Elena
The city never sleeps.
Apparently neither does Damien Blackwood.
By nightfall, we were in his private jet, wheels slicing through the runway lights like knives. I didn't even have time to grab a bag; Damien had ordered the pilot to be ready the moment the wedding was wrecked.
"This is insane," I muttered as I slid into the planes plush leather seat.
His gaze was fixed on me, sharp as glass. "You want your brother out? This is how we do it—fast, quiet, and without anyone else trying to stake a claim on you."
I crossed my arms. "You make it sound like I'm some prize in a glass case."
He leaned closer. "Not glass, sweetheart. Diamond. And I don't share, my worthy possessions."
The way he said it—low, possessive—sent heat crawling up my neck. I hated how easily he could get under my skin.
⸻
We landed in the kind of place that didn't exist on maps—Damien's private island. The chapel sat high on a cliff, lit only by flickering lanterns. The ocean roared below like it was trying to swallow the night.
Inside, the air was thick with candle smoke and the faint scent of old wood. No guests. No photographers. Just a priest Damien had apparently flown in with us, and the two witnesses required by law—his driver and his right-hand man, Lucas.
It was so quiet, I could hear my own heartbeat.
Damien stepped to the altar like he owned it. "Come here.
I didn't move. "This feels I don't know … wrong."
His eyes narrowed. "What's wrong is letting Adrain Vale think he can touch what's mine."
"You keep saying that like I'm some item thats belongs to you—"
"You do," he said, with enough certainty to make my breath hitch.
Before I could argue, the chapel doors slammed open.
I spun around—and my stomach dropped.
Adrain.
He looked like sin in a tailored suit, rain glistening on his dark hair.
Damien's jaw clenched. "You're trespassing and how did you even find us?."
"Not any of your business how I knew you'd be here I'm just here for the claiming of my bride ."
"I'm not your bride." I snapped.
Adrains gaze slid to me, slow and deliberate. "Not yet. But the contract your father signed says otherwise."
Damien moved like a predator—one step forward, broad shoulders blocking me from view. "You're too late. She's about to marry me."
Ethan smirked. "Not if I make her a better offer."
Damien's hand closed around my wrist. "Don't listen to him."
Ethan's voice was silk over steel. "Elena, your father arranged this for your protection. Marrying Damien will destroy you—he's not the man you think he is."
I stared at him. "And somehow you are?"
For a moment, the air was a live wire—two powerful men staring each other down over me like I was some kind of prize in a high-stakes game.
Damien broke the silence. "Get out before I have Lucas drag you out."
Ethan's smirk didn't falter. "She'll regret this." Then he turned and walked out, as if the storm outside was nothing compared to the one in here.
⸻
The priest cleared his throat nervously. "Shall we… continue?"
Damien didn't look away from me. "Yes. We finish this now."
I wanted to say no. I wanted to demand time, space, something normal. But then I thought of my brother, sitting in a prison cell for a crime he didn't commit. And I thought of Adrian Vale's smug smile.
"Fine," I said. "Let's get this over with."
The vows blurred. My voice sounded far away as I repeated the words. Damien's was steady, low, every syllable dripping with ownership.
When it was over, the priest said, "You may kiss the bride."
I didn't expect Damien to take it literally.
One second I was standing there, the next his hand was at the back of my neck, pulling me into a kiss that was all heat and possession and danger. It wasn't soft. It wasn't gentle. It was a declaration, a warning to the world.
When he finally pulled back, I was breathless. "Was that for the witnesses?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"No," he said. "That was for me."
⸻
We left the chapel into the rain, the wind whipping against us. Damien guided me toward the waiting car, but something made me stop.
At the edge of the cliff, under the cover of shadows, stood Adrian just —watching.
He didn't move. He didn't speak. But the look in his eyes told me this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
And deep down, I knew Damien could feel it too.
Because when he opened the car door for me, he muttered just loud enough for me to hear:
"If he wants war, I'll give him war."
And something in his tone made me realize—
I'd just married a man who didn't lose battles.
He destroyed his enemies.
Even if it meant burning the whole world to do it.