Chapter 45 45
Damien sat in the large leather chair, the dim light from the chandelier casting long shadows across the room. He stared at Lila, who had come back and was standing by the window, her back to him, her arms crossed tightly as if trying to shield herself from the world, or more accurately, from him. She looked beautiful, as always, but the anger in her stance only fed the fire burning inside him.
Her resistance had always been one of the things that intrigued him about her. She was stubborn, fierce, and hated him with a depth he knew only too well. But what she didn’t realize...what she hadn’t figured out yet...was that he wasn’t going to let her go. Not until he had what he wanted. Not until he had everything.
He hadn’t planned to end up like this, with her hating him. In the beginning, he’d thought it would be enough just to be with her. But Lila was never going to give him the kind of love he wanted....not freely, not willingly. She was too proud for that. Too independent.
That’s why he’d had to take everything slowly, patiently. He had to make her see that she needed him. He would break her down, piece by piece, until she understood that she couldn’t survive without him.
But once she’s fully in my grasp, once she’s completely under my control...
He smirked to himself. Then, I’ll make sure she never has anything left...except me.
Damien had been thinking about this for months now. He’d played the long game, always knowing that eventually, Lila’s heart would crack, that her heart would falter. He’d been patient because he knew how to manipulate the situation, how to use her weaknesses against her. Her body, her desires, her love for him....even if she wasn’t willing to admit it....would be the final key.
It was no secret that she hated him for what he had done to her, for the way he had tried to control her, for the things he had taken from her. But Damien knew that Lila’s feelings ran deeper than just hate. Beneath all of that anger was something else. Something raw and undeniable. Lust. Desire. The way her body responded to him, despite her protests, was proof of it.
I know what I’m doing, he thought, his eyes narrowing as he studied her from across the room. And I’ll use that. I’ll make her crave me more, make her love me more than she hates me. And in the end, she’ll give me everything I need.
Lila turned, her eyes meeting his for the first time in minutes. She hated the way he looked at her...like he was savoring every moment of their silence, every inch of her struggle. He didn’t need to speak. His gaze alone was enough to make her feel exposed, raw.
“What do you want, Damien?” she asked, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. She had long given up trying to hide the weariness in her tone. She was exhausted...physically and emotionally...but she wasn’t going to let him break her.
Damien’s lips twitched into a smile, a knowing, almost smug expression. He stood slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. He could see the anger bubbling beneath her calm exterior, and it thrilled him. It reminded him of the power he had over her.
“I want you to stay, Lila,” he said softly, his voice smooth, measured. He took a step toward her, and though her body tensed, she didn’t move away. “I want you to stay by my side. You’re not going anywhere.”
She scoffed, shaking her head. “You think you can keep me here forever? You think I’ll just give in to you?”
Damien stopped a few inches away, his face close to hers. He leaned in, his breath warm against her skin as he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’ve already given in to me. Every time you touch me, every time you kiss me, every time you let me make love to you… you’re already mine, Lila.”
The words stung, and Lila stepped back, trying to distance herself from him, but his presence was like a magnet, pulling her in, despite her resistance. She hated the way her body still craved his touch, how every part of her responded to him in ways she couldn’t control.
“You don’t get it, do you?” she said, her voice rising in frustration. “I don’t belong to you, Damien. I never did. And I’m not going to let you take everything from me.”
Damien chuckled, his eyes flickering with amusement as he took another step closer, his voice now tinged with a dangerous calm. I've always said this Lila, “You don’t have a choice in the matter. You’re already mine. And the longer you stay with me, the more you’ll see it. The more you’ll understand that no one else can give you what I can. No one else can take care of you; love you the way I do.”
Lila’s heart raced. She wanted to slap the smugness off his face, wanted to tell him to stop, to get away from her. But the truth was, he was right. She could deny it all she wanted, but the attraction between them was undeniable. Even now, her body betrayed her, responding to his nearness, to the heat of his presence.
She turned her back to him, her breath shaky. “I hate this,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. “I hate that you have this power over me.”
Damien’s hand gently cupped her chin, turning her face back toward him. “You don’t hate me, Lila,” he murmured, his thumb tracing the curve of her lower lip. “You hate what you’ve become. But deep down, you know you can’t escape me.”
She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm, not tight, but unyielding. “Let me go,” she said, her voice breaking,