The Billionaire Secret Vow

The first time I ever saw Damian Blackwood in person, I wanted to destroy him.

I had imagined the moment a thousand times-walking into his office, standing face-to-face with the man who single-handedly crushed my family. I'd envisioned cold, hard fury, the kind that burned away all reason. I'd even prepared a speech, sharp words designed to cut through his arrogant exterior and expose him for the villain he was.

But when I finally stood in front of him, in his sleek, glass-walled empire that overlooked Manhattan like he owned the entire city, I felt something far worse than anger.

I felt powerless.

"Ms. Carter," he greeted smoothly, leaning back in his leather chair, his expression unreadable. "I've heard a lot about you."

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze head-on. His eyes were cold, calculating-blue, but not the kind that reminded you of the ocean or the sky. No, Damian Blackwood's eyes were the kind that belonged to winter, to the edge of a frozen lake where you didn't realize how deep the darkness went until you were already drowning.

"Not nearly as much as I've heard about you," I shot back.

A flicker of something passed through his expression-amusement, maybe? It made my skin crawl. He knew who I was. He had to. But if he did, he didn't show it.

I gripped the file in my hand a little tighter, my nails pressing into the leather. Keep it professional, Alexis. Focus on the case.

This wasn't about my past. It wasn't about my father.

This was about my career.

That's what I told myself when my law firm assigned me to this case, the biggest of my life. I was here to represent Blackwood Enterprises in a multi-billion-dollar contract dispute-nothing more.

Still, I had hesitated before stepping into the building, my fingers frozen on the handle of the revolving door. Because once I walked in, once I faced him, it would be real.

And if I wanted to take him down, I had to play the long game.

"So, you're the new lawyer handling my case." Damian's voice was smooth, with the kind of effortless authority that made lesser men bow and stronger ones grit their teeth. "I expected someone... older."

"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" I kept my tone cool, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

"Take it however you want." He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."

I didn't.

Instead, I placed the case file on his desk, tapping it once. "I reviewed the contract in question. It's airtight. Your company shouldn't have any legal issues unless there's something you're not telling me."

His lips quirked upward-not a smile, exactly. More like the ghost of one. "You don't waste time, do you?"

I arched a brow. "You strike me as a man who doesn't like wasting his either."

His gaze flicked over me, assessing, and for a moment, the room felt smaller, the space between us charged. I hated that he had this effect on me-that his presence felt like gravity itself, pulling me in when all I wanted was to escape.

"You're right," he said, closing the file without even looking at it. "Which is why I have a counteroffer for you, Ms. Carter."

I stiffened. "A counteroffer?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his fingers laced together. "Marry me."

Silence.

The kind that stretches, expands, until it's the only thing you can hear.

I let out a sharp laugh, shaking my head. "I think I misheard you."

"You didn't."