Her eyes flicked to the man sitting in the leather chair opposite her father. Damien Caldwell. He was younger than she'd expected, perhaps in his early thirties. Sharp cheekbones, piercing blue eyes, and an aura of absolute control surrounded him like an invisible cloak. He didn't smile, didn't offer a single word of comfort. He simply watched her, like a predator waiting for its prey to falter.
"Marry him?" Olivia's voice cracked, disbelief coloring every syllable. "You can't be serious, Dad."
Richard's gaze dropped to his hands, which fidgeted with a pen.
"I've made mistakes, Olivia. Caldwell Industries is the only thing keeping us from bankruptcy. Damien has offered to settle our debts... if you agree to this marriage."
"And what does he get out of it?" she snapped, turning to face Damien directly. For the first time, she saw a flicker of something in his icy eyes-amusement, perhaps.
"What I want is none of your concern,"
Damien said smoothly. His voice was deep, authoritative, with an edge that sent a shiver down her spine.
"But rest assured, I always get what I'm owed."
The weight of his words hung heavy in the room. Olivia felt her chest tighten. How had it come to this? Just weeks ago, she had been living a simple life, working at the local art gallery and dreaming of a future far removed from her father's corporate world. Now, she was being thrust into a cold, calculated deal with a man who barely knew her name.
"I'm not a pawn in your business games," Olivia hissed, glaring at her father.
Richard's head shot up, his eyes glassy. "If there was another way, I'd take it! Do you think I'd sell my daughter's future if I wasn't desperate?"
The word sell struck Olivia like a physical blow. Her stomach churned. She looked back at Damien, who sat motionless, as though the heated argument unfolding before him were nothing more than a passing inconvenience.
"What do you say, Miss Steele?" Damien's voice cut through the tension.
"Do we have an agreement?"
Olivia's hands trembled. Her mind screamed at her to refuse, to walk out of the room and never look back. But then she thought of her mother, long gone, and her father, broken by years of failed ventures. Most of all, she thought of her little brother, Ethan, still in college and oblivious to the financial ruin threatening to tear their family apart.
Her throat tightened as she met Damien's gaze. There was no warmth there, only calculation. Yet she saw no alternative.
"Fine," she whispered. "I'll marry you."
For the first time, Damien's lips curved into a faint, chilling smile. "Excellent."
But as Olivia left the room, her mind buzzing with dread, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd just made a deal with the devil himself.
As Olivia stepped out of the study, Damien's voice stopped her cold. "Oh, and Miss Steele?" he called out. She turned slowly, her heart pounding. His smile widened, sharp and predatory.
"Don't think for a second that this is just a marriage. You've signed up for much more than that."
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