Chapter Four: Playing the Part
Flashbulbs burst like fireworks as Damon and Ava stepped onto the marble steps of the Kingsley Grand Hotel.
Ava's arm was tucked in Damon's, her posture rigid. She'd rehearsed fake smiles in the mirror before—but nothing prepared her for being paraded in front of half the city's elite press as Damon Blackthorn's "plus one."
Her heart thundered as they posed. Damon leaned close, murmuring through the side of his mouth, "Relax. You look like you're about to faint."
"I might," she said between clenched teeth. "Why am I even here?"
"Because I told you to be."
And because, despite everything, you said yes.
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❖ Inside the Ballroom
The ballroom was even more extravagant than the masquerade. Crystal chandeliers hung like floating galaxies above a sea of glittering gowns and expensive cologne. A string quartet played in the corner, and golden champagne shimmered in glass flutes.
But Ava couldn't focus on any of it—not with Damon beside her, calm and composed, shaking hands with CEOs and senators.
He didn't introduce her as his assistant.
He didn't introduce her at all.
She was just there, shadowing him, collecting stares and whispered questions.
"Who is she?"
"She's not from any known family—"
"She's pretty. A bit... rough around the edges."
Ava's cheeks burned, but Damon didn't react to any of it.
Until a blonde in a red dress approached them like a lioness stalking prey.
"Damon," she purred. "You never told me you'd brought a date."
"Because I didn't," Damon replied coolly. "Ava's here on business."
The woman's smile didn't fade. "Oh, how professional of you."
She turned to Ava, offering a too-firm handshake. "Sabrina Vale. Former fiancée."
Ava blinked. "Charmed."
The tension between the women sparked like static.
Sabrina leaned closer, her voice like poisoned silk. "Watch yourself, darling. Damon collects things. And he gets bored fast."
Then she walked away, hips swaying with precision.
---
❖ Confrontation
Back in the private garden behind the ballroom, Ava finally exploded.
"So that's the kind of women you usually go for?"
Damon turned to face her, wine glass in hand. "You're jealous."
"I'm offended."
"You're both."
He took a step closer. "But don't worry, Ava. I don't get bored easily."
His words hung between them like heavy smoke.
She looked up at him, defiant. "What do you want from me?"
His eyes burned.
"Everything you're not ready to admit."
He reached out, brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. The touch was electric. She hated how much it affected her.
"Tell me to stop," he murmured, leaning in.
She didn't.
But she didn't move, either.
"I don't trust you," she whispered.
"Good," he said. "Neither do I."
---
❖ Chapter Ending Hook
Suddenly, Ava's phone buzzed in her clutch. A blocked number.
She frowned, stepped back, answered it quietly.
A deep voice on the other end said only one thing:
"If you value your life, stay away from Damon Blackthorn."
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