Chapter 52 Don't Let Him Control You,Elena
Chapter 52 Don't Let Him Control You,Elena
Night fell over the Lancaster estate like a velvet curtain hiding a thousand secrets.
Elena sat at the long dining table, her chin resting on her palm.
She wasn’t really listening as her father and Mr. Volkov discussed plans for the upcoming gala. Words like merger, investment, and share expansion floated through the air like a language she could no longer bear.
She was already exhausted from visiting the construction site earlier, and she wished she could just go to bed instead.
Her mind was elsewhere, in the quiet moment at the construction site, the way Damien’s voice had sounded when he said,
“Because I can’t stand watching you break.”
That sentence had replayed in her head all afternoon, each time slower, heavier, and softer.
She glanced up. Damien stood a few meters away, perfectly still, hands behind his back as always, the image of professionalism.
He looked like a man at war with himself.
Victor raised his glass, his voice booming across the room.
“To new beginnings,” he said cheerfully, his smile wider.
Mr. Volkov echoed the toast, and his wife clinked glasses with both men.
Elena picked up hers but didn’t drink.
Caspian leaned closer from Elena's left. “You look tired,” he murmured gently.
She forced a small smile. “Just a long day.”
He nodded. “My father said the announcement will be made soon.”
Her hand froze around the glass. “Announcement? What announcement?”
Caspian blinked. “He didn’t tell you?”
Elena turned sharply to her father. “What announcement? What is he talking about?”
Victor looked up with that fatherly smile she’d learned to fear. “Ah, I see Caspian is too excited to keep secrets. I was going to tell you before you go to bed, Princess.”
Her pulse quickened. “Tell me what?”
Victor stood, moving to her side. “In three weeks, there will be a grand gala at the Royal Palace Hotel. Business leaders, officials, I mean everyone who matters will be there. It’s time we give them something to celebrate.”
He smiled, laying his hand gently over hers. “Your engagement to Caspian Volkov.”
The words hit her like a slap.
Everything froze around her, the laughter, the cutlery, even her breathing.
Caspian’s eyes widen, too. “Father... I thought... we were still...”
Mr. Volkov interrupted, smiling broadly. “It’s only natural, son. The families have known each other for decades. It’s time we strengthen the bond.”
Elena pushed her chair back slowly, the sound scraping through the silence. “No!”
Victor’s smile faltered instantly. “Excuse me?”
“I said no. I'm not getting engaged!”
Her voice trembled, but it was steady enough to draw every gaze in the room, including Damien’s.
“I’m not getting engaged,” she repeated, her throat tightening. “Not like this. Not for your deals, not for your company. I’m not for sale, Father.”
The silence was deafening.
Victor’s expression shifted from shock to fury in one breath. “Elena,” he said softly and dangerously, “control yourself.”
She stood tall, her fists trembling at her sides. “You don’t get to decide my life anymore!”
The glass in his hand shattered as he slammed it onto the table. Everyone flinched.
“Sit down!” he barked.
Elena’s lip quivered, but she didn’t move. “I’m not a bargaining chip. You can’t—”
“Enough!”
Victor’s voice thundered through the room. Even the poor maids froze where they stood.
He pointed a shaking hand toward her. “You will do as I say. You owe everything you have to me. Your name, your comfort, your life — all of it. You will marry Caspian, and you will smile when the cameras flash. That is final. Do I make myself clear?”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. “You’re not doing this for me,” she whispered. “You’re doing this because you’re scared of losing control.”
And with that, she turned and ran out of the dining room.
The hall was so quiet after her footsteps faded that any little sound was magnified.
At the corner of the dining room, Damien stood frozen in the corridor. He had heard everything.
Every word. Every break in her voice.
Every cruel command from Victor.
His hands were trembling, a rare, dangerous thing.
He wanted to storm in, to drag her out of that suffocating room, to tell her she didn’t need to stay, that she could run, that he’d protect her. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he achieved his goals.
Because one wrong move could destroy years of planning.
He waited until he heard the loud thud of her bedroom door closing.
The night air was cold as the moon hung low.
Elena was now outside, standing beside the fountain.
She gripped the stone edge tightly until her knuckles became white. She had never felt so small and so powerless.
When she heard footsteps behind her, she didn’t need to turn. “You heard.”
“Yes,” Damien said quietly.
She laughed bitterly. “Then you know my father just sold me.”
He didn’t answer. Just silence.
Elena turned to face him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “You won’t say anything? Not even now?”
Damien met her gaze, something breaking behind his calm mask. “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know!” she cried, her voice cracking. “Tell me I’m not crazy for hating him! Tell me I’m not weak for wanting to run away! Tell me—”
“Stop.”
He caught her wrists as she hit his chest in frustration. She struggled once, twice, then collapsed against him, shaking with sobs.
“I can’t breathe in that house,” she whispered. “He keeps taking everything from me... even my choices.”
Damien closed his eyes, his jaw tightening. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in. “Then take them back.”
She looked up at him, startled. “What?”
“Take them back,” he repeated, his voice low, almost a growl. “Don’t let him break you. Don’t give him that power.”
Her tears fell silently. “But... I don’t know how.”
“You will learn how,” he said. “You’re stronger than you think.”
Their eyes met, too close, too intense, and too dangerous.
Elena rose slightly on her toes, her hand brushing his chest. “Then show me. Teach me.”
Damien’s breath hitched. He wanted to... God, he wanted to — but he forced himself to step back.
“Elena,” he said quietly, “don’t make me do something I’ll regret.”
She stared at him, hurt flickering across her face. “Then maybe I’ll do it for both of us.”
Before he could respond, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing under the moonlight, every muscle in his body screaming to follow.
Inside the house, Victor was already on the phone, his tone sharp and commanding.
“Yes,” he said, pacing. “Announce it to the press. The engagement between the Lancaster and Volkov families will be official. I don’t care what she says... it will happen.”
He hung up, his expression dark. “You’ll thank me one day, Elena,” he muttered under his breath.
But deep down, he knew he was losing her. And that terrified him more than he’d ever admit.
Meanwhile, Damien stood outside her door, his fists clenched.
He could hear her crying again, softly, muffled against her pillow.
He rested his forehead against the wall, his breath ragged.
She deserves better. She deserves peace.
But as he turned to leave, something shifted in his chest.
That peace... that freedom... would never come while Victor Lancaster lived.
For the first time in years, Damien’s rage aligned perfectly with something human.
It wasn’t just revenge anymore.
It was for her.