Chapter Sixty Nine
Celeste’s POV
“Bonnie and I are not your possessions, Damien.” I hissed.
“Once mine, always mine.” He shrugged with a self assured air. “A signed piece of paper doesn’t change it, nor does the fact that your gigolo is playing family.”
Bonnie’s lip quivered, and it kept my anger in check. I fumet silently as Ryan turned to my ex husband with all the poise and sensibility the other man lacked.
“I have no ill intentions.” He spoke calmly. “I simply want to be there for this little girl who needs love.”
Damien broke into mocking laughter.
“You want to be there for her?” He sneered. “What can a pauper without power, finances, or influential connections offer my daughter that I can’t? You’re unqualified to compete with me.”
“Are you seriously complaining that Ryan’s picking up your slack?” I said in disbelief.
Damien studied me for a moment before clasping my hand on the table and gazing deeply into my eyes.
“Marry me, Celeste.” He said, squeezing my hand. “We’ll have the wedding ceremony of your dreams, a monthlong honeymoon, and then we’ll come back home and live happily as a family of three.”
I ripped my hand free, scowling.
“You think you made an offer I can’t refuse, don’t you?” I asked, sipping my sparkling water as I watched the vein throb furiously in his forehead.
Placing my glass down, I rested my chin on my knuckles.
“You’re no prize, Damien.” I said, eyes flashing with contempt. “There’s nothing you could say or offer that will persuade me to take you back.”
The warmth in his gaze turned to cold calculation as he withdrew his hand.
“If you can’t see what a privilege it is to be my wife, I’ll sweeten the deal. Marry me again, and I’ll merge my company with your studio.” He said, a slight curve to his lips. “We’ll be unstoppable in the jewelry industry–a power couple in love.”
All those years I devoted to him so he could build his company unencumbered by the chores of family life weren’t enough. The selfish jerk wanted to use me again to save his company.
And he had the audacity to call it love.
“Being your wife was like drowning in a frozen lake, banging on the ice, begging for air as you berated me from the surface. Nothing could make me go back to that.” My voice shook with venom.
He sighed. “Don’t be dramatic, Celeste. Being with me is the sensible thing to do, so answer my proposal wisely.”
I glared at him. There isn’t a chance in hell I’ll marry you.
The dumbstruck look on his face would have been funny if it didn’t twist into a murderous rage in a heartbeat. He angrily threw a credit card onto the table.
“You promoted this peddler from assistant to bedmate, and now you don’t need me?” He spat, nostrils flaring.” Here’s my card. What’s his salary? I’ll double it, triple it, even if it means getting him out of our lives.”
White–hot fury burned through me. This arrogant asshole couldn’t take rejection and had to tear down Ryan to feel better about himself.
“My assistant provides valuable inspiration for my designs and works hard to secure resources. Ryan’s skills far surpass yours in every aspect of his job, including our…” I paused suggestively before continuing Extracurricular activities.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped.
EC
I tutted. “You can’t even protect your own company. At least I don’t force my employees to rely on plagiarism to survive.”
Damien’s eyes flashed with superiority when he noticed Bonnie gulping down water.
“I’ve planned out Bonnie’s future: international schools, topnotch tutors, everything she needs for success. Can you and your boyfriend afford the same opportunities? Can you even cover her preschool’s tuition?” He asked condescendingly.
My daughter looked at me, waiting for an answer I was ashamed to give. I’d thrown everything into my work, but I hadn’t acquired the resources to provide the best education money could buy, like Damien.
Frustration pricked my eyes, but I forced my face to remain neutral.
Ryan’s steady voice filled the silence. “Damien, surely you’re aware of rule number twelve in Saint Ambrose’s Code of Conduct? It states that parents must participate in a family day once a month. How many have you attended?”
Bonnie frowned deeply and muttered. “Daddy and Auntie Vanessa haven’t been to a single one.”
“I’m too busy working to provide for my daughter to waste time on these parent–child days.” He said indignantly
Ryan shook his head. “Which do you think Bonnie would prefer, another diamond necklace, or her father’s presence in her life? Money doesn’t raise children.”
Bonnie fidgeted with her fingers and sniffled.
“There you go again, trying to turn my daughter against me!” Damien raised his voice, knuckles turning white on his armrests.
The restaurant’s staff and patrons cast scandalized glances at our table.
“This is not the time nor place to deal with your paranoia. Please leave so we can finish our dinner in peace.” I said, tossing his card back at him.
Damien helped himself to a spoon of caviar, chewing deliberately and then sipping water to cleanse his pallet. I was ready to dump the contents of my plate over his head when he turned to me.
“Don’t give me orders, Celeste.” He said, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “Bonnie’s my daughter, not yours, and I have a right to dine with her.”
There he went again, claiming her like some sort of possession. That’s all he saw her as, not as a growing human who needed his love and to flourish, but as a prop to show the world that he was the father of the year.
Righteous anger flooded my veins as I thought of all the ways he’d failed her. Failed us.
“Since you won’t leave, let’s discuss handing over full custody of Bonnie to me here and now.” I said, challenge gleaming in my eyes.
T
