🎀 THEY MEET
It was as if she was receiving a dangerous offer from the devil itself.......
•••••••••••••••
Ivy's fingers trembled slightly as she held the picture of Damon. His sharp jawline, icy eyes, and that emotionless expression made her throat tighten. Even though it was just an image, he radiated power and danger. A man like that didn't need to speak to make a threat,he was the threat.
"I... I don't know, KJ This is insane, What if he finds out I'm not Selena? " Ivy whispered, her voice barely rising above a breath.
KJ leaned against the dusty edge of chair arms crossed, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
"He won't, Selena was declared dead in a fire two years ago. No body was recovered, just ashes and speculation, Some believe she died, Others think she escaped "
He shrugged casually, as though they were talking about the weather and not someone's life or death.
"She vanished, Ivy And you? You look exactly like her ,The same eyes, the same smile... we'll dye your hair black and no one will know the difference, Not even her billionaire husband "
Ivy stared down at the photo of Selena again the woman smiled brightly, her black hair glossy and long. It was uncanny. Except for the hair, it was like staring at a mirror.
"But what if he believes she's dead, that she died in the fire ?" Ivy asked, her voice shaking.
KJ stepped closer, dropping a hand on her shoulder. "Damon never confirmed her death, In fact, he's been very quiet about it. No funeral No press statements, Nothing, That kind of silence from a man like Damon? It means something, Maybe he's still looking for her, Maybe... he wants her back and you can simply pretend to be her "
Ivy's mind spun.
This wasn't just pretending anymore.
This was stepping into the shoes of a dead woman.
But then she thought of Matteo her brother, lying in that hospital bed with a tired smile that broke her heart. And doctor Zany said he didn't have much time left without the surgery. A Surgery she couldn't afford.
KJ's voice broke through her thoughts. "You take this chance, Ivy, and your brother lives. You walk away, and...Pay all your debts "
Ivy clenched her jaw, the fear in her chest slowly giving way to determination. No one else was going to save Matteo. And if pretending to be a dead billionaire's wife was what it took then she will take it.
"When do I meet him?" she asked quietly.
KJ's lips curved into a knowing grin.
"Soon but not yet you need to be prepared "
Ivy's heart dropped , hearing the word "soon "KJ said.
Ivy stared at Damon's photo one last time. Cold, Powerful and Deadly. She was about to play with fire.
DAMON'S LUXURIOUS MANSION
The rain poured relentlessly, beating down on the city like war drums. But inside, the only sound was the deep, menacing rhythm of Damon's breaths slow, ragged, and dangerous.
The room was in ruins.
Books scattered across the marble floor. Shattered glass from a broken tumbler sparkled like cursed stars.
A once expensive painting now lay torn in half against the wall. Damon stood in the center of it all shirt unbuttoned, chest heaving, fists bloodied.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" he roared, hurling a silver vase against the wall. The crash echoed like a gunshot.
"Two years!" he growled, pacing like a caged animal. "Two years, and no one knows anything? Not a trace, Not a scent, Nothing!"
He slammed his palm down on the desk, wood cracking beneath the force. His dark hair clung to his damp forehead, his eyes wild.
"Boss....." the head of his bodyguard, Leo, stepped forward cautiously. "We're still looking. No stone has been left unturned she might really be dead...."
"She's not dead, my Selena is still out there find her!?! " Damon yelled, voice sharp enough to cut steel.
"Boss..."
"I feel her," he said, tapping his chest, eyes unfocused. " I can't stop thinking about her and seeing her in my dreams , I need her like the air I breathe and if the world has to burn before I find her then I will let it burn I will burn it to ashes "
Leo exchanged a look with the other guards, unease flickering in their eyes. Damon's obsession was spiraling fast, and no one knew how to stop it anymore.
Just then, the door opened and Damon's secretary came in.
All heads turned as she stepped out heels clicking against the marble, umbrella in hand. She was soaked from the rain, glasses slightly fogged. But her voice was calm and sharp.
"Are you with the antidote ?! " Leo asked her.
"You and the rest will have to chain him down in the basement till he cools off the doctor refused to give me more of the antidote saying it would only make his condition worse " Celeste said.
"What ?!! " Leo yelled at that moment Damon started cutting himself with a piece of broken glass.
The scene was so brutal that his secretary Celeste had to look away from fright and disgust.
Leo and the men were able to subdue Damon but not without getting hurt by him , they took him to the secret basement and chained his hand and feet but he wouldn't stop struggling.
"Unchain me!!! I will find my Selena I will find her and kill everyone involved in the fire incident!!! " He yelled trying hard to break the chain but the chain was made with stronger iron just for him.
"We should leave now and come back tomorrow " Leo Said and walked out with the other guards leaving Damon groaning and cursing loudly.
Damon had a really bad disorder at first it wasn't this worst he just lost his shit when he gets angry but then he met Selena who somehow was able to calm him down with her innocence and gentle personality ,she calmed him down from losing his sanity anytime he got mad.
But after Selena was said to have died in the fire and was never seen again his disorder worse he would suddenly lose control and start destroying things most especially hurting himself and he had another disorder which was a chronic insomnia he found it difficult to sleep with sleeping pills and even if he managed to fall asleep he tends to sleep walk and try to kill himself during this.
That was why he always had his bodyguard even when he was inside the house , No one apart from his close contact knew about his disorder because the moment his enemies figured out his weak point they would use it against him and overthrow him.
THE NEXT DAY ~ LEAH'S APARTMENT
The morning sun peeked over the horizon as Leah buttoned up her worn-out blouse, careful not to tug too hard on the fraying seams. Her hands trembled slightly, but she held them steady for her daughter's sake.
"Come on, baby," she whispered with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, holding out her hand to little Luis, her daughter, her pigtails bouncing with every step. Luis clutched her faded backpack, skipping beside her mother without a clue about the storm brewing behind Leah's forced calm.
After dropping Luis at the nearby public school, Leah hurried toward Blackridge University, her tote bag slung over her shoulder, and the unevenly sewn slit on her skirt flapping with each step. She had tried to fix it herself with a needle and thread last night. The stitch was crooked. Much like her life.
Daniel was already gone when she woke up. Again. He hadn't even bothered to leave a proper goodbye. Just a note on the kitchen counter, in his usual clipped tone:
"Being married to a broke lecturer is exhausting, Try not to embarrass yourself today and work more on your stupid ugly face "
Leah didn't cry. Not this time. Instead, she powdered the swelling bruise on her cheek, careful to hide the handprint he left behind. But no matter how hard she tried, some things couldn't be erased.
Now, standing in front of her university classroom, chalk in hand, Leah's voice was steady as she delivered her lecture on emotional dissonance in human psychology. Her students scribbled down notes, except one.
From the back row, Orion sat unmoving, his arms folded, eyes locked on her with a stare that was neither curious nor cruel. It was unreadable. Cold. Calculating.
But when she turned to face the board, Orion's sharp gaze softened. Just slightly. He had noticed the faint discoloration under her foundation, the tight way she held her posture, the skirt stitched like a last-minute survival attempt.
Skye, seated two rows ahead, was scribbling in her notebook when she noticed Orion's attention wasn't on the lesson but on her. The lecturer, Leah.
Her brows furrowed.
"Why is he looking at her like that?" She thought inwardly.
Skye's eyes darted to Leah, taking in her appearance. The woman looked exhausted, yes but she was still beautiful in that quiet, haunting way. Skye's grip on her pen tightened.
What's so special about a woman with a stitched skirt and sad eyes? She is even married!! she wondered, the thought twisting her stomach. She's a teacher. She's older. Why would Orion stare at her?
Jealousy crept in like a slow fog, thick and suffocating. She had spent years trying to get Orion to open up to her and become close. Now he was staring at a woman with barely-there lipstick and tired hands.
In the front of the classroom, Leah kept teaching, unaware that a silent storm was brewing behind her. She didn't see Orion's fingers twitch as if restraining an instinct or Skye's stare, now burning with a question she couldn't yet form.
The final bell rang, echoing through the lecture hall like a sigh of relief. Students gathered their bags and trickled out in pairs and groups, their chatter fading into the hallway.
Leah remained at her desk, carefully stacking her worn lecture notes. Her fingers lingered on the edges of the pages.
Her skirt tugged at her thigh again, the uneven stitch itching against her skin.
From the corner of the room, a shadow moved.
She looked up and was surprised to see that one of her students,Orion hadn't left.
He stood quietly at the back, his gaze fixed on her. Not cold like usual instead curious and Searching. His backpack hung from one shoulder, but he hadn't moved an inch.
"You're not going to lunch with the others?" she asked, attempting to keep it casual.
"I could ask you the same," he said. Then, his voice dropped. "But I stayed behind to ask you something "
Leah straightened, brows furrowed. "Go on, is it about what I taught a while ago ? " she asked.
Orion's lips pressed into a thin line. He took a few steps forward, his usual distant demeanor cracking ever so slightly.
"No , that mark on your face," he said quietly. "It's not just makeup, Someone hit you "
Leah's spine stiffened. Her fingers clenched around the papers in her hand.
"That's none of your business , you are my student and ha....."
"I don't think you should be going through that alone," he interrupted, his tone low, gentle but unwavering. "You don't deserve to be hurt "
She opened her mouth to shut him down, but just then, The door slammed open.
"Oriooon!"
Leah blinked as Skye burst in, her arms already reaching.
Before Orion could react, she was beside him, pressing herself to his side like they'd been joined at the hip since birth. Her dark curls bounced as she smiled brightly at Leah, her voice sugar-sweet with underlying venom.
"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," she cooed, sliding her arms around his. "Let's go get lunch together, I'm starving "
Orion looked down at her in stunned silence, his jaw tightening slightly but he didn't pull away.
Skye's smile didn't waver. "Oh," she added, like an afterthought. "Hi, Professor "
Leah forced a polite nod. "Skye "
Skye tugged at Orion's arm. "Come on," she said, loud enough for Leah to hear. "We've got a lunch date to keep "
Still silent, Orion allowed himself to be dragged away, but not before casting one last glance over his shoulder. His eyes met Leah's brief, burning, unresolved.
And then the door closed behind them.
Leaving Leah standing alone with a pile of notes, a stitched-up skirt.
Once they were all alone outside Orion yanked his hand away from Skye.
"What was that about ? " He asked.
"What? I just wanted us to have lunch together I don't mean any harm " Skye said and Orion stared coldly at her.
"Just because our parents are friends doesn't mean we are friends so know your place Skye " He said then stepped away leaving Skye with a heavy and broken heart.
A tear slipped out of her eyes but she quickly wiped it when she saw some girls heading her way , she ran away before they could spot her.
ROYAL HOSPITAL
The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor filled the quiet hospital room. Matteo lay propped against a pillow, pale but smiling faintly as the door creaked open. In strutted Katie, his girlfriend a vision of glossed lips, designer perfume, and unapologetic beauty. Her heels clicked softly against the tiled floor as she approached the bed, her perfectly manicured fingers clutching a sleek handbag.
"Baby, I am so sorry for just showing up now I have been so busy with school I couldn't make time for you baby, I missed you so much that I felt like I would die if I didn't see you today " Katie said dramatically, bending down to kiss his forehead. Her voice was honey-sweet, but her eyes flickered with something else mild irritation, maybe even boredom.
Matteo chuckled weakly. " You don't have to feel sorry I completely understand and I am getting better " He looked up at her, his eyes shining with something Katie had long stopped recognizing ,genuine affection.
She sat beside him, crossing one leg over the other, her phone slipping back into her bag as she turned on her best concerned girlfriend's face.
"I'm glad you're okay now, You need to start resting more and taking your medicine " she said, brushing a lock of his hair back in a practiced gesture. " Can't your stupid older sister work more hard and take care of you , if she was working really hard to care for you I am sure you would be in a vip ward instead of being in this ward , your sister isn't doing enough "
Matteo smiled, trying to sit up straighter. "Actually Ivy is trying her best even though I can't see her I know she is working hard just for my sake you shouldn't say such things about her, also I registered for the scholarship exam next week If I pass, I can finally join Blackridge"
Katie's lips froze mid-smile. There was a tight pause. Then, she forced a bright grin, eyes slightly too wide.
"That's… amazing, baby," she said, stroking his hand gently. "But don't you think you should focus more on your health? You don't want to collapse again, do you?"
Matteo frowned, the edges of his smile dipping just slightly. "I'll be fine, Katie This means a lot to me, I am doing it so I can be closer to you "
"I know baby ," she said softly, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Just promise me you'll take it slow, okay?"
Inside, her thoughts were venomous.
"College? Blackridge? With me? God, please let him fail ,i can't be seen walking around campus with a guy who wears secondhand sneakers and still eats cup noodles, It'll ruin everything for me " She thought inwardly.
She pulled back, eyes glimmering with fake encouragement. "You've got this, babe I believe in you, Ace that exam for me okay ? "
Matteo gave her a tired smile, entirely unaware that the girl holding his hand wasn't hoping he'd succeed ,but silently praying for his downfall.
SOME DAYS LATER A CLUBHOUSE
The air was thick with cigar smoke and the scent of expensive whiskey. Laughter echoed through the sleek interior of Obsidian Lounge, one of the most exclusive private clubs in the city.
In a hidden booth surrounded by powerful men, Damon Williams leaned back in his seat, one hand resting on his whiskey glass as the other toyed with the ring on his finger.
Another deal sealed. Another empire conquered.
"Tonight, we celebrate!" one of the men shouted, raising his glass.
But Damon barely smiled. His face remained indifferent as he drank the wine.
He didn't realize his gaze had wandered toward the private stage, until the lights dimmed, and the music changed.
A single spotlight sliced through the darkness.And then a lady appeared.
She moved like silk, like temptation incarnate. Dressed in a figure-hugging, black velvet crop top and a short mini skirt, she gripped the pole with ease and grace.
Damon immediately became captivated by her , not because of the way she danced but because of her eyes it felt oddly familiar.
His glass paused midway to his lips.
She spun. She slid down the pole, her body arching with practiced seduction. Her eyes, lined with thick lashes, locked onto his and held. For a moment, Damon couldn't breathe.
"Who the hell is that? And why do I feel like I know her ? " he asked, his voice low.
Her heart thundered in her chest as the music pulsed through the floor. Every movement was rehearsed, calculated but it didn't stop her from trembling inside.
KJ said Damon would be here and he had sent her over to put the plan into action.
Damon sat there watching her and burning holes into her with his cold eyes.
She could feel the heat of his gaze like fire against her skin.
Damon couldn't take it anymore.
He slammed his glass down and stood, making the businessmen flinch.
"Out " he growled.
"What?" one of them stammered. "We just got...."
"I said OUT!! "
His tone left no room for debate. The room cleared in seconds.
And then, it was just him and her.
Selena had just finished her final spin when she noticed the room had emptied and she was surprised.
He walked slowly toward the stage, never taking his eyes off her.
When he reached her, he said nothing, he Just stood there Watching her and Waiting.
Then, with a gentleness that surprised even him, Damon reached out and brushed his fingers beneath her chin, lifting her face slightly.
His thumb grazed the edge of her mask.
"Who are you?" he whispered, voice thick with hunger.
Ivy said nothing and gulped fearfully from his touch.
He leaned closer, eyes locked on hers.
"I need to know who's behind this mask…"
And before she could stop him he peeled it off.
His eyes widened. His breath caught beautiful eyes that were as clear as the sky , her beautiful small unique face.
Selena!! His Selena was right in his arms in the flesh and he wasn't imagining things!!!
"Sir the rules in the bar states that guests are allowed to touch the dancers without their permission it would be best you let go of me " Ivy said, this was part of the plan acting like Selena with a memory loss.
"Selena is this really you ? " He asked as he cupped her face but his sixth sense quickly awoken what if she was a trap set by his enemies , what if she isn't Selena??!
He instantly pushed Ivy causing her to stumble backwards and almost lost her balance.
Damon swiftly and quickly took out a pistol from the back of his pants and pointed it directly at Ivy's forehead, whose soul instantly left her body upon seeing the gun!!
"Who sent you ?! You better talk or I will blow your skull out "He threatened and ivy started to shake fearfully.
"What are you talking about I am just a poor dancer trying to make ends meet please don't kill me! " She pleaded and started crying pitifully meanwhile deep inside she was terrified.
Damon's mind suddenly drifted somewhere and he smirked eerily.
"Selena has a birthmark on her body and if you don't have that birthmark you are good as dead " He said and before ivy could think of what to do ,he stretched his hand toward and tore her short dancing crop top.
Ivy wasn't wearing a bra so the moment the top was torn her huge b**b bounced out.
Damon's eyes widened in shock when he saw the star shape birthmark on Ivy's left b**b.
Birthmark was something that can't be easily forged and even if it can , no one except him has ever seen the star birthmark on Selena's chest to be able to make a fake Selena have it