Chapter 7


    I poked ufortably at the fish dinner on my te, not even hungry anymore as I sat down at dinner.


    I didn’t realize that when Damon meant dinner, he meant with the Steyns. I wished his grandparents


    were here. They’d always been kind to me.


    But instead, we were joined by the three most boring old, balding political men I’ve ever met, Damon’s


    father, and of course, Ashton and Corinna.


    Even the normally cool-headed Damon was irritated. I tried my best to keep a stoic expression on my


    face. They didn’t deserve to see my emotions.


    “Absolutely ridiculous, this new tax reform needs to be halted in its tracks,” one of the men with a


    patchy beard said firmly.


    “I


    agree. The tax exemptions have always kept goodpanies like ours out of the hot water but they


    want to steal our money? Raise taxes on the middle ss for goodness sake! They don’t need money,


    anyway,” another who was clearly wearing a wig said.


    “Ipletely agree, sirs,” Corinna giggled to the men’s delight. They preened under her gaze. “Good


    men like you definitely deserve more recognition for your contributions.” She smiled at them all, making


    them feel important.


    I tried not to roll my eyes and looked at Damon instead. He wore the same displeased expression as


    he had when he arrived.


    “Oh-ho!” the man with the patchy beard grinned, “You’ve got such a delightful daughter-inw on your


    hands, Dalton. I wish I could steal her away from your son.”


    “I’m afraid she belongs all to me, sirs,” Ashton said charmingly, wrapping an arm around Corinna.


    Dalton, however, sipped his wine without saying a word.


    I sent the men fawning over Corinna a nasty look which went ignored, but Damon’s smile was harder to


    ignore.


    “Tax exemptions are meant for good, hardworking people who keep the economy stable, not hoarders


    with a government permit,” Damon smiled, though his eyes didn’t. I was shocked to hear him speak up;


    normally, he was so withdrawn from conflict.


    “I beg your pardon?” the man with a curly mustache said with a frown.


    “Then beg.” Damon chuckled.


    Damon raised his ss to his father’s political friends gracefully, and I almost wanted to apud him if I


    didn’t remember that he belonged to a family of ‘hoarders with a government permit


    “Damon!” Dalton scolded sharply. He turned to them with an apologetic look. “I apologize for the


    rudeness of my son.”


    “My brother is simply not as… educated on these matters.” Ashton smiled at the men, sending a


    mocking look to Damon. Damon’s smile of disdain in response knocked the preening from Ashton’s


    face.


    I leaned back in my seat,pletely insulted. Insulting Damon’s intelligence, who only won against


    every battle of wits we’d ever had, was insulting me. Damon was smarter than Ashton by far.


    He may be a jerk, but at least he’d learned to dress without the maid’s assistance, I wanted to shout.


    Instead, I gritted my teeth as the groupughed.


    Corinna sent Damon a nce, the gleam in her eyes unsettling. It felt like she was looking at a


    particrly juicy piece of meat and not a man she’d dumped for his brother.


    I gripped my wrist under the table, wanting to smack her upside the head, but Damon didn’t seem to


    mind. In fact, he was hardly paying any attention to anyone.


    “Eat your vegetables,” Damon said as he ced more of the vegetables onto my te. I red at the


    roasted bell peppers and then at him.


    He knew I hated bell


    peppers.


    The corner of his lips tilted upward in response, but he didn’t nce at anyone else, simply ignoring


    them coldly like he couldn’t be bothered. I yfully nudged his arm with my elbow and responded, “No,


    thanks, honey. I have enough.”


    Not getting the desired response from Damon, Corinna sent me an ugly re. I met it cooly and smiled.


    She would never have his attention, and I reveled in that knowledge.


    “And what about you two? Any ns in the future?” the bald man asked Corinna and Ashton, face pink


    from his third ss of wine.


    “Oh, yes,” Corinna’s face morphed so quickly that it gave me whish. She gripped Ashton’s arm.


    looking up at him like a loving fiance would.


    “Actually, we’re trying for a baby.”


    It was bad luck on my part that I’d taken a sip of my water at the same time. I choked as it hit the back


    of my throat and pressed my napkin to my throat as I coughed in pain.


    Damon patted my back, looking just as shell-shocked as I was.


    “Oh, Addie,” Corinna looked concerned on the surface but I could see the delight in her eyes as she


    pretended to be sympathetic, “I know it must be shocking, but you don’t need to be rude to our guests.”


    My nickname from her mouth sounded all wrong, like someone trying to gurgle shards of ss. I got


    myself under control, trying to y it all off.


    “It just seems so sudden,” Iughed awkwardly. “You’re not even married yet.”


    More importantly, Corinna is a model. A child, how could it be? Let alone Grandma despised surrogacy


    deep heart in her heart.


    “Oh, but I just can’t wait to have a little one of our own.” Corinna giggled, as Ashton wrapped his arm


    around her. “Isn’t that right, dear?”


    “Of course, Cori,” Ashton smiled like a man truly in love. He was able to fake that well, I thought. The


    joy was in on his face.


    “A toast!” Dalton said, standing and raising his ss of wine, “To Corinna and Ashton on expanding the


    Steyns!”


    “Congrattions!” The men raised their sses, happily enjoying their wine.


    Meanwhile, I sent a side nce to Damon who gazed back at me.


    Well. What were we to do now?


    The devils were going to take everything.


    The car ride home was silent, awkwardly so. The only sound was the tires crawling across the


    pavement and wind flying by us as we drove.


    I stared out the car window, wondering what on earth we were going to do. If they had a baby before


    we did, they’d gain control over an inheritance they didn’t deserve. They’d squander it so quickly and


    ruin everything our families worked for.


    Corinna with a baby? There was no way in hell she’d make a good mother. Not only would it ruin her


    career, and at least momentarily, her figure, but she also couldn’t stand babies and they hated her in


    return.


    Thest time one of our baby cousins came to visit, he puked all over her dress, and she’d thrown a


    massive fit.


    Her as a mother? Forget it.


    Not to mention Ashton.


    I couldn’t believe they were going this far just to get the inheritance. I needed the bringing a child into


    this world because of that? I didn’t know that I could do it.


    money, but


    I looked over at Damon. The passing street lights illuminated his square jawline and high cheekbones.


    My enemy was handsome, no doubt about that.


    But having a child with him? Not to mention, neither of us wanted a child at that moment.


    I sighed, my emotions conflicting within me. I never wanted any of this, but my backstabbing sister had


    to try to keep me down. I didn’t want her to win. But I didn’t want my life decided for me either. I worked


    too hard to keep that from happening.


    Damon pulled smoothly next to the curb in front of my apartment, turning off the car, but I didn’t get out.


    We sat in silence for a few heartbeats, and then Damon looked over at me.


    I gazed back at him, and I could read his thoughts as easily as my own. That moment, for the first time


    in my life, I thought I might never really know Damon Steyn.


    We were enemies. Nemesis since the moment we’d first met in kindergarten, I punched him in the


    stomach; he threw ice-cream in my face.


    Then, what’s the dark desire in his eyes now?


    Damon leaned over to the passenger seat, his dark eyes freezing me in ce as he took control. His


    warm breath ghosted over my skin as he leaned closer and closer.


    My eyes flickered down to his lips, so soft looking, and I wondered what they’d taste like.


    “Hold still,” he whispered, and the words felt like his fingers were trailing across my body. I was


    obedient as I held myself in ce, and his hand reached up, just softly touching my cheek.


    His eyes were firm, resolute as he tilted my head back with his fingers and my eyes fluttered closed


    upon instinct.


    My emotions were raging like a hurricane about to hitnd. For a moment, we were in the eye


    of the storm as his lips just barely brushed against mine. The slightest flutter of a touch, and the


    hurricane exploded.


    Tears rushed down my face as my emotions poured out like tidal waves against the rocks. I couldn’t


    stop them froming, no matter how hard I tried.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Damon pulled back, a frown on his lips as I sobbed into my hands, feeling a thousand things at once


    threatening to rip me apart. How could this be happening? I’d had it all figured out, and now my life


    was a mess.


    I heard him sigh with concern and his hands softly wrapped around me, lifting me out of my seat. and


    scooting me over the console and onto his warm, firmp. My legs dangled over to the passenger seat


    as I hupped, crying like an emotional child.


    Damon held me close, pressing my tearful face into his neck as he patted my back, and it felt so


    nostalgic. Being in his arms wasforting, and I felt safe.


    A sh of memory swept across my mind, of thunder booming across the sky, and the same little boy


    covering my ears and patting my back until I fell asleep.


    But the boy was not a child any longer, and I was not afraid of thunderstorms anymore. Yet, he was still


    trying to be my protector. How had I never seen that before now?


    Everything was a mess. Everything was going crazy.


    So was I.


    I gazed at Damon, and his eyes widened a fraction in surprise, reading me as easily as he read a book,


    and then I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had.