The Man She Said She Didn't Want.
Seraphina.
Seraphina opened the door, only to be intercepted by Eric, who attempted to stop her. But with a sharp push, she brushed him aside and stormed into Damien's office.
Inside, Damien was on the phone with his mother, Eleanor. His eyes flicked up at the sound of Seraphina's entrance, and a faint smirk played on his lips.
"Damien, I'm very unhappy with you," Eleanor said sternly through the speaker. "I sent Seraphina there for you. She left everything behind to be with you, and you abandoned her in that hotel all by herself. Don't make me come over there. And I mean it, don't you dare treat my Seraphina like she's insignificant ever again."
Her voice softened with a hint of sadness. "Ever since your father left me, I've been lonely, and seraphina has always been there, cheering me and your sister up, she really has been there for us. Damien, if you agree to marry Seraphina, I believe I'll find joy again. Please, my son.. just give her a chance. Can't you do this one thing for me, my golden boy?"
Damien exhaled quietly and scoffed under his breath. His gaze shifted slowly toward Seraphina, cold and cutting.
"I've heard you, Mom. I'm at work, I have to go now," he said bluntly, then ended the call and dropped his phone onto the desk, turning back to his screen like Seraphina wasn't even there.
She stood silently for a moment, watching him pretend she didn't exist. But Seraphina was used to rejection, and this time, she'd come prepared. She had tried everything to win him over. If that meant shamelessly using his mother to get what she wanted, so be it. One way or another, she would become Mrs. Lopez.
Seeing his silent treatment, she guessed he was angry about her going behind his back to call his mother. Still, she smoothed her skirt and walked deliberately over to him.
Moving behind his chair, she began to run her manicured fingers through his hair with practiced sensuality.
"Damien, I know you're upset with me right now," she cooed softly. "But don't blame me. I love you so much, I could die for you. I just didn't know what else to do. You wouldn't pick up my calls or let me near you. I was desperate. I only reached out to your mother because I just couldn't take it anymore. Please forgive me."
Her hands slid to his arm, caressing it gently. But Damien remained focused on his screen, his face unmoved, his body stiff and unwelcoming, as if she were invisible.
Then, the office door creaked open.
Eva stepped in, holding a stack of files. She froze for half a second at the scene, Seraphina touching Damien so intimately, but Damien's pointed stare quickly pulled her in. She averted her gaze and approached the desk, her posture calm, as if she hadn't seen a thing.
Seraphina's gaze narrowed the moment she laid eyes on Eva, so she took her time watching Eva closely.
The girl looked way too beautiful to be working so closely beside Damien.
For Pete's sake Damian is a man after all. She is just too much, too beautiful, perfect stature, nice bouncing boobs, padded hips, straight legs, and effortlessly beautiful face.
Something about her presence felt threatening, unsettling in a way Seraphina couldn't quite explain.
What bothered her even more was the subtle shift in Damien's expression the instant Eva entered the room, a flicker of reaction she had never once received from him despite all her efforts.
Why is it that he shows interest in everyone but me?
Seraphina thought bitterly, her jaw tightening.
"Good day, sir," Eva said politely, stepping forward with a stack of files in her arms. "The executives are ready and waiting for you in the boardroom. I just came to confirm if you'd like to proceed now."
Damien looked up at her, and instantly, his blood began to boil.
There she stood, with her angelic beautiful innocent face, yet a stupid liar through and through. His mind replayed her words from earlier, the ones he'd overheard, vile rumors she had so confidently spread about him. But what pierced deeper than the lies was her blunt rejection. 'He's not my type'. Just like how Ana had also rejected him. The same sting. The same humiliation. He guess he wasn't Ana's type of man too, or perhaps Tyler.
Why is it that the only ones who ever truly catch my interests are always the ones who want nothing to do with me?
The fury in Damien's eyes was unmistakable. Cold. Contained. Dangerous.
Eva froze, confused by the intensity of the glare he shot her way. She had no idea what she'd done wrong, but she could feel it in the air.
Something had shifted.
And whatever it was, it wasn't good.
Eva blinked, startled by the sudden intensity in his stare. His expression was unreadable, furious, hurt, maybe both.
"I'm not ready yet, as you can see, I'm busy," Damian said, his voice low and sharp.
Seraphina blinked, a little thrown by his tone, but Eva stood still, her chest tightening at the coldness in his eyes.
"I'll just go and inform the executives."
"No." His voice cut through the air like a blade. "You'll stay exactly where you are until I'm ready. And the executives?" His gaze flicked toward the door, hard and dismissive. "They can wait until I decide to show up."
The authority in his voice was brutal.
His words were merciless. Eva swallowed hard, feeling something sink in her chest. The sweet, calm Damian she once knew had vanished replaced by a man who looked carved from stone. Cold. Controlled. And unreadable.
Seraphina, watching the exchange from the side, hid a pleased smirk. She didn't trust Eva, there was something unsettling about her presence, but seeing Damien strip her down emotionally in front of her felt oddly satisfying. Whatever energy Eva drained from him, Seraphina was determined to take back.
So, seizing the moment, she slid her hand into Damien's and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He didn't pull away.
Taking it as a green light, she grew bolder, trailing kisses across his cheek, his nose, his temple. Then, with confidence swelling in her chest, she kissed his lips.
And what happened next nearly made her dizzy with shock. Damien kissed her back.
It was brief. It was unexpected. But it was real.
Seraphina's heart soared. For the first time in two years, he responded.
Encouraged, she deepened the kiss, clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, this was her chance.
She reached for his hand, slowly, teasingly.. then leaned in and kissed his cheek.
He didn't stop her.
He didn't even move. So she took it as permission.
Her lips trailed across his face, his nose, his temple, the curve of his jaw, soft, lingering kisses that grew bolder with every breath. And when she kissed his lips?
Seraphina felt like she was dreaming, seeing Damien kissing her like that.
It has never happened in all the years she has known him put together.
Seraphina nearly melted.
She deepened the kiss with hungry desperation, pulling his body against hers as though trying to erase the memory of every time he had pushed her away. Her lips parted. Her hands moved. Her breath quickened.
He let her.
Eva stood frozen, eyes wide, stomach turning. She was still in the room.
Still watching as Seraphina devoured him like she was starved for him. And he didn't stop it. Didn't even look her way.
It was unbearable.
Her fists clenched at her sides, but she didn't move.
Eva could hardly believe her eyes. Was she really being forced to stand here and watch this nonsense? The sight before her was sickening, Damien kissing Seraphina so shamelessly, right in front of her. It felt like a slap to the face. Disgust twisted in her stomach, and for a moment, she thought she might actually throw up. It took every ounce of restraint not to turn and walk away.
But Damien knew exactly what he was doing.
He wanted her to choke on her own words, to see firsthand that women did want him, that he wasn't some rejected man desperate for attention. If she claimed he wasn't her type, then fine. He would show her that he was very much someone else's.
Let her watch.
To hell with her..
Damian, aware of every second, let the kiss continue, deeper, hungrier, not because he wanted Seraphina, but because he wanted Eva to see it. To feel it. To ache the way he ached the moment she rejected him.
'She had the guts to look down on me like that. She must have thought too highly of herself, what makes her think i want her either?' Damien said to himself.
Well, since she said I am full of scandal and whatever reasons she thought I wasn't fit, cool then, let her watch.
Let her see that she is not the only beautiful girl around him, let her see that he doesn't care, let her see that he wasn't lacking in women.
That other women_ women like Seraphina, wanted him.
So he kissed harder, rougher, his hand gripping Seraphina's waist as she moaned against his mouth.
Seraphina was almost drunk on it now. She didn't even care that Eva was still in the room. She was moaning softly, reaching up to unbutton his shirt, one button at a time, her fingers hungry, shaking with anticipation.
And still, he let her.
Until her hand reached for his belt.
Eva's stomach lurched. Was this really happening? Eva could hardly believe what she was witnessing. Were they seriously about to make out right in front of her? Was this some twisted fetish or a cruel joke? For a second, she wondered if maybe Damien truly was indeed the shameless man she had rumored him to be.
Her stomach churned with disgust.
How could he stoop this low? Even if Seraphina was his woman, couldn't they at least have the decency to get a room? Did he really not understand the difference between professional boundaries and personal indulgence? The sheer audacity of it stunned her.
Damian's shirt now hung open, his chest exposed, and Seraphina's lips were trailing down his neck, pressing kisses to every inch of skin she could reach.
She stood frozen, watching in disbelief as Seraphina brazenly unbuttoned the last button on Damien's shirt, as she took the shirt off, flinging it on the table, then she reached for his belt with greedy fingers, completely unbothered by Eva's presence. Not even a glance her way.
And Damien, he didn't stop her. In fact, he kissed her back with wild abandon, feeding into the spectacle.
And just when Eva thought they might actually go all the way right there in front of her.
Then, without warning.. With one smooth, powerful motion, he picked her up, At this point he was shirtless, as he swept Seraphina into his arms her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist as he carried her through the side door into his private office suite tucked inside the office.
His mini bedroom.