Chapter 5

Chapter Five - Marry Me

Damon's POV

Does my father really think losing my title as the CEO of the Stone Corporation would ruin me? 

I bite back the urge to scoff, suppressing my final retort. Dad rises to his feet, pushing the chair away, and casting one last glance my way. "Three weeks to prove yourself Damon, three weeks." With that, he storms out of the dining room. 

My stepbrothers and stepmothers begin to mutter to themselves and in an instant, the dining room eventually erupts into a flurry of arguments. I suddenly feel my mother grab me by the wrist and pull me away. We make a stop at a corner close to the stairs.

My mother’s eyes widen in alarm as she glares at me. "What the hell was that Damon? What is wrong with you?" She snaps at me. I sigh heavily and shrug, pretending not to understand what is going on. "Nothing is wrong with me, Mum." I mutter.

She scoffs and frantically throws her hands in the air. "The way you spoke to your father? You have never done that before. How dare you do that? What is wrong with you? Are you trying to get us kicked out of the Stone family?" She throws questions at me. I can see the rage in her eyes, and it begins to upset me, too.

I choke out a peal of hysterical laughter and shake my head at her. "Really mum? Really? All I did was make my stand clear to him. I do not want to get married! Why does he demand so much from me? I am already taking care of the company and the sales are doing okay. What the fuck does marriage have to do with the company?" I snap back at her. 

My mother places her hand on her waist and shakes her head at me in disdain. "That is what your father wants and you must obey him! You have always done that, so why are you trying to turn rebellious now?" My mum raises a brow at me.

She just pushed a button. I clench my fist tight, and I grit my teeth in anger as I begin to pour my heart out. "That is exactly what the problem is! I have been obeying him for many years; I have lived the life he wanted me to, and I’m suddenly so sick of it. I don’t want to do his bidding anymore." I groan in frustration.

My mum's brows were in confusion. "Why are you acting like a child Damon? You know why we have to obey whatever Gabriel Stone says."

"Yeah, so we don’t lose our last name. Yeah, I totally get it. So that you get to live your affluent life as Mrs. Gabriel Stone, flaunting your wealth and bragging rights. But isn't that just extremely selfish, Mum?" I ask. 

I watch my mother's shoulders slump in defeat. She clears her throat and places her hands on my shoulder. She sighs heavily and says in a low tone. "I understand the pressure you must be feeling right now. I know you feel overwhelmed. You don’t have to worry about finding a partner. I will take care of that. I’ll find you a beautiful woman from a wealthy– "

I interrupt Mum's words with a loud scoff. "This is ridiculous. Are you even listening to yourself, mum?" I push her hands off my shoulder. I take a few steps backwards, and for a second, I feel like she is an entirely different person. Mum has become so blinded by the world of riches, fame and wealth that she no longer cares about my feelings.

I turn around and begin to walk away but her next words cause me to halt in my steps. "Don’t forget where we came from Damon. Do not ruin everything that we have built so far - what I have fought so hard to keep."

I scoff and walk away. I walk towards my room but I accidentally bump into Joshua and James in the elevator. They have smug looks on their faces. "Someone is about to lose his position as CEO." Joshua laughs out loud.

I ignore him and my attention drifts back to my mother's words. Everything we built? More like everything I worked for! 

"Don’t worry Damon, even if you lose your position as CEO, Dad is not going to throw you out of the mansion. You can still eat and live under his roof, so stop putting so much pressure on yourself." James says mockingly.

The elevator doors swing open on the third floor, right on cue. I seize the opportunity, rushing out and hurrying to my room.

Forcefully pushing the door wide open, I step into my room. 

Fortunately, Ava is no longer here. I feel more comfortable with her out of my line of sight. 

I throw myself on my bed and shut my eyes for a brief moment. The thought of having to marry a total stranger scares me, but I know that I have to get married either way. I have to do it to save my mother. I have to do it because she is the only family I have.

I spend the night pondering on what to do. When I wake up the next morning, I wake up with an entirely different mindset. I confidently walk out of my room and make my way to the last floor. 

I step out of the elevator and push the small door open. I meet Ava lying on the floor, she looks tired and hungry. Her entire face is pale.

Her eyes meet with mine, and for a fleeting moment, I see a glimpse of vulnerability. She’s one second away from breaking down, the tension in her body palpable.

"Do you want to go to prison?" I raise a brow at her. It takes her a while before she shakes her head in disagreement. She looks weak and too tired to even utter a word. 

"Then marry me."