.

"You think this will work?" she asked, her voice tight. "That I'm just going to play along?"

Damien's lips barely curved into a smile, but it was icy cold. "I don't expect you to like it. But you'll do it. I don't need you to agree, I just need you to act like I tell you."

The bitterness was hard to stomach, but she held it back. "I'm not your puppet."

"You're already doing what I asked you to do, Emma, you just don't know it yet."

She felt his eyes as she signed the paper. Her hand was steady, she wanted to rip the paper apart. But she didn't. She signed it and handed it back.

Damien took the paper without a word and put it in his pocket. We can start it now. "

"Start what?" Emma asked, her voice barely there.

"Now we start the real thing. Damien turned to face her. "You'll learn everything that is going on."

Emma felt trapped, her chest heavy. She had signed everything away. No take-backs now. She was trapped in a life she didn't want, with a guy who didn't care what she felt, only what he wanted.

As Damien left, Emma leaned back against the window, looking out at the city. She wondered how long it would take to lose herself, how long until the things controlling her would become things she couldn't ever get away from.