I didn’t sleep.
How could I?
Dominic Caldwell had played me, twisted my loyalty into a noose, and left me standing in the ruins of my own choices.
My father’s scandal was now public.
Dominic had betrayed me.
And worse, I was still his—trapped in a marriage I had no way of escaping.
By the time the sun rose, I had made a decision.
If Dominic wanted a war, I’d give him one.
****
The next morning, I didn’t wait for him to summon me.
I stormed into the dining room, where he sat at the long mahogany table, sipping his coffee like he hadn’t just burned my world to the ground.
He barely glanced up. “You’re up early.”
I slammed a newspaper onto the table—the same one detailing my father’s downfall. “You used me.”
Dominic sighed, setting his cup down. “We’ve already established that.”
I clenched my fists. “Then let’s establish something else. This marriage? It’s over.”
A slow, mocking smile spread across his lips. “You really think that’s up to you?”
“I won’t be your pawn.”
“You already are,” he murmured, leaning back in his chair. “And you signed a contract, remember?”
Anger coiled in my stomach. “Contracts can be broken.”
His gaze darkened. “Not mine.”
I hated him. Hated his power, his control, the way he made me feel powerless—no, helpless.
But I wasn’t weak.
And Dominic was about to learn that the hard way.
****
I spent the entire day plotting my next move.
By evening, I had an answer.
Liam.
It was risky—dangerous even—but I had no other choice.
I found him in his office, drowning in paperwork and frustration.
When he saw me, his eyes softened. “Elena.”
I didn’t have time for pleasantries. “I need your help.”
Liam frowned. “With what?”
I exhaled sharply. “Taking Dominic down.”
His entire body went still. “You’re serious.”
“Completely.”
Liam leaned back, studying me. “What changed?”
I hesitated. “He betrayed me. My father. Everything.”
His jaw tightened. “I told you to walk away from him.”
I flinched. “And I didn’t listen. But I’m listening now.”
Liam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “If you go against Dominic, it won’t just be business. It’ll be war.”
I met his gaze. “Then help me win it.”
A long silence stretched between us.
Then, finally, Liam nodded.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s destroy him.”
****
I didn’t return to Dominic’s penthouse until late that night.
I expected him to be asleep.
I was wrong.
He was waiting for me.
The moment I stepped inside, he was there—leaning against the wall, his eyes dark and knowing.
“Where were you?”
I forced myself to remain calm. “Out.”
Dominic’s lips twitched. “Try again.”
I crossed my arms. “I don’t answer to you.”
His gaze darkened. “That’s where you’re wrong, Sinclair.”
I swallowed hard. “You don’t own me, Dominic.”
His smirk was slow, deliberate. “Then why are you lying to me?”
Panic surged through me, but I masked it with defiance. “I’m not lying.”
Dominic stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “You think I don’t know where you went? Who you saw?”
I froze.
He knew.
Somehow, he knew.
“I warned you, Elena,” he murmured, his fingers brushing my jaw. “Liam can’t save you from me.”
My breath hitched. “And what happens when I save myself?”
Dominic’s smirk vanished.
For the first time, something unreadable flickered in his gaze.
And for the first time, I wondered if I had just made the biggest mistake of my life.
The next morning, I received a message that turned my blood to ice.
Meet me at the docks. 11 PM. Come alone.
It was from Liam.
I should have questioned it.
I should have waited.
Instead, I went.
But when I arrived, Liam was nowhere to be found.
The docks were eerily silent, the water lapping against the wooden planks.
Something was wrong.
A shiver ran down my spine. “Liam?”
Silence.
Then—
A pair of hands grabbed me from behind.
I gasped, struggling, but a cloth was pressed to my mouth—something chemical, something strong.
My vision blurred.
The last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me whole—
Was Dominic’s voice.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t see this coming, Sinclair?”
Then everything went black.
I woke up to the scent of expensive cologne and sin.The sheets were silk, the mattress too soft—definitely not mine. A sharp ache throbbed behind my temples as I blinked against the morning light filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows.And then I saw him.Dominic Caldwell.Lying beside me.Naked.My stomach twisted. My pulse pounded so hard I thought I might pass out. My mouth parted, but no sound came out as the memories crashed into me like a violent storm.The gala. The champagne. The heated argument that had turned into something far more dangerous.Oh, God.I shoved the sheets aside, ignoring the way my bare skin prickled with mortification. The night came back in flashes—his hands gripping my waist, his lips on my throat, his voice like dark velvet whispering things I shouldn’t have wanted.What the hell had I done?I needed to leave. Now.I swung my legs over the side of the bed, reaching for my dress on the floor. But before I could grab it, a deep, lazy voice stopped me.
I should have walked away.I should have told Dominic Caldwell to go straight to hell.Instead, I sat across from him, trapped in a deal I didn’t fully understand yet. My father’s scandal was being buried as we spoke, my family’s legacy preserved—but at what cost?I wasn’t stupid.Dominic didn’t save people. He destroyed them.And now, I was bound to him by a contract as unbreakable as the iron in his eyes.I forced myself to hold his gaze. “You said you’re destroying my father, not saving him. What does that mean?”He took his time answering, leaning back in his chair like a king surveying his latest conquest.“It means,” he said slowly, “that your father is drowning in his own corruption. I just decided when and how he would sink.”A chill crept up my spine. “You planned this from the beginning.”A smirk ghosted across his lips. “Would you believe me if I said it was fate?”I slammed my hands on his desk. “This isn’t a game, Dominic.”His eyes darkened. “It’s always a game, Sinclair
I should have lied.I should have looked Dominic Caldwell in the eye and told him that Liam meant nothing to me.But I hesitated.And in that hesitation, I gave him my answer.The phone in his hand was still lit, the image of Liam and me frozen on the screen. A memory I had buried—now resurrected as a weapon.Dominic’s expression remained unreadable, but the tension in the air was suffocating.“You didn’t answer me,” he said, voice calm. Too calm.I swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter.”His gaze flickered with something dark. “It does to me.”I forced myself to hold his stare. “Liam is in the past. This marriage is about the present.”Dominic tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he intended to solve. Then, without another word, he turned and tossed the phone onto a nearby table.I exhaled, tension coiled in my spine, waiting for the storm.But when he finally spoke, his voice was almost amused. “You think you’re in control here, don’t you?”A chill ran down my spine. “I thi
I should have stopped it.I should have shoved him away and reminded him that this marriage was nothing but a contract.But the moment Dominic’s lips claimed mine, every rational thought burned to ash.His hand gripped my waist, pulling me closer. My fingers curled into his suit, betraying me, holding him instead of pushing him away. The taste of him—powerful, intoxicating, dangerous—made my head spin.This was a mistake.A fatal one.I pulled back, breathless. “This doesn’t mean anything.”Dominic’s smirk was lethal. “Keep telling yourself that, Sinclair.”I glared at him. “You don’t own me.”His fingers traced my jaw, his touch deceptively gentle. “Then why are you shaking?”Damn him.I forced myself to step away, ignoring the heat still coursing through my veins. “That won’t happen again.”Dominic leaned against the elevator doors, watching me like a predator indulging in his favorite prey. “We’ll see.”The worst part?I wasn’t sure if he was wrong.****The following morning, my p
I didn’t sleep.How could I?Dominic Caldwell had played me, twisted my loyalty into a noose, and left me standing in the ruins of my own choices.My father’s scandal was now public.Dominic had betrayed me.And worse, I was still his—trapped in a marriage I had no way of escaping.By the time the sun rose, I had made a decision.If Dominic wanted a war, I’d give him one.****The next morning, I didn’t wait for him to summon me.I stormed into the dining room, where he sat at the long mahogany table, sipping his coffee like he hadn’t just burned my world to the ground.He barely glanced up. “You’re up early.”I slammed a newspaper onto the table—the same one detailing my father’s downfall. “You used me.”Dominic sighed, setting his cup down. “We’ve already established that.”I clenched my fists. “Then let’s establish something else. This marriage? It’s over.”A slow, mocking smile spread across his lips. “You really think that’s up to you?”“I won’t be your pawn.”“You already are,”
I should have stopped it.I should have shoved him away and reminded him that this marriage was nothing but a contract.But the moment Dominic’s lips claimed mine, every rational thought burned to ash.His hand gripped my waist, pulling me closer. My fingers curled into his suit, betraying me, holding him instead of pushing him away. The taste of him—powerful, intoxicating, dangerous—made my head spin.This was a mistake.A fatal one.I pulled back, breathless. “This doesn’t mean anything.”Dominic’s smirk was lethal. “Keep telling yourself that, Sinclair.”I glared at him. “You don’t own me.”His fingers traced my jaw, his touch deceptively gentle. “Then why are you shaking?”Damn him.I forced myself to step away, ignoring the heat still coursing through my veins. “That won’t happen again.”Dominic leaned against the elevator doors, watching me like a predator indulging in his favorite prey. “We’ll see.”The worst part?I wasn’t sure if he was wrong.****The following morning, my p
I should have lied.I should have looked Dominic Caldwell in the eye and told him that Liam meant nothing to me.But I hesitated.And in that hesitation, I gave him my answer.The phone in his hand was still lit, the image of Liam and me frozen on the screen. A memory I had buried—now resurrected as a weapon.Dominic’s expression remained unreadable, but the tension in the air was suffocating.“You didn’t answer me,” he said, voice calm. Too calm.I swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter.”His gaze flickered with something dark. “It does to me.”I forced myself to hold his stare. “Liam is in the past. This marriage is about the present.”Dominic tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he intended to solve. Then, without another word, he turned and tossed the phone onto a nearby table.I exhaled, tension coiled in my spine, waiting for the storm.But when he finally spoke, his voice was almost amused. “You think you’re in control here, don’t you?”A chill ran down my spine. “I thi
I should have walked away.I should have told Dominic Caldwell to go straight to hell.Instead, I sat across from him, trapped in a deal I didn’t fully understand yet. My father’s scandal was being buried as we spoke, my family’s legacy preserved—but at what cost?I wasn’t stupid.Dominic didn’t save people. He destroyed them.And now, I was bound to him by a contract as unbreakable as the iron in his eyes.I forced myself to hold his gaze. “You said you’re destroying my father, not saving him. What does that mean?”He took his time answering, leaning back in his chair like a king surveying his latest conquest.“It means,” he said slowly, “that your father is drowning in his own corruption. I just decided when and how he would sink.”A chill crept up my spine. “You planned this from the beginning.”A smirk ghosted across his lips. “Would you believe me if I said it was fate?”I slammed my hands on his desk. “This isn’t a game, Dominic.”His eyes darkened. “It’s always a game, Sinclair
I woke up to the scent of expensive cologne and sin.The sheets were silk, the mattress too soft—definitely not mine. A sharp ache throbbed behind my temples as I blinked against the morning light filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows.And then I saw him.Dominic Caldwell.Lying beside me.Naked.My stomach twisted. My pulse pounded so hard I thought I might pass out. My mouth parted, but no sound came out as the memories crashed into me like a violent storm.The gala. The champagne. The heated argument that had turned into something far more dangerous.Oh, God.I shoved the sheets aside, ignoring the way my bare skin prickled with mortification. The night came back in flashes—his hands gripping my waist, his lips on my throat, his voice like dark velvet whispering things I shouldn’t have wanted.What the hell had I done?I needed to leave. Now.I swung my legs over the side of the bed, reaching for my dress on the floor. But before I could grab it, a deep, lazy voice stopped me.