Chapter 6 6
The receptionist still gawked at Lila, her eyes sweeping her from head to toe. Lila shifted under the scrutiny, tugging at the hem of her dress. The woman’s gaze lingered on her modest, floral-patterned outfit, one that could easily belong to a mall vendor selling roses, not the fiancée of Damien Vasilis.
“This way, ma’am,” the receptionist finally said, her voice polite but tinged with curiosity.
Lila followed her, the clicking of the receptionist’s heels a sharp counterpoint to the thudding of her heart. The pristine, modern hallways of the Vasilis Corporation seemed to stretch endlessly. At the end of the corridor, the woman stopped in front of a tall, imposing door. She turned, offering a professional smile with a slight bow.
“Mr. Vasilis is inside. Please go in,” she said before walking away, leaving Lila standing there, alone and uncertain.
For a moment, Lila stared at the door. Her fingers hovered over the handle as doubt seeped in. Should I really be here? What am I doing? she thought. She could still turn back. Maybe she could find another way to deal with this mess without having to face Damien.
But then she clenched her fist, her resolve hardening. No, she told herself. I’m here to fix this. I’m not running away.
With a deep breath, she gripped the handle. As she turned it, the door cracked open slightly. The sight on the other side made her freeze.
There, against the cold tile wall, a woman in a tight red dress was pinned, her body pressed sensually to a man’s. Her shiny, slender legs wrapped around his hips, and her breathy moans echoed faintly in the room. The man’s hands gripped her waist possessively as his mouth moved against hers, kissing her with an intensity that made Lila’s stomach twist.
Her gaze locked on the man, and her chest constricted as realization hit her, it was Damien.
Lila instinctively wiped her lips with the back of her hand, the memory of their own kiss flashing in her mind. A sudden wave of anger bubbled up in her chest. She stepped fully into the room, her voice cold and sharp.
“Hello, Mr. Playboy.”
Damien broke the kiss immediately, turning his head toward her. The woman in his arms gasped, her chest heaving, her cleavage spilling scandalously from her dress.
“Who the hell is she?” the woman demanded, glaring at Lila with disdain.
Damien pushed away from the wall, smoothing his shirt as he addressed Lila. “Well, if it isn’t my charming fiancée,” he said, his tone laced with sarcasm.
The woman’s jaw dropped. “Fiancée?”
Lila crossed her arms, leveling Damien with a glare. “Yes, fiancée. And I believe I just told you to excuse us.”
The woman turned to Damien, her expression incredulous. “Is this some kind of joke? You didn’t tell me you were—”
“Leave,” Damien cut her off sharply, his tone brooking no argument.
But the woman refused to budge. Instead, she leaned closer to Damien, her hands brushing his chest. “You can’t be serious, Damien. She doesn’t even look like—”
“Now,” Damien snapped, his voice louder this time. “My fiancée told you to leave, didn’t she?”
The words dripped with mockery, making Lila’s jaw tighten. The woman shot Lila a withering look before reluctantly stepping away. She strutted toward the door but paused just as she passed Lila.
With a sly smile, she leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Lila’s cheek. “Good luck,” she whispered, her tone dripping with condescension.
Lila stiffened, her eyes narrowing as the woman sauntered out of the office, her heels clicking against the floor. The moment the door closed behind her, Lila turned on Damien, her anger boiling over.
Without thinking, she grabbed her purse and flung it onto the couch before marching up to him. Her hand flew up, and before she could stop herself, she slapped him hard across the face.
The sound of the slap echoed in the room. Damien’s head snapped to the side, his cheek reddening from the force. He slowly turned back to her, his expression a mixture of shock and amusement.
“Well,” he said, rubbing his jaw with a smirk. “Care to explain what that was for?”
Lila’s breathing was ragged, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to find the words. “I—I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and something she couldn’t quite name. “Maybe it’s because you’re insufferable. Or maybe it’s because you were just shoving your tongue down someone’s throat when I walked in!”
Damien tilted his head, his smirk widening. “Ah, I see. You’re jealous.”
Her eyes widened. “Jealous?”
He took a step closer, his presence suffocatingly intense. “Admit it, Lila. You’re upset because I used the same lips to kiss her as I did to kiss you.”
Heat flushed her cheeks, and she stepped back, glaring at him. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she snapped. “The only thing upsetting me is your complete lack of shame.”
“Shame?” Damien chuckled darkly, loosening his tie. “Forgive me, but I didn’t realize my fiancée had a say in how I spend my time.”
“You’re impossible!” Lila threw her hands up in frustration. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to marry you in the first place!”
“Good thing you don’t have a choice,” Damien shot back, his smirk fading as his voice hardened. “Your father has made that abundantly clear, hasn’t he?”
Lila’s throat tightened at the reminder. She wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong, but the words wouldn’t come.
Damien took another step closer, his eyes locking with hers. “Tell me something, Lila,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Why are you really here? Because something tells me it’s not just to slap me.”
She glared at him, refusing to be intimidated. “Take down the tabloid post,” she demanded.
Damien raised an eyebrow. “And why would I do that?”
“Because it’s ruining my life!” she snapped. “You have no idea what this is doing to my family. To me.”
He studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to her surprise, he leaned in, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.
“And what are you willing to give me in return?”
Her breath caught, and for a moment, she couldn’t think of a response. The tension between them crackled like electricity, and she hated the way her body reacted to his proximity.
“I’m not here to bargain with you,” she said finally, her voice steadier than she felt.
Damien smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Then you’re wasting your time, fiancée.”
Lila clenched her fists, refusing to back down. “We’ll see about that,” she muttered, her eyes blazing with determination.
“What if I agree to the proposal then? Will you take it down?”
Damien smirk. “Do I have a choice?”
For now, the battle lines were drawn.