Chapter 21 His Tesoro
DAMIEN
“He throws an annual party,” I said evenly, eyes on the road. “All the richest dignitaries in the country attend. Politicians. Business moguls. People who pretend to matter.” I paused. “Every year, he invites me.”
I glanced at her briefly and caught the way she was nibbling on her lower lip, lost in thought.
“And each time,” she said slowly, “you don’t go?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
I stopped at a red light and turned to face her fully, my gaze locking onto her wide brown eyes.
“Because I never found a reason to,” I said. “Nor the right one to go with.”
The silence that followed was thick, charged.
I held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary before looking back down at my phone, which rested casually in my hand.
“So…” she began hesitantly. “I’m going with you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I smirked faintly.
Curious little kitty.
“Why so curious, tesoro?” I murmured.
She didn’t answer right away.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked quietly, so softly that I might have missed it if I hadn’t been listening for every change in her tone.
“No,” I replied without hesitation. “Not really.”
Her breath hitched slightly.
“You’re coming with me,” I continued, my voice calm, controlled. “So I suggest you get yourself ready, tesoro.”
She glanced down at her hands, twisting her fingers together.
“Will the paparazzi be there?” she asked, worry slipping into her voice. I could see it swimming in her eyes, dark and uncertain.
“No,” I said immediately. “They aren’t allowed into parties like these. The last few had no coverage at all.”
That seemed to ease her somewhat.
She nodded slowly, then leaned back into the seat, turning her face toward the window. The city lights reflected softly against the glass, illuminating the side of her face.
I let my eyes wander to her—unable to stop myself.
Her skin glowed under the dim streetlights, flawless, almost ethereal. The curve of her cheek. The gentle slope of her nose. She looked unreal. Like something delicate and sacred that didn’t belong in a world as cruel as this one.
An angel.
I had never looked forward to anything the way I looked forward to taking Jasmine with me as my date.
My tesoro.
Any thought Jace had—any delusion of claiming what was mine—would be obliterated the moment he saw her at my side. The message would be clear.
Untouchable.
Unavailable.
Mine.
I leaned back slightly in my seat, stealing another glance at her relaxed form.
My desire for her grew at an alarming pace—unimaginable, relentless. Each day we spent in the same building, each fleeting interaction, each shared glance only fed it further.
I had to restrain myself.
Every instinct in me screamed to claim her. To mark her as mine in a way the entire world could see. To protect her. To possess her.
But patience was everything.
In due time.
~ JASMINE ~
I sighed heavily, fingers hovering over the keyboard as I rewrote—again—a few documents that needed to be sent to Damien. It was honestly shocking how many files required reproofing. Some people had the audacity to submit work without even skimming it once.
Damned people.
They left all the work for me to do, as if my plate wasn’t already overflowing.
I groaned softly as I finally hit the save button, my shoulders slumping as I deflated back into my chair. My spine protested immediately, reminding me how long I’d been sitting there, hunched over paperwork like my life depended on it.
The party was only a few days away.
Conveniently on a Saturday.
I scoffed lightly at that thought. Of course it had to be the one day of the week I could rest. The only day I didn’t wake up with a dozen alarms and a knot of anxiety already forming in my chest.
A well-deserved breather—stolen from me before I even got the chance to enjoy it.
I shook my head, forcing myself to refocus. Complaining wouldn’t get anything done.
Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my personal laptop and placed it gently on the desk.
I paused.
A slow smile tugged at my lips.
My personal laptop.
I never thought I’d be able to say those words so casually. Owning one had always felt like a distant luxury, something meant for people who had their lives together.
People who didn’t live paycheck to paycheck, constantly choosing which bill could wait another month.
I hadn’t thought I needed one until recently. But being provided with a work laptop—just because—had changed everything.
Suddenly, efficiency mattered.
Suddenly, I mattered.
Now, everything felt… easier.
I typed in my password and opened my banking app, my heart thudding faintly in my chest.
“Let’s see how much I have,” I murmured under my breath.
The thought made my stomach tighten.
I hadn’t paid my electricity bill in months. Same with water. WiFi. A few others I preferred not to think about too deeply.
They were all overdue—some embarrassingly so. I just hoped I had enough to pay at least half of them and still have enough left for groceries and a few much-needed essentials.
The screen loaded.
And my breath left me in a sharp gasp.
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the number displayed in bold where my balance was supposed to be.
No.
No freaking way.
$700,000.
I blinked once.
Twice.
I refreshed the page.
The number stayed.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
That was—by far—the largest amount of money I had ever seen in my account.
Ever.
Sure, my uncle was wealthy—ridiculously so—and he had offered to help me countless times. But I always declined, stubbornly insisting I could work for myself, that I wanted to earn my own money.
But this?
This was unreal.
My fingers trembled as I opened my second account.
And when the balance loaded, I nearly screamed.
“There is no freaking way Damien knew about my second account!” I whispered, my voice tight with disbelief.
How did he even—
My thoughts were cut off abruptly by the familiar sound of my ringtone slicing through the silence.
I flinched, fumbling slightly before grabbing my phone.
“Richelle?” I answered, pressing it to my ear.
“Jasmine, there is a big problem!”