Chapter 9 Velvet And Venom

The stylists were done and left a moment ago.

Now Isla stood alone in her room gazing into her reflection in the mirror to see their finished work.

They had transformed her into a goddess.

The deep emerald necklace on her neck shone under the light. The glow of her face intimidated her. The dress they had selected was impeccable: a velvet gown whose off-shoulder cut exposed the smooth, shiny lines of her collarbones.

"Great job," She whispered.

This is what being the wife of Damien Blackwood meant. It was nothing like before when she was just a glorified maid bound to the kitchen.

Now she was someone stronger. Someone who belonged in this world of power and ruthless ambition. Someone who was not allowed to be vulnerable.

But was she?

She hummed, not allowing herself to pursue the thought further. "It was almost time for the party."

~~~

Isla stepped out about five minutes later, moving with careful control, the sound of her heels steady against the glittery floor. Something switched in the air the moment she appeared at the top of the staircase.

Below, Damien waited. As always he carried himself with the awareness of a man who owned everything in his orbit. Everything, including her.

Their eyes met, making Isla instantly feel shy.

It annoyed her how easily he made her vulnerable, how helpless she felt against the quiet dominance of his blue eyes. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to hold his stare, keeping her gaze on the space in between his eyes.

Damian watched her looking unbothered.

When she reached him, she stopped, suddenly unsure where to look.

Damien took a single step forward, eliminating the space between them. His eyes looked impressed.

Tilting his head slightly, he openly accessed her dress before he finally spoke. "You'll turn heads tonight." He whispered with a tone that sounded like feathers to her ears.

Isla swallowed, restraining herself. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how those words affected her. Instead, she looked away.

~~~

They arrived at the venue for the gala in Damian's Rolls-Royce Phantom. The flashing cameras and the sea of bodies outside welcomed them. Damien leaned slightly toward her inside the car, his voice a quiet reassuring hum.

"Breathe."He said, before unlocking the door.

The moment their feet touched the ground, the atmosphere changed. All eyes turned to them.

Excited fingers pointed, and happy murmurs filled the air.

Isla could feel their stares boring holes into her skin, dissecting every inch of her dress.

Beside her, Damien was unaffected as always.

With effortless confidence, he extended his arm toward her. She hesitated slightly before slipping her hand onto his, knowing it was, of course, all part of the performance.

Together, they stepped forward, moving side by side and at the same pace towards the entrance.

Then, a sharp sudden voice from one of the reporters cut through the noise. "Mr. Blackwood! What's the story behind your sudden marriage?"

A momentary silence ensued. It was a loaded question. Damien saw that too, but he smirked nevertheless. Then, without mixing words, he responded with an amused tone.

"Let's just call it the story of a man who sees what he wants and takes it."

Isla stiffened at those words while the crowd became even more excited. As badly as she wanted to glance at him, she did not. Instead, she kept her head straight, letting him lead her forward and deeper into the hub of lights and music.

~~~

The event soon progressed into the dance session which had a floor and a stage of its own.

As the guests all moved into position, Isla felt the shift again. People were watching them again, they were taking note of the undeniable chemistry between them.

Every movement was perfectly timed, every touch deliberate yet careful. For a moment she allowed herself to get lost in it.

The music swelled, her lips parted slightly and she did not even know when she started to smile.

"This... had never happened with Nate."

~~~

Speaking of Nate, he and Vanessa had also arrived in the same venue much earlier. From their quiet corner, they had seen it all: how Damien and Isla arrived and the level of attention the couple had gotten, making everyone else, including them, feel relegated.

Vanessa's only resort was to smile too wide, pretending not to care. As for Nate, he kept grinding his teeth bitterly and staring too hard.

He just couldn't look away from Isla.

The woman standing there in the distance wasn't the woman he had moved on from. She had become someone else entirely. He just needed to talk to her and to cure his curiosity.

The chance came a few minutes later when Damien seemed to have excused himself.

Without delay Nate moved fast, rising and cutting through the crowd, appearing behind Isla like a ghost. He reached for her hand, pulling her slightly aside.

She looked startled when she saw him. "What are you doing with him?" He demanded in a low voice.

Isla tilted her head, smirking as she met his gaze squarely. "Exactly what it looks like."

Nate looked away grudgingly, then back again.

"You think he actually cares about you?"

Before she could answer, a new shadow appeared behind them – Damien.

Nate looked tense and stepped back unintentionally.

"Is there a problem babe?" Damian asked with his eyes solely on Nate. His tone and look were dangerous.

Their eyes met, signaling an age-long hostility, a clash of wills. Then Nate was the first to look away.

Isla saw it. And for some reason, it made her smile.

~~~

Back home less than twenty minutes after they arrived from the gala, Isla sank into an armchair. She reached for the crystal decanter on the table and poured herself a drink. Taking a slow sip with her eyes lightly closed, she felt victorious.

From across the room, Damien was watching her with his back against the bar. The silence persisted, then it was cut short when his voice made her look up.

"You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

Isla swallowed the last sip of her drink before tilting her head slightly to quip, "Hmm...Maybe."

Damien smirked, seemingly pleased by her response. "Good." He nodded, His eyes now gleaming with something dark and sinister.

"Because this is only the beginning."