Chapter 3 The Devil's Offer

The Emerald Club wasn't just exclusive-it was invisible.

I'd lived in this city my whole life and never even heard of it. The entrance was hidden behind a bookshop, down a marble staircase that seemed to go on forever. By the time I reached the bottom, my legs were shaking.

Or maybe that was just nerves.

"Name?" The bouncer was the size of a small car.

"Emma Hartley. I'm supposed to meet someone in VIP?"

He checked his tablet, then nodded. "Follow me."

The club interior was all dark velvet and gold accents. Chandeliers dripped from the ceiling. The music was low, sultry-the kind that made you feel like you were in a movie.

We passed through the main floor, up another staircase, and into a private section blocked by frosted glass doors.

The bouncer opened them.

And my breath caught.

The man sitting alone at the corner table wasn't just handsome-he was devastating. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes so blue they looked unreal. He wore a black suit that probably cost more than my car, and when he looked up at me, I felt like I'd been pinned in place.

"Emma Hartley," he said. His voice was deep, controlled. "You actually came."

"Who are you?" I managed.

"Damien Cross." He gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit."

It wasn't a request.

I sat.

"You know who I am?" he asked.

I shook my head.

His smile was sharp. "Good. That means Adrian hasn't mentioned me. Which means he's more arrogant than I thought."

"How do you know Adrian?"

"We used to be business partners." Damien poured two glasses of whiskey-expensive, from the bottle-and slid one toward me. "Until he tried to steal my company out from under me. Cost me fifty million and two years of my life."

I picked up the glass but didn't drink. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Everything," he said. "Because you, Emma, are going to help me destroy him."

"I don't understand." I said

At the moment I heard destroy him something in me was so happy.

"Adrian filed a marriage certificate before your wedding, correct?" Damien leaned back.

"Which means you're still legally his wife. Which means you have access to things he doesn't want anyone to see."

My stomach twisted. "I don't have access to anything. He kicked me out."

"But you know his patterns. His passwords. His favorite restaurants, his meeting spots, his secrets." Damien's eyes locked on mine. "You know where he's vulnerable."

"Ummhh...why would I help you?" I set the glass down. "I don't even know you."

"Because I can give you what he took from you," Damien said simply. "Your dignity. Your reputation. Your future. I can make sure Adrian Castellan regrets the day he ever met you."

"For what price?" I asked

"Smart girl." His smile widened. "I need you to pretend to be my fiancée."

I blinked. "What?" I screamed because I wasn't expecting that.

"Adrian is trying to acquire Cross Industries through a merger with Hartfield Tech. The deal closes in six months. If I can prove he's an unstable partner, if I can make him lose his temper, make mistakes, ruin his reputation-the deal falls apart. And he loses everything."

"And you think me being your fake fiancée will do that?"

"I think," Damien said slowly, "that seeing you on my arm-happy, successful, madly in love with his enemy-will drive him absolutely insane."

He wasn't wrong.I know Adrian so much that something like this will definitely make him absolutely insane.

"What do I get?" I asked confidently

"Five million dollars. Paid in full once the deal falls through."

I almost choked. "Five million-" He cut me off

"Plus access to my legal team for your divorce. Plus a position at Cross Industries if you want it. Plus the satisfaction of watching Adrian Castellan's empire crumble."

It was too much. Too good to be true.

"Why me?" I whispered. "You could hire anyone"

"Because you're real," Damien interrupted. "You actually loved him. You actually believed in him. And when Adrian sees that I have what he threw away, it will destroy him from the inside out."

I looked at this beautiful, dangerous man across from me.

"This is insane," I said.

"Yes."

"It'll never work."

"It will."

"Adrian won't care"

"He will." Damien leaned forward. "Trust me, Emma. Men like Adrian never realize what they had until it's gone. And when he sees you with me? He'll break."

I thought about Adrian's cold eyes. His dismissive tone. The way he'd made me feel small.

I thought about Melissa in my wedding dress.

I thought about that divorce offer. One hundred thousand dollars for three years of my life. I had to choose wisely.

"When do we start?" I asked.

Damien's smile was pure danger.

"Right now."