Chapter 4 Will not give up

That night, the Blackwood mansion was drowned in silence.

The dim glow of the chandelier barely touched the length of the corridor. The clock struck 1:17 a.m.-a time when everyone should be asleep, and secrets could no longer hide.

Elena stood in front of Damien's study door, her breathing slow but heavy.

In her hand, the old key she had stolen from Briggs turned inside the lock.

> Click.

The door creaked open.

Elena stepped inside and quietly closed it behind her. The room was cold. The scent of aged leather, damp paper, and a faint layer of dust greeted her. Wooden shelves lined both sides of the room, filled with files labeled with various company names: Blackwood Global, Hart Corp, and-what made Elena's heart stop-The Hart Files (Confidential).

With trembling hands, she pulled out a thick file labeled:

> "PROJECT HART // D. BLACKWOOD – PRIVATE"

She opened the first page-

and her world flipped upside down.

---

Date: February 7th, 20XX

Subject: Hart Corporation – Acquisition Target

> "Step one in dismantling Hart Corporation is binding them through marriage. Clarissa Hart is the primary target, but if she fails, Elena Hart will be used as the fallback. This marriage is solely to create a legal entry point for a forced merger and the transfer of Hart family assets."

Elena clamped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she read line after line:

> "Their father, Thomas Hart, will be allowed to collapse the business under pressure. The Hart family will lose all major contracts. Once the merger is finalized, they will be erased from the business map entirely."

She slowly lowered the document, her hands trembling now.

> "So I was just a piece of the plan. A tool. Damien didn't marry me out of necessity-he planned this long before that day."

Her breathing quickened. She opened another file. Inside were photographs of her father-

Healthy, attending major meetings, and then... lying in a hospital bed, paralyzed.

Beneath the photo, a note read:

> "Thomas Hart - patent thief, 2010. Stole major project from Blackwood Corp, causing bankruptcy of Shanghai branch. The Hart family must repay in full."

Elena froze.

She didn't know. She had never known her father had done something so severe. All her life, he'd been a hardworking man who built his business from the ground up.

> "But if this is true... this marriage isn't about business. It's revenge."

She was about to close the file when a deep voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Interesting, isn't it?"

The sound struck her like lightning.

Damien.

Elena turned slowly. He stood in the doorway, wearing a dark T-shirt and slacks, his hair slightly tousled. His gaze was sharp-but not surprised.

"How long have you been standing there?" she whispered.

Damien walked in, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

"Since you started showing way too much interest in this room."

Elena straightened, trying not to falter. "You let me in on purpose?"

Damien raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to see how far the 'innocent woman' would go. And it turns out-pretty far."

"All of this..." Elena held up the file in her hand. "This was your plan? You targeted my family on purpose? You married me not because of the circumstances-but because you orchestrated everything?!"

Damien's face didn't change. But his eyes darkened, as if hiding a storm.

"Elena," he said flatly, "your father stole my father's biggest project. That year, our company nearly collapsed. Hundreds lost their jobs. My mother-Victoria-almost ended her own life. Do you know what it's like to watch your family fall apart... because of one greedy man?"

Elena bit her lip. "I didn't know. My father never told me."

"Because he's a coward," Damien spat. "He ran from his mistakes and built a business empire on stolen blueprints. And now, I'm just taking back what belongs to the Blackwoods."

"By trapping his daughter in a fake marriage?! By humiliating her and breaking her down every day?!"

Damien held his breath. His face wasn't as unreadable as usual-but he didn't look regretful, either.

"I married you because I needed access. Clarissa ran away. You were the backup plan. And you took that role willingly, didn't you?"

Elena felt her eyes sting. But she forced the tears back and kept her voice strong.

"I stepped in for my sister to save my family. I thought that was enough... but clearly, I walked into a war that was never mine."

She stepped forward, stopping inches from Damien.

"You can hate me, Damien. But I'm not a thief. And I'm not your puppet."

Damien stared into her eyes, the war inside him plain to see. But his voice remained flat.

"You entered this marriage. That means you're part of the game now."

Elena lifted her chin. "Fine. Then I'll play."

Damien paused-as if her answer surprised him.

"I'll stay. In this house. In this marriage. But don't you dare mistake me for someone weak."

She held up the file. "If this is about revenge... then don't be surprised if I start returning the favor."

Damien let out a short, dry laugh. "The first threat from my substitute bride. How exciting."

He stepped closer, his voice low and biting.

"But remember this, Elena. I've spent half my life planning your family's downfall. You won't flip the game overnight."

Elena gave a bitter smile. "Then let's see... who falls first."

Their eyes locked-two worlds destined to clash, bound together by a marriage made of fire.

But outside the study, unbeknownst to them, Victoria stood quietly in the corridor, watching their shadows through the frosted glass.

Her jaw clenched.

> "That woman knows too much. It's time to accelerate the plan."