Chapter 2 The billionaires shadow

Damien's POV

Damien stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse, the city lights sprawling beneath him like a glittering ocean. The skyline was his kingdom, but tonight, something unsettled him.

My phone buzzed-a message from my legal team confirming the finalized contract. The arrangement was official. Arielle Hayes would soon be my wife.

I didn't know her. Had never met her.

But the thought didn't bother me.

To Damien, marriage was a transaction, nothing more. A calculated move to protect his empire from rising threats. The Carter family was a sinking ship, and he was the lifeboat.

Yet, as he stared into the night, Damien allowed himself a rare moment of curiosity about the woman he'd never seen.

His mind flicked back to the conversation with her parents-the desperation in their eyes, the weight of their silent plea.

She's a wild card, he thought. Fragile, stubborn. Likely to resist.

Good.

I like a challenge.

He turned away from the window, his reflection sharp and unreadable in the glass.

"This marriage," he murmured to himself, "isn't about love. But that doesn't mean it won't get complicated."

His fingers brushed the cold steel of the wedding band resting on his desk-a symbol of a future forged in shadows.

And Damien Blackwood never lost control

Damien paced the length of his penthouse, the sharp lines of the room mirroring the rigid control he held over his life. Every decision calculated, every move precise. Emotions were liabilities he could ill afford-except sometimes, they slipped through the cracks.

Arielle Hayes.

The name echoed in his mind like a warning.

He didn't want this marriage. Not really. It was a tool, nothing more. A shield against his enemies and a way to secure his empire's future.

But something about the arrangement gnawed at him-the idea of marrying a stranger, handing over part of his life to a woman who had no idea what she was walking into.

He had seen the desperation in her family's eyes when they'd come to him. The silent plea beneath their pride.

Damien wasn't a savior. He didn't do fairy tales.

Yet, the thought of Arielle-her vulnerability wrapped in stubborn defiance-intrigued him.

He imagined her walking into his world: the cold penthouse, the endless deals, the dangerous secrets lurking in every shadow. How would she survive? Would she break? Or fight back?

He clenched his jaw. He needed to stay detached.

No distractions.

No attachments.

Still, in the quiet moments before sleep, Damien found himself wondering what it would be like to let someone in.

To let someone see the man behind the mask.

But that was a risk he wasn't sure he was willing to take.

For now, there was only the contract. The deal. The silent promise of a marriage neither of them wanted-but both of them needed.

And Damien Blackwood never lost.