Chapter 5

DAMIEN

Days after the dinner scandal, I stood in my father's study room, bracing myself for his inevitable explosion. The scandal engagement dinner had brought a lot of social media backlash, and he blamed no one but me.

He hadn't spoken a single word about the incident since it happened, neither had he said a word since I arrived two minutes ago. Instead, he hungrily chewed on his nails.

“When will I finally trust you with something without having to worry about it getting messed up?” he finally spoke and reached for a ball on the table. I instantly knew what he was about to do with it.

In a swift motion, he threw the glass at me, but I caught it, preventing it from falling. It was his customary response whenever he got angry. My father had this rack filled with semi-heavy plastic balls in his study. Since my childhood, I was expected to catch every ball he threw. Whenever I failed, he would make me eat only vegetables for a full week. I don't think he had the power nor ability to do that to me anymore, but i wasn't interested in finding out

Victor Don Russo–Father of the decade.

I placed the glass on the coffee table beside me, preparing to catch the next 5 or more balls he'd hurl next.

“You couldn't even get Chloe to agree with you on such a simple matter. I specifically instructed you to make her a deal and get rid of her. Was that too big of a task for you?” He yelled, throwing another one, which I caught.

“She barged into my house and disgrace me In front of my guests.” He shouted and threw another one in another direction.

I rushed to catch it, almost missing it.

“I tried my best to-”

“Yeah, and as usual, your best wasn't fucking enough! If that wasn’t bad enough, you couldn't even man up to shove her in her place. Your cousin had to do that for you. You're a complete disappointment.” He raged, throwing the next one and I caught that too. Barely.

“I knew you didn't have what it took to run a corporation. You are, have been, and would always be, a disappointment.”

“Father..”

“Sei inutile, una fottuta disgrazia per l'eredità della nostra famiglia.”

‘You are useless! A fucking disgrace to our family’s legacy’

“Listen closely, boy. Tonight, there is a gala happening at the Amphitheater of Science. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of Miller Enterprises will be in attendance. Your public screw-ups have made them withdraw their backing from my campaign… If news of this withdrawal gets out, It could jeopardize the support of several prominent politicians. So here’s what you'd do; get Melissa and attend the gala with her. Show them stability! Fuck her at the gala if thats what it takes to prove you’re head over heels. And for God’s sake, don't make a mess.” He bellowed and I nodded in understanding.

“This is your last chance. Now Get out!” he yelled, and I walked out of his study, making my way to my car. I took out my phone and dialed Missy's number.

Here goes nothing.

“Hello..?” Her voice sounded after a few rings.

“I'm famished. How would you like to have lunch this afternoon?”

“Lunch? Who's this?”

“I'm hurt. You still don't recognize your fiance's voice?” I asked with a smirk.

We've been spending quite a lot of time together these past few days and she still couldn't recognize my voice. I scoffed.

“D… Damien? Wh..h..how'd you get my number?” she asked, surprised.

“Your mum.” I replied sternly.

“Ohhh..” she replied, and there was a short silence on the line.

“Um, I was hoping we could catch up over lunch?”

“Erm..okay, s..send me an address.” She replied, sounding distracted.

“Yeah, I could do that or… I could just pick you up?” I suggested.

“Yeah, if that's okay with you..”

“Great, see you in an hour,” I replied and hung up before she could say something else.

(Later that evening..)

MELISSA

I stood in the mirror, inspecting the elegant blue gown I was wearing. I sighed before turning to my mother who was slowly sipping wine from a glass, ready to criticize my appearance.

The dress was a gift from Damien. Earlier in the day, we had lunch together and he briefed me about a gala happening tonight, mentioning that many important people would be in attendance. His PA had also suggested I wear a blue or purple dress since it was the Chairman’s favorite. I was confused about why I needed to dress to please the Chairman, but Damien was very vague with the details. I picked up the box the dress came in and saw a note attached to it.

“Just a little good luck for today's gala.” The note read. And my cheeks turned crimson, I hadn't expected him to be so sweet.

My mother walked towards me and held my chin, raising my head up.

“Ugh! You reek of self doubt, Melissa. You're engaged to a billionaire. Act the part. Chest out.” She said, holding my shoulder to ‘balance’ my posture.

“Lean in, dear. Smile. Now walk towards the mirror. Make sure you sway those hips. And don't act like some depressed, paid-to-be queen.”

I forced a smile and picked up my purse.

“I won't be with you tonight, so don’t embarrass me. Show them what you're made of, show Damien he's got himself a priceless jewel. Hm?” I nodded slightly and hugged her goodbye.

A few hours later, I arrived at the Amphitheater and Damien was waiting at the entrance. He offered me a hand out of the car.

He tightened his hold on my hand and whispered. “You look ravishing, Just smile at them when you feel intimidated. I'll be holding your hands the whole time.” He reassured me, and I smiled at him.

I tried my best to walk confidently while smiling for the cameras. The paparazzi made sure to consume all they could of me until we entered the cozy building.

We were greeted by a lot of dignitaries and Damien introduced me to some of them.

We had conversations with a few, and I tried hard to play it cool. Damien would caress my hand reassuringly from time to time but he left me for a couple of minutes to talk to a familiar-looking lady. I say familiar because I was certain I had seen her somewhere.

He hugged her and they talked briefly before he came back to join me.

As the event went on, It was announced that the gala was for charity. The event was in full swing now, and I was finishing my third glass of champagne when I spotted the woman who had disrupted our engagement dinner.

“Fuck!” Damien cursed loudly, and I took that as a sign he had also spotted her.

Why was she here?

“Is she here because of us?” I asked coyly.

“No, Chloe's father is a businessman, and she is a shareholder at his company, so she gets invited to events like these,” Damien explained.

“Ohh… ok.” I muttered, and as she approached us, Damien held my hand possessively.

“Ohh, look, if it isn't the billionaire playboy and his brand new toy.” Chloe jeered.

“Don't create a scene here...” Damien warned.

“Oh, please. Are you afraid of getting exposed?” Chloe laughed.

“I'm afraid of nothing.”

“Hmm, I seem to remember you being afraid of a alot things. Does your new fiancé know how broken you are?” She snickered

“Ugh! Do we always have to deal with clout chasing women like you all the damn time? You enjoyed your spotlight. It's over now. You literally divorced him, so why are you bitter?” I cut in, to my own surprise, I could read an expression of shock on Damien's face and I immediately regretted it. Mom’s gonna kill me if she hears about this.

“Oh, so the little toy has a mouth huh? I was starting to think he got himself a mute. And did you just call me a clout chaser?”

“I..I d..didn't..” I stuttered, trying to apologize.

“Yeah, I thought as much. You couldn’t eve-”

“That's enough, Chloe!” Damien interrupted, turning to me.

“And you, don't ever apologize for standing up for yourself especially to people like her. Come on, I just spotted the Chairman.” He said, and pulled me with him, not caring to throw Chloe another look.

“Damien, what a pleasant surprise. We didn't expect to see you here.” The man who Damien had identified as the vice chairman, earlier said, smiling at us.

“How so? I love charity events, and could never really resist the urge not to give back.” Damien replied with a smile.

“That's the spirit son. And who is this beautiful damsel in blue?” The Chairman said, sipping from his glass of champagne.

“My fiance,” Damien replied.

“I must say, Russo, you've gone and found yourself a gem, and blue is such a wonderful color on you, dear.” The chairman complimented me.

“Thank you sir.” I replied sweetly and smiled.

Classical music began playing in the background and I tuned reflexively, unknowingly catching the chairman's attention.

“Don't tell me you're a fan of classical music?” The chairman asked

“They are my favorite, sir.” I replied.

And the chairman seemed taken aback, like he wasn't expecting my reply, “Beautiful woman in blue, and has good taste in music? I stand corrected Russo, you've found yourself a priceless gem.” He expressed, and they laughed.

“I'm hosting a fundraiser event this weekend. Why don't you and your fiancee pass by? We could discuss some business too.” He turned to me.

“And yes, there would be tons of classical music.” He said and I nodded with a bright smile on my face.

You're grinning like a fool, Melissa, act ladylike! My mom's voice echoes through my head.

“I'll do that, Thank you sir.” Damien replied, smiling at me.

“See you soon Russo.” The chairman replied, and walked away with his associates.

“Enjoy your evening, gentlemen.” Damien expressed, raising his glass at them with a smile.

“Thank you, Missy,” he said, turning to me.

“I didn't do anything, though.” I replied, looking lost.

“You did a lot more than you realize. And yes, the chairman is right, blue looks wonderful on you.” Damien whispered into my ear and I smiled.

There was a destructive commotion at the front and He clutched my hand protectively, turning to seek its source.

“I still hope you enjoy the rest of your…” Damien trailed off and another commotion interrupted him. Suddenly, the lights went off, plunging the room into darkness. The sound of gunshots filled the air and we all scrambled for safety.

Amidst the chaos, someone bumped into me and splashed their drink on me. I could hear Damien’s panicked voice calling out my name.

After a long minute of chaos, the light came back on and everywhere had turned upside down, people screaming and others on the floor, injured.

“Missy?” Damien whispered in a low tone, as he stared bloodshot at me.

Confused, I looked down to see my hands and dress covered in a deep shade of… red? “Blood?” I remember saying before everything went dark…