He closed the distance, eyes like tempered steel. “I did what I had to do. Caldwell would never have done business with me otherwise. And my brother would never have lied for me.” His voice was cold, controlled, so devoid of feeling it made my blood boil.
“Do I really mean so little? Am I only ever a means to an end? Was that all I was from the start?” My throat burned with the words.
He reached for my arm. I held my ground, refusing to give him the satisfaction of retreat.
“You’re not nothing to me, Daisy. But you don’t understand what’s at stake. My business, my life—everything rides on my decisions, my alliances. If I lose that control, I lose everything. And I have too many enemies waiting for that.”
A bitter scoff slipped out, quiet and sharp. “So what am I? A glossy façade? Proof of your credibility? Another pawn on your board?”
“I know,” he said low, almost to himself. “I know you’re more than that. But I can’t help it. This is who I am. Who I have to be.”
I turned away. Not because I was weak, but because I knew if I kept looking at him, I’d forgive him. Again.
“You know what’s sick? The more you hurt me, the colder you get, the more I crave you. It’s like a poison I drink every single day. I wish I could stop. I wish I could walk away, never look back. But I can’t. Not yet. Because some part of me still believes you’re not only this man. And that’s what’s breaking me. That’s what you deserve, too—for me to leave. To walk out and never give you another thought. But you’d just move on, close your next deal, pull another woman into your arms, and erase me like I never existed.” My voice trembled on the last words. “Something is broken in me. But I swear to you, one day, I won’t let you get away with this. One day, I’ll be gone.”
His face turned to ice. No flicker, no blink—just that lethal calm that screamed louder than any rage. In two swift strides, he was in front of me, his hand gripping the back of my neck. Fingers where tenderness should have been. His mouth crashed against mine—greedy, almost desperate—as if that kiss could stop him from doing something no one could ever undo.
“I’d rather…” He stopped short. His pupils blew wide, his breath faltered. For a fleeting second, horror twisted his features—not at me, but at himself, at whatever thought had just flared through him. Then he tore back, putting distance between us like he had to restrain something inside from breaking free.
“Rather what?” I asked, quiet, steady.
His eyes locked on me—not like a man with his lover, but like a predator torn between sparing its prey or finishing the kill.
“We should go back.”
“Give me a few more minutes. I’ll follow.”
He moved toward the door. I stopped him.
“And Damian.” He froze, tension rippling through him. I lifted my hand, slow and deliberate. “I don’t even have a ring yet.”
His expression darkened. His eyes narrowed, razor-sharp. For a moment, there was nothing human in him—only control, madness, and the abyss coiled deep inside. Without a word, he left the bathroom.
Chapter 15 Daisy
That Wednesday morning, Damian entered the antique shop with an unusual calm. He had cleared his entire day to turn the shop upside down with me, determined to track down every piece of the collection. Since that dinner, we hadn’t spoken a word about what had happened, and I wasn’t about to bring it up.
I greeted him with a smile. His eyes lingered on me a moment too long, and I swore I caught a flicker of affection in them.
“Good morning, Mr. Miller,” I breathed, deliberately soft.
“Good morning, Miss Elfhorn. Ready for a day steeped in history?”
“Always.”
Damian followed me into the treasure room, and we set to work. One by one, we opened and closed boxes, checking each against the list.
“I don’t get why Beatrice didn’t keep the collection together but scattered each piece across the shelves,” I muttered.
“Because she didn’t know it was a collection. Even I only realized it recently.”
“We’ve already found three of the seven pieces.”
Damian lifted an ancient Greek bowl from its crate. “Here’s the fourth.” He set it carefully on the table. “Now we just need the statue and the jewelry.”
I pulled a small case from a nearby shelf. “And Mason will deliver the seventh piece?”
“If he agrees to the deal. He hasn’t signed yet.”
