Selene Whitmore, a poor artist, feels that she is just another part in a high-society game when she is compelled to marry the vicious millionaire Damien Blackwood in order to pay off her late father's debts. However, she quickly learns that her mysterious husband has a terrifying secret connected to the old curse that runs in his family when she settles into Damien's isolated cliffside mansion. During the day, competitors dread Damien as the untouchable CEO. At night, he is someone completely different-a man battling the evil that resides beneath his flesh. Selene, who is contractually obligated to him, wants to get away. However, she starts to uncover secrets as the full moon rises, leading her to wonder who the true monster is. Will she be his demise or break his curse when fate brings them together?

Chapter 1 The pilot

Selene is looking at the incomplete canvas in front of her as she gently removes the final streak of paint from her fingertips. The tempest raging in her mind is reflected in swirls of deep blue and grey that bleed together in a chaotic symphony. Except for the distant hum of the city beyond her window, the studio was quiet. On the corner of her desk were piles of bills, unopened letters with demands she couldn't afford to meet. In addition to leaving a huge void in her life, her father's passing had also left her drowning in debts she was unaware of.

A sharp knock at the door startled her, interrupting her thoughts. Her heart pounded as she walked over, hesitating for just a moment before pulling it open. Two men in sleek black suits stood there, their presence too imposing for simple couriers. Their expressions were blank, their movements precise as if they were trained for more than simple delivery work. "Miss Whitmore," the taller of the two said, his voice deep and impersonal. "You are requested to accompany us immediately." Selene frowned. "Requested by who?" One of them reached into his coat and pulled out a pristine white envelope, sealed with a gold emblem, an insignia she recognized immediately. Blackwood Industries.

She shuddered as she read the word, "Blackwood". Damien Blackwood. In corporate circles, a man was whispered about with equal parts terror and reverence. At least she was unaware of a man with whom she had no business. Selene took the envelope after hesitating. Her stomach dropped when she opened it and read the words.

"You are now responsible for paying off your father's debt. This is your one chance to resolve it. Visit Blackwood Tower urgently."

~Damien Blackwood.

Furiously, Selene's fingers tightened around the page. She wasn't sure if she should be upset with Blackwoods or her father. This must have been an error of some sort. With clinched teeth, she declared, "I owe the Blackwoods nothing, especially Damien."

The two men exchanged a look before the shorter one spoke, his voice eerily calm.

"This is not an invitation, Miss Whitmore."

The silent threat in his words sent a chill through her. She could run. She could fight. But deep down, Selene knew the truth, there was no escaping the Blackwoods. Squaring her shoulders, she exhaled sharply and stepped outside.

"Take me to him."

Driving across the city like a predator pursuing its prey, Selene sat rigidly in the backseat of the fancy black car. Although the tinted windows provided her with protection from the outside world, the space felt more like a cage than a shell. While driving, the two guys who had come for her remained silent, their demeanour cunning and frigid. She cradled the letter in her lap and read it again and again in the hopes that she had misread it, but it didn't change every time she read it.

Before Selene could even finish processing the situation, the car pulled into a special underground entrance that led to the tall Blackwood Tower. Standing taller than any other building in the city, it was a shining monument to power that she had previously seen in the distance. She felt unimportant and unworthy, as she saw well dressed business gurus inside the building wearing designer clothes and shoes, while she was with overalls and little red paint on her hair. When the doors opened as she was led inside. She was carried to the top floor in spooky silence by a sleek lift that swallowed her whole. She had never seen an office like the one that opened as the doors slid open. The room was filled with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the sparkling city lights below. Soft lighting illuminated the dark marble floors, and at the far end was a huge desk with its owner standing behind it, looking out over the city skyline. Blackwood, Damien.

Selene had never met him before, yet his presence was impossible to misinterpret. He had broad shoulders and a tall build, and his black suit fit him perfectly. When he finally turned to face her, his sharp grey eyes met hers like a predator assessing its prey, and his dark hair was tousled and perfectly combed. Selene gasped for air nervously. His eyes had an ageless sharpness, as if he had lived a hundred lifetimes and trusted no one in any of them, even though he was younger than she had anticipated-perhaps in his early thirties.

"Miss Whitmore." His voice was silky, yet there was no warmth in it. "You're late." "I didn't know I had a meeting." She spoke tremblingly. He moved to the centre of his office and sat on his leather sofa and motioned her to sit across from him. "You do now." He carefully and slowly moved a folder across the coffee table in her direction. " I believe you know why you're here" he uttered. "It's not simply memories your father left behind, Miss Whitmore. He owed someone money. And a pretty big one at that." He leaned back.

Selene swallowed, forcing herself to peek at the papers. Her father's signature was there, committing him to a loan far beyond anything she could ever repay. "How is this even possible?" She muttered. "I was unaware of this." "Then he was good at keeping his secrets." Damien's voice was unreadable. "But the debt exists. And since he is no longer here to pay it, that responsibility falls to you, Miss Whitmore." Her heart pounded. "I don't have this kind of money, its going to take decades for me to get this amount." "I know." "Then why bring me here?"

"There is only one way for you to repay this debt," Damien said, rising from his seat with deliberate, slow steps. He motioned behind her. She hardly had time to catch her breath and process the huge amount of money before he said the words that would rock her world: "You will marry me."

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