Damien's building was all glass and steel, shooting out into the Manhattan skyline like a blade. The lobby was empty at midnight except for a single security guard who nodded at me like he'd been expecting my arrival.
"Penthouse, please, Mr. Cross is waiting."
The elevator ride felt like falling, my reflection stared back at me from the mirrored wall, hair in loose disorder, no makeup, eyes that hadn't slept properly in days.
I looked like someone about to make the worst decision of her life.
I probably was.
The elevator opened directly into Damien's office, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, a million lights twinkling in the darkness. He stood with his back to me, phone pressed to his ear.
"I don't care what he thinks, make it happen." He ended the call and turned, those gray eyes swept over me, cataloging every detail. "You look terrible."
"Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to hear right now."
He moved to a bar cart and poured two fingers of amber liquid into a crystal glass. "Sit, let's have a drink and then we'll talk."
"I don't need a drink, I need you to tell me how you knew about the loan sharks."
"I know everything about your family's situation, I told you that." He held out the glass. "Drink, Sophia. You're about to shake."
I hated that he was right, my hands were trembling. I took the glass and downed half of it in one gulp, the whiskey burning all the way down.
"Better?"
"Not even close." I set the glass down hard. "Those people threatened my sister, they talked about her hands. Do you understand what that means to a violinist?"
"I understand perfectly." He gestured to the leather chair across from his desk. "Which is why you're here, sit."
I sat, but only because my legs felt weak. "You've been watching my family this whole time, waiting for us to get desperate enough."
"I've been watching everyone." He settled behind his desk, fingers crossed ."That's how I stay ahead."
"You're a vulture."
"I'm a businessman." No emotion in his voice. "And right now, you need what I'm offering."
I wanted to throw the rest of the whiskey in his face. "The contract said nothing about protection from loan sharks."
"Because you hadn't discovered them yet." He pulled out a new document, sliding it across the desk. "This is an addendum, full security detail for your immediate family. Twenty-four-hour protection for your sister specifically, and I'll handle your father's debts to Victor Kozlov personally."
My blood turned to ice. "Kozlov? That's who dad borrowed from?"
"Among others, but Kozlov is the one making threats." Damien's expression darkened slightly. "He's also the one who'll back off immediately once he knows you're under my protection."
"Why would he care who I'm married to?"
"Because Kozlov and I have history, he knows better than to touch anything that belongs to me." The way he said "belongs" made my skin crawl. "Once we're married, your family becomes untouchable, that's the deal."
I read through the addendum, my lawyer brain catching every detail. It was airtight, protection, debt payment, everything I needed, but there was a new clause that made me pause.
"What's this about 'full cooperation in all public and private matters'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like, when we're in public, you're the devoted wife, but when we're in private, you do what I tell you."
"That's vague."
"Intentionally." He leaned back. "I need someone I can trust to follow instructions without questioning every detail, can you do that, are you prepared for that?"
"No."
His eyebrow lifted. "No?"
"I'll play the devoted wife in public, I'll cooperate on anything that doesn't compromise my integrity or my family's safety. Because, I'm not your puppet." I met his stare head-on. "You want me to sign this? Then we're partners, equal stakes. You don't give me orders, you give me information and let me make informed decisions."
Silence stretched between us, outside, the city hummed with life, completely unaware that inside this office, my entire future was being negotiated.
Finally, Damien smiled, it was sharp and dangerous. "You have more spine than I expected."
"Is that a yes or no?"
"It's a counterproposal." He pulled the addendum back, made a quick note, and slid it forward again. "Partners in public matters, but in business dealings that concern Cross Enterprises, I have final say. Your family's protection is absolute, but you don't interfere with how I handle threats."
I scanned his change, it was fair, relatively speaking. "And the two-year timeline? That's firm?"
"Unless you want to renegotiate early." Something kept moving back and forth in his expression. "But I doubt you will."
"Why's that?"
"Because by the end of two years, you'll either hate me enough to run the moment you're free, or… " He stopped, shaking his head. "Sign the contract, Sophia."
"Or what? Finish the sentence."
"It doesn't matter." He stood, pulling a pen from his pocket. "Do we have a deal?"
I thought about Tori's terrified face, my father's broken voice and the life I was trading away for their safety.
I took the pen.
"One more thing," I said, hand hovering over the signature line. "I want protection for someone else too."
"Who?"
"An online friend. Someone who might be vulnerable if people start digging into my life."
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Name?"
"I don't know his real name. Just his username, Phoenix."
Something strange crossed Damien's face, too quick to read. "An online friend?"
"Someone I trust, can you protect him or not?"
"I'll need more information."
"I'll get it to you." I signed my name in swift, firm strokes. "There, it's done."
Damien took the contract, his fingers brushing mine for a split second. They were cold. "Welcome to the family, Mrs. Cross."
The title hit me like a slap, Mrs. Cross. In seventy-two hours, that would be my legal name.
"When do we make the announcement?"
"Tomorrow, after the Times runs the story about your father." He filed the contract on his desk. "We'll frame it as a merger of families. Old money meeting new, never mind,the press will eat it up."
"And Pierce?"
"Will get the message loud and clear." Damien's smile was predatory. "You're mine now, he can't touch you."
I stood, legs steadier now. "I should go for my sister…"
"Already has a security detail outside your parents' brownstone home. They'll follow her to Juilliard and back, I assure you Victor Kozlov's people won't get within a hundred feet of her."
"You assigned security before I even signed?"
"I told you, I always stay ahead." He walked me to the elevator. "Get some sleep, Sophia. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside, then turned back. "Damien?"
"Yes?"
"Why me? Out of everyone you could have chosen for this, why me?"
He studied me for a long moment, those gray eyes unreadable. "Because you're the only one who might actually survive being married to me."
The doors closed before I could respond.
End of Chapter Ten.