Damian was in his study, his fingers drumming on the desk as he went through some paperwork. The quiet of the room was disturbed when the heavy oak door swung open without a knock. Damian looked up, irritation flickering in his eyes as his father entered the room uninvited.
“What is it?” Damian asked, leaning back in his chair.
His father didn’t sit; instead, he stood tall and imposing in front of the desk, his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was serious, his tone sharp.
“We need to talk,” his father said firmly.
Damian raised an eyebrow. “About what?”
His father took a step closer. “I’ve made arrangements for you to get married.”
Damian’s calm demeanor cracked. He sat up straighter, his expression hardening. “What?”
“You heard me,” his father said, his voice unwavering. “It’s time you settled down. I’ve spoken with an old friend of mine. His daughter will be coming here soon. You will meet her, and you will treat her with respect.”
Damian’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m not interested,” he said coldly.
His father’s eyes narrowed. “This isn’t a request, Damian. It’s a decision. You’re a man now, and it’s time you take on responsibilities. This marriage will strengthen our ties with a powerful family. It’s for the good of our legacy.”
Damian pushed his chair back and stood, meeting his father’s glare head-on. “I said I’m not interested. I won’t marry someone I don’t know, and I certainly won’t marry just because you tell me to.”
His father’s calm facade cracked, anger flashing in his eyes. “Is this about that girl?” he spat. “That stupid girl, Aurora?”
Damian’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t respond.
His father’s voice grew colder, his words dripping with venom. “If it is, I won’t hesitate to end her. Do you hear me? She means nothing. Less than nothing. And if you think for one second that she’s worth defying me, you’re wrong.”
Damian’s fists clenched at his sides, his voice low and dangerous. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” his father snapped. “Do you forget who I am? I grieve every day for your sister, Damian. Do you know who caused her death? Aurora’s father! Ryan!”
Damian’s breath hitched. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t even told his father about Aurora’s connection to Ryan. “How do you know?”
His father’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “Do you think I’m blind? I know everything that happens under my roof. Raphael told me who she is. Ryan’s daughter. The blood of the man who destroyed our family runs through her veins.”
Damian’s mind raced. Of course, Raphael had told him. It made sense now. Raphael was always watching, always stirring trouble.
His father leaned closer, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “If you care about that girl at all, you’ll do as I say. You’ll marry this woman, and you’ll make this alliance work. If you don’t…” He paused, letting the threat hang in the air. “I’ll make sure Aurora disappears. Permanently.”
Damian’s heart pounded, but he forced his expression to remain unreadable. His father straightened, satisfied with the silence that followed his words.
“This isn’t a negotiation,” his father said. “It’s final. You will accept this marriage if you want that girl to live.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Damian standing there, his fists clenched and his mind racing.
After his father left, Damian sank back into his chair, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, frustration, and something else he couldn’t quite place.
He had never cared for his father’s controlling ways, but this was different. This wasn’t just about him. Aurora’s life was on the line now, and it was all because of her father’s actions.
Damian’s thoughts drifted to Aurora. She was nothing like the man his father described. She was kind, innocent, and completely unaware of the storm brewing around her.
His father’s words echoed in his mind. “Ryan’s daughter. The blood of the man who destroyed our family.”
Damian knew he needed to act carefully. His father wasn’t bluffing. If he didn’t go along with the marriage, Aurora would pay the price.
But the thought of marrying someone he didn’t care about made his stomach turn. He couldn’t imagine a life where he was forced into a union for the sake of his father’s plans.
He leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. How had things gotten so complicated?
There was only one thing he knew for sure. He needed to protect Aurora, no matter what.
Damian leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as his father’s words lingered in his mind. He couldn’t shake the threat, nor the venom in his father’s tone when he spoke about Aurora.
Why do I care so much? he thought bitterly.
Aurora was nothing but trouble a pawn he had brought into his home to make her suffer for her father’s sins. That had been the plan from the start. Yet, somewhere along the way, the lines had blurred.
Damian found himself clenching his fists, not from anger but from frustration. Aurora wasn’t supposed to matter. She was meant to be a reminder of what Ryan had taken from their family. But instead, every time he saw her, he couldn’t help but notice her resilience, the quiet strength in her eyes, and the way she carried herself, even when surrounded by enemies.
What’s wrong with me? he thought, running a hand through his hair.
He had always been in control calculated, detached, ruthless. But Aurora was undoing him piece by piece. He hated the way his mind wandered to her, how he noticed the smallest details about her. The way she smiled, the way her voice softened when she spoke, the way she looked at him with defiance in her eyes.
“Why am I falling for her?” he muttered to himself, the words tasting foreign on his tongue.
It didn’t make sense. She was supposed to be a means to an end, nothing more. And yet, the thought of losing her made his chest tighten in a way that scared him.
Damian pushed himself to his feet and paced the room, trying to shake off the growing unease. His father’s demand for marriage loomed over him, but his thoughts kept circling back to Aurora.
What if I can’t protect her?
The question gnawed at him. His father’s threat wasn’t idle, and Damian knew he had to tread carefully. For the first time in years, Damian felt powerless. And it wasn’t a feeling he liked.
He stopped pacing and leaned against the window, staring out at the darkened sky.
“I can’t let her get hurt,” he whispered. “Not because of me, not because of any of this.”
But even as he said it, Damian knew he was playing a dangerous game. Protecting Aurora meant defying his father. And falling for her? That was a weakness he couldn’t afford.