Damien's POV
I gripped my phone tighter, irritation creeping into my voice. "What do you mean I won't like it? Spit it out."
Ethan exhaled on the other end. "We traced the offshore payments, but they don't lead anywhere useful. It's nothing but a shell company in the Caymans. No direct link to Sinclair."
I clenched my jaw. This wasn't what I needed. I wanted something solid, something that could put an end to Nelson Sinclair's control over me. But once again, he had covered his tracks too well.
"Keep digging," I ordered, my voice cold. "There's always a weakness."
Ending the call, I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. My mind was a mess of calculations, plans, and dead ends. I hated this—being at someone else's mercy. It was a feeling I had sworn never to experience again, yet here I was, bound by the sins of my past and Nelson Sinclair's threats.
I should've seen it coming. The moment I let my guard down, thinking I was untouchable, he swooped in and trapped me. And now, I was stuck in this ridiculous marriage arrangement with his daughter, Aurora.
Aurora.
Just thinking about her stirred something dark inside me. She wasn't what I expected. I thought she'd be a pawn, an obedient daughter willing to play along with her father's schemes. But she wasn't. She fought me. She defied me.
And I hated that it intrigued me.
There was fire in her, a kind I hadn't anticipated. Even when I had tried to intimidate her at our first meeting, she had stood her ground. Most people cowered under my gaze, but not her.
But that didn't change the fact that she was part of the problem. She was the collateral damage of her father's game, and I wasn't about to let her get comfortable thinking this was a real marriage.
A knock at my office door pulled me from my thoughts. "Come in."
The door opened, and Victoria stepped inside, her expression unreadable. My stepmother had a way of appearing at the most inconvenient times, her presence never accidental.
"You look troubled," she observed, taking a seat across from me.
I scoffed. "When am I not?"
She crossed her legs, watching me closely. "Is it about the marriage?"
"Among other things."
She tilted her head, studying me like I was a puzzle she was trying to solve. "You could always find a way out, you know. If Nelson has leverage over you, take it back."
Easier said than done. "It's not that simple."
She hummed, tapping a manicured finger against the armrest. "Nothing ever is."
I didn't trust Victoria. I never had. She played her own games, and I had no interest in being one of her pawns. But for now, she was an ally of convenience.
"I need you to keep an eye on Aurora," I said finally.
Her brows lifted slightly. "You think she's a threat?"
"No," I admitted. "But I don't trust anything connected to Nelson Sinclair."
Victoria smirked. "Neither do I."
She stood, brushing imaginary dust from her dress. "Be careful, Daemon. Marriage has a funny way of changing people."
I didn't bother responding as she left.
Change? Not for me. This marriage was nothing more than a means to an end. And I would make sure Aurora Sinclair understood that.
One way or another.
---
The next morning, I found Aurora in the garden, sipping coffee like she had all the time in the world. The sun cast a warm glow on her skin, and for a brief moment, I almost forgot why I despised this situation.
Almost.
"We need to talk," I said, cutting straight to the point.
She looked up at me, unbothered. "Good morning to you too."
I ignored her sarcasm. "This arrangement has conditions. You don't make things difficult, and I won't make your life miserable."
She arched a brow. "Funny, I thought my life was already miserable, thanks to you."
My patience was thin. "Just stay out of my way."
She set her coffee down and stood, stepping closer. "Or what? You'll make me regret it?"
Her defiance was infuriating. I expected fear. Submission. But all I got was resistance.
I leaned in, my voice low. "I don't play games, Aurora. If you push me, you won't like the outcome."
She didn't flinch. "Neither will you."
For a moment, we just stared at each other, tension crackling in the air like a storm waiting to break.
Then, she turned on her heel and walked away.
And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't sure if I had just won—or if I had met my match.