CHAPTER 4: THE DEVIL I CHOOSE
I had twenty-four hours.
That's how long it took in my past life for Marcus to make his first move against my father's company. One day after our wedding, while I was still glowing like a fool in my honeymoon suite, Marcus had already been on the phone with his lawyers, restructuring contracts, pulling investments, bleeding my father's business dry from the inside.
By the end of the first month, my father had lost three major clients.
By the end of the first year, he'd lost everything.
And I'd been too blind, too desperate to please my husband, to notice until it was too late.
Not this time.
I stood outside the glass tower that housed Sterling Enterprises, staring up at the building that would be rubble in two years.
In my past life, Marcus had destroyed this company. Had dismantled it piece by piece, bought it for nothing, and used the scraps to build his empire even higher.
The man who owned it now had no idea he was already losing.
But I did.
I pushed through the revolving doors.
The lobby was all marble and chrome. Expensive. Modern. A receptionist sat behind a sleek white desk, typing on her computer.
She looked up as I approached. Her smile was professional. "Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?"
"No." I set my purse on the desk. "But Damian Sterling will want to see me."
Her smile tightened. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Sterling doesn't take walk-in meetings. If you'd like to schedule—"
"Tell him Elena Ashford is here." I met her eyes. "Tell him I have information about Marcus Westwood."
Her fingers paused over her keyboard.
Everyone knew that name.
Everyone knew Marcus Westwood was the golden boy of London's business world. Untouchable. Brilliant. Ruthless.
She picked up the phone. Spoke quietly into it. Listened.
Her eyebrows rose.
"Mr. Sterling will see you now." She stood. "Follow me."
We took the elevator to the top floor.
The doors opened onto a hallway lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. The view was breathtaking. All of London spread out below us, glittering in the afternoon sun.
The receptionist led me to a set of double doors at the end of the hall. Knocked twice.
"Come in," a voice called from inside.
She opened the door and stepped aside.
I walked in.
The office was massive. Glass walls on three sides. A desk the size of a car. Leather chairs. Abstract art on the walls.
And behind the desk, standing with his back to me, looking out at the city—
Damian Sterling.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair. Wearing a suit that probably cost more than most people's cars.
In my past life, I'd only seen him once. At a charity gala. Marcus had pointed him out, laughing, saying Sterling was finished and just didn't know it yet.
Three months later, Sterling Enterprises had filed for bankruptcy.
Six months after that, Damian Sterling had disappeared. Rumor was he'd left the country. Broken. Ruined.
I'd never thought about him again.
Now I was standing in his office, about to offer him the only lifeline he'd ever get.
"Miss Ashford," he said without turning around. His voice was deep. Controlled. "I'll admit, I'm curious. What could the future Mrs. Marcus Westwood possibly want with me?"
"I'm not the future Mrs. Westwood."
That made him turn.
He looked at me for the first time.
Sharp features. Strong jaw. Eyes the color of steel. There was something cold in his face. Calculating. Like he was reading me. Measuring me. Deciding if I was a threat or an opportunity.
But there was something else too.
Something that made the air between us feel charged.
He was beautiful in a way Marcus never was. Marcus was polished. Perfect. Safe.
Damian Sterling looked dangerous.
"You walked out of your wedding this morning," he said. "It's all over the news."
"Good. Then you know I'm serious."
He moved to his desk. But he didn't sit. Just leaned against it, arms crossed, watching me.
The movement made his suit jacket pull across his shoulders.
I forced myself to focus.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
I walked forward. Each step deliberate. Controlled. I stopped in front of his desk, close enough to feel the heat radiating from him.
Close enough to see the exact shade of gray in his eyes.
I pulled a folder from my purse and slid it across the polished surface.
"Because in three days, Marcus Westwood is going to destroy you."
Silence.
Damian's eyes dropped to the folder. Then back to me.
"Explain."
"Open it."
Our eyes locked.
The tension stretched between us like a wire pulled tight.
Finally, he reached for the folder.
His fingers brushed mine as he took it.
The contact lasted half a second.
It felt like lightning.
I didn't move. Didn't react.
But I saw his jaw tighten.
He'd felt it too.
Damian flipped open the folder.
Inside were three printed documents.
The first was a contract between Sterling Enterprises and Northbridge Logistics. One of his biggest clients. In three days, Marcus would offer Northbridge a deal they couldn't refuse. Cheaper rates. Better terms. And Sterling would lose them.
The second was an internal memo I'd seen in my past life when Marcus brought his work home. A memo about a planned acquisition that would put Sterling's main competitor in a position to undercut him on every major contract for the next six months.
The third was a detailed breakdown of how Marcus was quietly buying up Sterling's debt through shell companies. Positioning himself to call it all in at once and force a bankruptcy.
Damian read each page slowly.
His face didn't change.
But I watched his hands. Saw the way his fingers pressed harder against the paper with each line he read.
When he finished, he set the folder down carefully.
Looked up at me.
"How do you know this?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes." He pushed off the desk. Took a step toward me. "These moves haven't been made yet. Some of these documents shouldn't exist outside of Westwood's private files. So I'll ask again. How do you know this?"
He was close now.
Too close.
I could see the flecks of darker gray in his eyes. Could smell his cologne. Something clean and sharp that made my head spin.
I refused to step back.
"Because I've lived through it already."
His eyes narrowed. "What?"
"I married Marcus. I watched him destroy you. I watched him take everything you built and burn it to the ground while you couldn't do anything to stop it." I held his gaze. "And then I watched him kill me."
Silence.
Damian stared at me.
Not like I was insane.
Like he was trying to see inside my head. Trying to read the truth written somewhere behind my eyes.
"You're serious."
"Completely."
He took another step forward.
Now there was barely any space between us.
I had to tilt my head back to keep looking at him.
"Let's say I believe you," he said quietly. His voice was rough. Low. "Which I'm not saying I do. But let's pretend. What do you want?"
"A partnership." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I have information. I know every move Marcus is going to make for the next five years. Every deal. Every acquisition. Every weakness. You have resources. Money. Power. Connections."
"And?"
"Together, we take him down."
Damian's mouth curved. Not quite a smile. Something darker. More dangerous.
"You want revenge."
"I want justice."
"There's no difference."
The way he said it made my pulse quicken.
"Then we understand each other," I said.
He tilted his head, studying me. His eyes dropped to my mouth for half a second before coming back up.
"What do you want in return?"
I didn't hesitate.
"Marry me."
The words hung in the air between us.
Heavy.
Charged.
Damian's expression didn't change.
But something shifted in his eyes.
Something hot.
Something predatory.
"You walk out of one wedding," he said slowly, "and come straight here to propose to me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Marcus will come after me. After my family. After everything I have left. The only way to protect myself is to be untouchable." I stepped closer. So close our bodies were almost touching. "And the only way to be untouchable is to be married to someone he can't destroy."
"And you think that's me?"
"Right now? No." I looked up at him. "Right now, you're bleeding out and you don't even know it. But with what I know? With the information I can give you? You'll be unstoppable."
His hand came up.
Slowly.
His fingers caught my chin. Tilted my face up even more.
His touch was warm. Firm.
My breath caught.
"Why should I trust you?" he asked.
His thumb brushed along my jaw.
The contact sent electricity racing down my spine.
"Because you don't have a choice," I said. My voice was quieter now. Breathless. "In three days, Marcus makes his first move. In two weeks, you lose Northbridge. In three months, you're bankrupt. In six months, you're gone."
His eyes were locked on mine.
Burning.
"Unless you let me help you," I finished.
The silence stretched.
His thumb was still moving. Tracing small circles along my skin.
I should have pulled away.
I didn't.
"You're either the smartest woman I've ever met," he said quietly, "or the most dangerous."
"Both."
His mouth curved into a real smile this time.
Slow. Dangerous. Devastating.
"Alright, Miss Ashford." His hand dropped from my face. He stepped back, putting distance between us. "I accept your proposal."
My heart was hammering.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that." He walked to his desk. Grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair and shrugged it on. "You're right. I don't have a choice. And I'd be a fool not to use every weapon available to me."
He picked up his phone. Made a call.
"James. Clear my schedule for the rest of the day." A pause. "Yes, all of it."
He hung up.
Looked at me.
That dangerous smile was still on his face.
"Shall we go register now, Mrs. Sterling?"
The way he said my new name made heat pool in my stomach.
I picked up my purse.
Met his eyes.
And smiled back.
"Lead the way, husband."