Chapter 2 – A Proposal of Revenge

If life was a joke, then this chapter was the punchline—and I was standing smack in the middle of it, ready to get hit.

Damien Cross’s office was everything I imagined: cold, sterile, and designed to remind you how insignificant you really were. Glass walls that shimmered with the arrogance of a man who clearly believed he was the center of the universe. A desk so massive it could have its own zip code.

And there he was, sitting behind it, as calm and unreadable as a statue carved from black ice.

“Miss Hayes,” he said, eyes lifting lazily to inspect me like I was some curious insect daring to invade his territory. “To what do I owe the—”

I cut him off, my voice sharper than I’d expected. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the fact that I was about to say something no sane person would. “Marry me.”

The silence was immediate. Thick. So thick it probably could have been sliced and served with an appetizer.

Damien blinked once, slow and deliberate, like I’d just spoken in an alien language. Then, a small, amused smile curled at the corner of his mouth. Not the warm kind, more like the smirk a cat wears before it swats a terrified mouse off the edge of a table.

“Well,” he said, folding his hands and leaning back, “that’s not a conversation I hear every day. Care to explain?”

Explain? I wanted to scream, I caught my fiancé screwing my stepsister, and now I want to ruin their lives. But instead, I took a breath, summoned every ounce of sarcasm, and laid my cards on the table.

“I’m here because I have a problem. A rather large one, actually.” I stepped forward, letting my voice drip with the kind of irony only misery can perfect. “My fiancé cheated on me with my stepsister. The night before our wedding.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed—either because he was impressed or just bored. Probably bored.

“So,” I continued, “I figured the best way to get back at them is to marry you.”

He raised an eyebrow, the silent question hanging in the air: Why me?

“Why not?” I asked, smirking despite myself. “You’re the biggest nightmare Vera’s ever had. Plus, you get to watch Ethan squirm from the sidelines while I—” I paused for dramatic effect “—take the spotlight.”

Damien chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that somehow made the cold room feel colder. “You really think you can handle me? I’m not exactly the cuddly type.”

Oh, honey, if they only knew. I was a master of sarcasm and stubbornness—two qualities that made me oddly compatible with someone like him.

“But,” he said, standing up, towering over me like a skyscraper made of smug, “why should I say yes?”

I should’ve panicked. Maybe offered a bribe or a sob story. Instead, I smiled. Not the friendly smile people expect, but the kind that says I’m dangerous, and I know it.

“Because it’s mutually beneficial.”

Damien’s lips twitched, like he wanted to say Go on, but was too amused to bother.

“I get revenge. You get a wife to secure your inheritance.”

He laughed again. “Ambitious. I like that.”

We talked terms. Or rather, I talked, and he threw in sarcastic comments for flavor. The contract was harsh—no love, no children, strict rules about appearances. But it was exactly what I needed.

The more he tested me, the more I realized this was no game for amateurs. But I was already in too deep.

When I finally left his office, the city felt different. Bigger. Colder. But somehow, I felt like I’d just lit a match in the darkness.

And the flame was only beginning to burn.

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