August, 2024.

Hawke Estate.

Lily’s head was pounding. The sharp, relentless throb made it difficult for her to focus, but as her eyelids fluttered open, she tried to push through the haze clouding her mind. 

The surroundings were unfamiliar - luxurious, even. Polished hardwood floors stretched across a spacious room, with velvet curtains hanging elegantly by the windows, casting a soft glow from the outside light. The room was clean, immaculate, almost sterile in its perfection. But it wasn’t her room.

She sat up with a groan, her hand instinctively touching her forehead. The pain was dulling now, but it left her disoriented. The memories of the accident — of the crash, the car spinning out of control, her body slamming into the steering wheel — came rushing back. 

But nothing else. She didn’t remember how she got here.

She shifted in the bed, the silk sheets sliding across her skin as her eyes scanned the unfamiliar space. 

There was a desk in one corner, a glass of water on a nightstand beside the bed, and a door that led into another room. But she wasn’t alone. 

Not anymore.

There he stood by the window, as though he had been waiting for her, his silhouette framed by the soft light streaming in, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his sharp, tailored suit. His presence, like always, was commanding. He seemed like the kind of man who had the world at his fingertips — untouchable, unreachable, and dangerous - no thanks to the black eye mask he wore. He looked like the kind of man whose power hung thick in the air.

Lily’s throat tightened as she tried to make sense of the situation upon seeing the total stranger before her. Her breath caught, and she felt the sharp sting of panic build within her. 

"What the hell is going on?" she croaked, her voice hoarse and weak.

Damien didn’t respond immediately. He took his time, the silence stretching between them, before finally turning to look at her. His gaze, intense and cold, never wavered. 

"You’re awake," he said, his voice smooth, almost as if he was speaking to someone who was far beneath him. 

His lips curled into a small, calculating smile as he sized her up. 

"I was beginning to wonder if I’d have to get a second opinion."

Lily frowned, trying to push herself into a sitting position, her body still weak from the crash. 

"Where am I? Why am I here? Where you the one that saved me?" she croaked, her throat dry from the long lack of water.

Damien took a step forward, his presence filling the room. His eyes gleamed with something dangerous, something she couldn’t quite read. 

"You’re in my house. I saved you because I had a reason to." His tone was cryptic, wrapped in layers of mystery.

"I didn’t ask for your help," Lily shot back, with a hiss.

Her chest tightening as a wave of frustration rose inside her. "You have no idea what I’m going through right now."

Damien’s eyes flickered with something akin to amusement, though his expression never softened. "Maybe not. But I do know what you want." 

He crossed the room slowly, deliberately, and stood before her, towering over her as she remained seated in the bed. His gaze was unblinking, calculating. 

"Revenge. You want to get back at the people who’ve wronged you. Eliot. Your father. Your step-family."

Lily’s pulse quickened. Her mind raced with questions, but the most prominent one was the same: 

Why was he doing this? 

What was his game? 

"I don’t even know who you are," she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "What do you want from me?"

Damien’s lips twitched, but he said nothing for a long moment. Then, with a cool, almost sinister smile, he finally spoke. 

"I’m Damien Hawke and you are hear because I want to offer you a deal of a lifetime." He explained as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping an octave. "I can help you get revenge for what they did to you. But in return, I need something from you."

Lily’s heart skipped a beat, as she recognised the most eligible hidden billionaire of New York and CEO of ACE Consortium. His words were laced with an undercurrent of something she couldn’t quite place. 

"What do you mean, ‘something from me’?"

Damien straightened up and took a step back, his gaze never leaving hers. 

"You have something I need, Ms. Carrington. Something that can help me with my own… endeavors. Help me with this, and I’ll give you what you’ve been dreaming of: Vengeance"

She shook her head, trying to clear the fog that had settled in her mind. 

"Why me?" she demanded. "Why do you want anything from me? I’m just a wreck. You think I’m in a position to help you?"

Damien let out a soft chuckle, the sound sending a chill through her. 

"That’s exactly why you’re the perfect person for this, Lily. You’re broken, vulnerable. You have everything to lose, and that makes you the most dangerous weapon of all."

Lily’s heart pounded in her chest as she processed his words. 

A weapon? 

Was that what he saw her as? 

Was that all she was to him? 

A tool for his own twisted purposes?

"You’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you?" Lily spat, her voice low with contempt. "But what do you want in return for this ‘help’ you’re offering? You’re not doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

Damien’s smile never wavered, but there was a flicker of something dangerous behind his eyes. 

"Nothing is free, Lily. And you won’t get anything unless you pretend to be my wife - you won’t regret it."

The room felt like it was closing in on her, and Lily felt a mixture of fear and confusion knot in her stomach. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him, but the promise of revenge, of taking down the people who had betrayed her, was too tempting to ignore.

She narrowed her eyes at him, her mind spinning with questions, each one more impossible than the last. 

"And what happens if I refuse?"

Damien leaned in closer, his breath warm against her skin as he whispered, 

"Then I’ll make sure the people you hate most are the ones who take you down. I’ll make sure that the vengeance you crave slips right through your fingers."

Lily froze, her blood running cold. She wasn’t sure if he was bluffing, but something in the depths of his eyes told her he wasn’t.

"I’ll be back soon," he said, standing upright again, his gaze lingering for a moment longer before he turned away. "Rest. We have a lot of work to do."

Lily was left in the silence of the room, the weight of his words pressing down on her chest. She felt trapped. Every fiber of her being screamed to run, to escape whatever dark game he was trying to pull her into. But the thought of revenge, of finally getting back at those who had wronged her, held her in place.

She didn’t trust Mr. Hawke. But she couldn’t deny that his offer was exactly what she needed. She just wasn’t sure if she could survive the game he was asking her to play.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Lily was left alone with nothing but the gnawing uncertainty in her chest. 

What was his true game? 

And could she really trust him to keep his word?