The war Begins

The Lancaster estate felt different that morning.

Not because of the grandeur, the carefully maintained halls, or the staff moving efficiently through the house. But because something had shifted.

A battle line had been drawn.

And Sienna was standing right at the center of it.

She stood by the large window in their bedroom, arms crossed, staring out at the sprawling gardens. The morning sun painted the sky in soft oranges and blues, but all she felt was the tension curling in her stomach.

She knew what today meant.

Richard had given them an ultimatum—one week. That was all the time they had before the board would vote on whether to force Damien into a divorce.

One week before they decided her fate.

Behind her, the door opened. She knew who it was without turning around.

“We need to talk,” Damien said, his voice low and firm.

Sienna exhaled slowly, her fingers tightening against her arms. “I know.”

She turned to face him. He was already dressed for the day, his white dress shirt crisp against the dark slacks, the top button undone. His hair was slightly tousled, like he had run his hands through it too many times—a sign of frustration.

Good.

Because she was frustrated too.

Damien took a slow breath, his gaze dark. “We have a week before the board votes.”

Sienna nodded. “So what’s the plan?”

He was silent for a long moment, studying her carefully, like he was measuring her.

Then—

“Richard controls the board,” Damien said, his tone sharp. “He’s spent years shaping them into his pawns. If they vote against us, we lose.”

Sienna tilted her chin up. “Then we need to make sure they don’t.”

Damien let out a slow breath, something flickering in his expression. “You’re not afraid?”

Sienna’s heart pounded, but she didn’t let it show. Instead, she met his gaze head-on.

“No.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked, and for the briefest second, she thought she saw the corner of his lips twitch—like he wanted to smirk but stopped himself.

“Good,” he murmured.

Then his expression darkened. “Because if we’re going to win this, we need to be ruthless.”

Sienna’s pulse quickened.

She had seen Damien operate in business—calculated, cold, relentless.

But this was different.

This was personal.

Sienna crossed her arms. “What are you thinking?”

Damien moved closer, his presence suffocating in the best way. “We don’t wait for Richard to move. We move first.”

She arched a brow. “And how do we do that?”

He exhaled sharply. “By making this marriage impossible to undo.”

Sienna’s breath hitched. “You mean—”

“We make them believe it’s real.”

Silence stretched between them.

Sienna swallowed. “Damien—”

He didn’t back down.

“The board doesn’t care about love,” he said, voice lower now, more dangerous. “They care about power. About stability. If they think removing you would hurt the Lancaster name more than keeping you, they won’t risk it.”

Sienna hesitated. “And you really think we can convince them?”

Damien’s smirk was slow, dangerous.

“We won’t convince them,” he murmured.

He took another step forward.

“We’ll make them believe it.”

Sienna’s chest tightened. “And how do we do that?”

He tilted his head. “By making sure the world sees us the way we want them to.”

Her breath caught.

This wasn’t just a fight for survival anymore.

This was a war of perception.

And she had just become the weapon.

Later That Day – The Lancaster Board Meeting

The private boardroom at Lancaster Enterprises was built for intimidation.

It sat on the top floor of the corporate headquarters, the walls made entirely of glass, offering a sprawling view of the city. The long mahogany table stretched across the room, lined with high-backed leather chairs.

Sienna sat beside Damien at the head of the table, her posture straight, her face unreadable.

Across from them sat Richard.

And he was smirking.

She hated that look—the one that said he had already won.

“As you’re all aware,” Richard began smoothly, addressing the board, “our family has found itself in the middle of an unfortunate scandal.”

Sienna forced herself to stay still, even as every pair of eyes in the room flickered toward her.

Damien, on the other hand, didn’t move at all.

“Now, I’ve already spoken to many of you privately,” Richard continued, his tone carefully measured. “And I believe we all agree that this situation needs to be handled—swiftly and quietly.”

He folded his hands on the table, finally looking at Damien.

“I assume you’ve come to the right decision.”

Damien exhaled slowly, tilting his head slightly. “You always assume, Father. It’s your greatest flaw.”

Richard’s smirk barely faltered. “Then by all means, enlighten us.”

Damien leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “The board wants stability. Strength. Not more scandal.”

Richard nodded once. “Exactly. Which is why—”

“But divorcing Sienna,” Damien cut in, his voice smooth as silk, “would be the worst decision you could make.”

Silence.

Sienna’s stomach flipped.

Richard arched a brow. “Excuse me?”

Damien smirked. “You’ve spent months trying to convince everyone that she’s a liability. That keeping her in this family would be our downfall.”

His fingers drummed against the table.

“But let me tell you what will really happen if you force this divorce.”

The air in the room shifted.

“You think this scandal is bad?” Damien continued. “Imagine the headlines when it comes out that the great Richard Lancaster forced his own son into a divorce for the sake of optics.”

Some of the board members exchanged glances.

Damien leaned back, completely in control now.

“You claim to care about this family’s reputation,” he said. “But tell me, Father—what’s worse: A man standing by his wife in the face of controversy? Or a father proving, once again, that power means more than blood?”

Richard’s smirk finally slipped.

Damien exhaled, as if the conversation was already over.

“This board doesn’t need another scandal,” he said. “It needs a story.”

He turned slightly, looking at Sienna.

And then—

He reached for her hand.

Sienna’s breath caught as his fingers curled around hers, warm and steady.

“The story of a couple who fought back together,” Damien continued, his eyes never leaving hers. “A story of loyalty. Of family.”

He turned back to the board, his gaze sharp.

“That’s what people want to see.”

Silence stretched across the room.

Then—slowly—one of the board members nodded.

Then another.

And another.

Sienna’s heart pounded.

Richard’s expression was unreadable.

But for the first time—

He wasn’t winning.

—

This chapter now fully follows the outline while expanding on the tension, power struggles, and Damien finally taking control.