Chapter 34 Be Mine for six months
JASMINE
He was coming for me.
I couldn’t deny it—whether I wanted to or not. Sooner or later, he would find me, and I couldn’t just stay here, hidden away in this lavish penthouse, waiting for my demons to finally catch up.
He could be on his way right now.
The thought made my chest tighten.
I couldn’t go back there.
To that cellar.
To the place where I died and woke up every single day.
A violent shiver crawled up my spine at the memory.
The damp, freezing floors. The suffocating darkness. I would lie there starving, terrified, as night bled endlessly into day.
There was no way to tell how much time had passed—no sunlight, no window, not even a hatch. Just a solid metal door.
That door only opened once every three weeks.
And every single time, it was to punish me for existing.
Did I deserve it?
Yes.
Every painful whiplash.
Every scream swallowed.
Every moment of agony.
All of it.
“Jasmine?”
The calm voice cut through my thoughts. The door cracked open slowly, and Ray’s head peeked in, concern etched across his face.
“Can I come in?”
I sat up, forcing a lopsided smile. “Sure.”
I gestured for him to come in fully. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, his presence grounding in a way I hadn’t realised I needed.
“You haven’t eaten anything,” he said gently. “Come on.”
He held out a hand, his thin smile encouraging.
I looked away. “I’m not hungry, Ray.”
A lie.
I didn’t have time to eat. I had to leave. If he found me here—
No.
He couldn’t find me here.
At the very least, I needed to disappear again. Clear my tracks. Vanish.
“Please, Jasmine,” Ray pleaded softly.
The longer he stayed, the thicker the lump in my throat became.
“O-okay,” I croaked. “I’ll be there. Just… give me a minute.”
My cracked voice betrayed me completely. Ray’s expression softened as he took in my trembling form.
“Where’s Damien?” I asked quickly, redirecting before I broke.
I needed to resign first. I wasn’t ready to face his questions.
“He went out.”
Ray sat beside me, the mattress dipping slightly.
“He’s going to fix this, Jasmine. He cares that much. He never wanted any of this to happen.”
His hand closed around mine, warm and steady, thumb gently stroking the back of it.
“Everything will be fine.”
I tried to return his smile.
I wished it were true.
But wishing had never changed reality.
“I’m ready,” I said quietly.
Ray helped me to my feet, leading me out of the room. I took one last look around as we stepped into the elevator, memorising every detail.
Ray punched in the buttons, and we began our descent.
I slid onto one of the island barstools, resting my hands on the cool marble. Ray placed bowls and spoons in front of me.
“You cook?” I asked, raising a brow.
He chuckled. “What? I don’t look like I can cook?”
“No, you don’t,” I admitted with a smile. “Didn’t think someone in an Armani suit would be so familiar with the kitchen.”
He snorted. “You really need to stop stereotyping.”
“Okay, okay,” I laughed, hands raised in surrender.
“What are you making?” I asked, leaning in.
“You’ll see.” He pulled the bowl away. “No peeking.”
“Alright, mister chef.”
He clutched his chest dramatically.
“Ray can—”
The door swung open.
And he walked in.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored black three-piece.
Armani.
Of course.
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how underdressed I was—in Damien’s clothes, no less. Heat rushed to my cheeks.
His gaze flicked between Ray and me before landing on the frying pan.
“Cooking again?” he scoffed. “Thought you’d given up after the pork fiasco.”
Ray glared. “I learned from that.”
Damien laughed.
It was soft at first, then deeper. Unrestrained.
Real.
I froze.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him laugh like that.
His lips parted, revealing perfect white teeth, his emerald eyes crinkling slightly at the edges. I got lost staring before I could stop myself.
“If you say so,” he said, amusement fading as his gaze settled on me.
“Can I see you in my study, tesoro?”
The room shifted instantly. Ray turned back to the stove, giving us privacy. I nodded and followed Damien out.
My heart pounded with every step.
Resign.
You have to resign.
“Take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair across from his desk.
I sat, watching as he loosened his tie and shrugged off his jacket, muscles flexing beneath the fabric. My throat went dry.
“You wanted to talk?” I asked, somehow managing not to stutter.
He sighed, rubbing a hand through his curls. “If I say this media chaos isn’t affecting me, I’d be lying.”
He looked straight at me. “And I can’t imagine how much worse it is for you.”
I looked away. “That’s why I came to tell you—”
“Tell me what?” His voice softened, concern flashing in his eyes..
“I can’t work for you anymore.”
Silence.
“I’m leaving. I’ll stay with my uncle. This life—it’s not for me.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“You signed a contract,” he said calmly. “You can’t quit. I have to let you go.”
My stomach dropped.
“I’m not firing you,” he continued. “But I do have a solution.”
He slid a stack of papers toward me.
"This contract" he began, pushing a stack of binded papers towards me on the table.
"States that you, tesoro will be my lawfully wedded wife. Only for six months and within that time you will appear everywhere with me and you will have the protection from the media, like a full fledged member of the Black Empire's inner circle and after the six months has elapsed if you still wish to go" His features softened and his eyes lost the hardness they held. "Then you are more than free to do so" he continued.
"This contract makes the other one null and void, meaning you will face no lawsuits of any kind nor any restrictions at the time of your departure. Do you accept tesoro?"
I gulp down hard, trying to process his words at best I could.
I just gape at him, exchanging looks from the contract in front of me to his face
"It's the only way tesoro" he reasoned "All I'm asking is you be mine for six months"
I felt it getting harder to breath as I tried to calm myself ,the look of determination in his eyes making it even harder.
"You can't be serious" I breathe out in disbelief, my eyes wide
"I am tesoro, take a look yourself"
I started rummaging through the contract like a maniac and sure enough it was all there, written and drafted in ink.
I gaze at the different spaces that required my signature.