THE LION’s DEN

The elevator ride was silent, the tension thick enough to suffocate her.

Sienna stood rigid beside Damien, hyperaware of his presence. He hadn’t touched her again since that brief brush of his hand against her back, but the sensation lingered, leaving a trail of heat along her spine.

She should have been afraid.

Maybe she was.

But fear wasn’t the only thing curling inside her as the elevator descended, taking her deeper into whatever fate she had just signed herself into.

“What exactly is expected of me?” she asked, keeping her voice steady.

Damien didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head slightly, his storm-gray eyes settling on her.

“Everything.”

Her stomach twisted at the weight of that single word.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, revealing a private underground parking garage. A sleek black car waited near the entrance, the kind of expensive machine that looked as effortless and powerful as the man beside her.

A driver in a dark suit stepped forward, opening the back door.

Damien gestured for her to get in first. “After you.”

Sienna hesitated, her heart hammering against her ribs.

This was the moment the true beginning of whatever she had gotten herself into.

She could walk away.

The contract was signed, but she doubted Damien Cross would chase after her. If she ran now, she would leave behind whatever help he had promised her. She would leave behind security, stability the one thing she had always fought for.

And yet, deep down, she knew she wouldn’t run.

She wasn’t the kind of woman who backed down.

Squaring her shoulders, she slid into the car. Damien followed, settling beside her with an ease that made her feel even more out of place.

The door shut, sealing them inside the quiet luxury of the vehicle.

Sienna kept her gaze forward as the driver pulled out of the garage, merging onto the city streets.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“My home.”

Her throat went dry.

Of course. She had agreed to this. Agreed to belong to him, to enter his world without fully understanding what that meant.

Still, reality felt much heavier when it wasn’t just words on a page.

“You’re quiet,” Damien observed.

“I’m thinking,” she said.

“About what?”

She turned her head, meeting his gaze. “About how I don’t really know you.”

A slow smirk touched his lips. “And yet, you signed your life away to me.”

She frowned. “I didn’t sign my life away.”

“No?” He leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down her spine. “Tell me, Sienna, if I told you to get on your knees right now, would you hesitate?”

Heat flooded her cheeks. She tore her gaze away, fixing it on the passing city lights outside the window.

He let out a low chuckle. “That’s what I thought.”

The worst part? He was right.

She didn’t know why she reacted to him like this, why her body seemed to betray her at every turn.

But she had a feeling Damien Cross would make sure she figured it out.

The rest of the drive was silent.

When the car finally pulled up to a set of massive iron gates, her breath caught.

Beyond the gates, perched high above the city, stood a mansion unlike anything she had ever seen in real life. It wasn’t just luxurious it was designed for power, with towering glass windows, sharp edges, and a cold beauty that matched the man sitting beside her.

The gates swung open, and the car rolled forward, following a winding driveway lined with tall trees.

The moment they stopped in front of the house, Damien stepped out first, then turned back to her, holding out a hand.

Sienna hesitated before taking it. His grip was firm, steady, his skin warm against hers.

The second she was out of the car, she let go, ignoring the way her pulse had quickened.

“Welcome to your new home,” Damien said, leading her up the steps.

The front doors opened before he even touched them, a butler standing just inside the grand entrance.

“Good evening, Mr. Cross,” the man said smoothly.

“Evening, William,” Damien responded before nodding toward Sienna. “Show her to her room.”

William stepped aside, gesturing for her to follow.

Sienna frowned, turning to Damien. “You’re not coming?”

A flicker of something dark crossed his expression, gone too quickly for her to read.

“Not tonight,” he said. “You have a long three months ahead of you, Sienna. Get some rest.”

She didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

Instead of answering, she turned and followed William through the sprawling house.

Everything was silent, the kind of silence that came with wealth and control. There were no signs of chaos, no warmth, no life.

Just power.

She was beginning to realize Damien’s world was exactly what people said it was.

Cold. Calculated. Unforgiving.

When William finally stopped in front of a set of doors, he pushed them open, revealing a massive bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

A four-poster bed dominated the space, the deep hues of the bedding contrasting against the crisp white walls. Everything looked expensive, untouched, as if no one had ever really lived here.

“This will be your room for the duration of your stay,” William said.

Sienna turned to him. “And… Damien?”

“He sleeps in the master suite down the hall.” William’s tone was polite, professional, but something about his eyes made her feel like he was studying her. Judging her.

She swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

He nodded before stepping out, closing the doors behind him.

The second she was alone, she let out a slow breath.

She had expected to be thrown into the deep end immediately. To be tested, to have Damien’s demands start the moment she stepped into his home.

Instead, he had left her alone.

And somehow, that was even worse.

Because now, she had time to think.

Time to wonder what exactly she had just walked into.

She sat on the edge of the bed, running her hands over the soft fabric.

No one had forced her to sign that contract. No one had made her get into that car.

And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just made a deal with the devil.

And Damien Cross?

He was waiting.

Letting her settle into his world before he decided to make his first move.

Sienna exhaled slowly, glancing toward the massive doors.

She had no idea what tomorrow would bring.

But one thing was certain Damien Cross was a man who got exactly what he wanted.

And right now, what he wanted… was her.