The wedding was silent.
No vows. No kisses. No guests.
Just Ava Sinclair in a satin gown and Damien Blackwood in a tailored black suit that looked as cold and perfect as the man himself. They signed the papers in a glass-walled office high above the city — a legal affair that felt more like a funeral than a beginning.
"This is the part where the groom smiles," Ava murmured, her pen hovering over the dotted line.
Damien didn't even blink. "This is a business arrangement. You're not here to be admired."
Ava's lips pressed into a tight line, but she signed.
The instant her name dried in ink, Damien slid a velvet box across the table.
"Wear it," he said.
Inside was a diamond ring so large it looked ridiculous on her slender finger — a statement piece for a man who wanted the world to know she was bought.
She slipped it on. Her hand trembled.
---
The elevator to the penthouse was silent. Ava clutched her small purse, feeling like a guest at her own execution.
"This entire floor is yours," Damien said as the doors opened into a sprawling marble space that looked more like a hotel than a home. "Stay out of my wing unless I call for you. Your closet is stocked. There are house rules."
"Do I need a leash too, or just a bell?" she asked dryly.
Damien's expression didn't change. "I don't tolerate sarcasm. You can be replaced."
She turned to him slowly. "Then why me?"
A flicker of something passed through his eyes. Regret? Rage?
Neither.
"I wanted someone with a pretty face," he said coldly. "And a ruined name."
---
Ava's bedroom was a soft cage — cream velvet, expensive art, and a wardrobe that probably cost more than her father's hospital bills had. She stared at the dresses lined in color order, then sank onto the edge of the bed, the silence pressing in.
This was her life now.
A wife in name only.
No freedom. No warmth. Just Damien Blackwood, her husband and captor.
She didn't cry. Not yet. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Instead, she opened her phone and looked at the picture of her younger brother, Leo. His face pale but smiling, just before the accident.
"I'll make it through this," she whispered. "For you."
---
Later that night, Ava ventured into the kitchen barefoot, wearing a silk robe from the closet. She hadn't eaten all day. The penthouse was silent, except for the distant sound of thunder over the city.
As she poured water, a voice broke the silence.
"Midnight snacks already? Didn't take you for a nightcrawler."
Ava jumped, nearly dropping the glass. Damien leaned against the kitchen island, shirt undone, his tie loose around his neck.
God help her — he looked sinful like that.
Casual. Dangerous. Like temptation wrapped in darkness.
"I was hungry," she muttered, setting the glass down.
He approached slowly, his bare feet silent against the floor. "Then eat something. Everything here is yours now. Use it."
"Is that what I am now?" she asked, voice low. "Something you own?"
He was right in front of her now, too close.
He didn't touch her. But his presence was a pressure on her skin.
"You're mine," he said. "For a year. And I always take care of my property."
She hated that a shiver ran down her spine.
Ava squared her shoulders. "Then here's a warning, Mr. Blackwood. I bite."
A slow, dangerous smirk curved his mouth. "So do I."
He reached past her, his hand brushing her waist as he grabbed a bottle of water.
The touch was brief. But it lingered in the air between them like smoke.
Ava stepped back. Her heart was hammering. She didn't know if it was fear or something else — something warmer and far more dangerous.
Damien's eyes held hers for a second longer. Then he turned and walked away, leaving her breathless in the kitchen light.
---
Back in her room, Ava stood before the full-length mirror. She touched the diamond ring on her finger.
A prison disguised as luxury.
But she was here now. Trapped in a deal with the man who once destroyed her family — and maybe, just maybe, was still out for revenge.
She didn't know the rules of this game.
But one thing was certain.
She would never fall in love with Damien Blackwood.
And she would never let him see her break.