Chapter Seventy One
Chapter Seventy One
Vanessa’s POV
I gasped when Damien walked through the front door, his white dress shirt stained with patches of blue, pink, and orange. His frown lines had never been so deep.
Karma was catching up to the selfish bastard, and I reveled in it.
“Oh no, what on earth happened to your clothes?” I asked, eigning concern as I passed him a glass of room temperature water.
Damien gulped it down angrily, handing the empty glass back to me.
“Celeste.” he grumbled.
Oh, so the slut you were cozying up to at Celine’s party is a pain in your ass? I wanted to rub it in, but I needed to wait until my schemes made Damien’s credit cards obsolete.
I cooed as I undid his tie. “I’m so sorry, babe. Tell me what that bitch did.”
“She brought her boyfriend and Bonnie for dinner where I was concluding a business meeting. They insulted and embarrassed me–I can’t show my face at that establishment again.” He said bitterly. “On top of that, her gigolo is manipulating Bonnie against me.”
“The audacity?” I exclaimed, palms resting on his chest. “Celeste needs to learn her place. She can’t treat an important man like you so poorly–it’s despicable.”
Damien nodded, mind turning as I stroked his ego.
“Vanessa, I have a proposition for you.” He grasped my hands intimately. “If you help me win this custody battle I’ll double your allowance and give you and our baby the attention you deserve.”
He gazed deeply into my eyes, but my heart was stone cold.
Damien’s charm couldn’t erase the embarrassment of his attempt to break up with me. But until my career took off, I’d play pretend for his credit cards.
A girl has a lifestyle and reputation to maintain.
“Of course, babe. I want us to be a family again and I’ll do anything to bring Bonnie back home.” I squeezed his hands and returned his tender gaze.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” He said, a smile curling his lips.
I batted my lashes at him. “Bonnie may have a soft spot for Celeste now, but children are easily influenced. I’ll show her you’re the better option. The only option.”
Damien’s fingers traced my neck lightly, then gripped my jaw and tilted my face towards him. He seared my lips –with a demanding kiss.
Did this arrogant asshole think he could buy my forgiveness so easily?
“Babe, I actually need to prepare my portfolio.” I said, stepping out of his embrace. “I have an interview at Crown Luxe soon that I need to ace.”
“I don’t want you overworking yourself while pregnant.” He said, trying to pull me back.
I pranced out of reach. There was no way I would turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity–it was Crown Luxe after all.
1/3
+25 BONUS
Chapter Seventy One
“Don’t worry, babe. Overworking causes wrinkles–I’d never risk that.”
1 pecked his check and headed for the study.
“For fuck’s sake, why is this so damn hard?!” 1 furiously crumpled yet another design.
It joined the rest, spilling from the trash can onto the floor. In the past twenty minutes, all I’d achieved was wasting half a sketchpad worth of paper.
“I need inspiration.” I muttered and grabbed my phone.
I leaned back in Damien’s chair, feet resting on his desk to ease my swollen ankles, and scrolled through my 1*** a. Celine Mars had posted several elegant photos of herself showcasing Celeste’s latest creations and praising the genius designer, Rosemary.
“As if,” I spat, snapping my phone shut. “The rich hag has no taste.”
I picked up my pencil, forcing myself to draw. I groaned as the drafts refused to come together and I threw the sketchpad in frustration. It slammed into a bookshelf, sending old books and files clattering to the floor.
“What’s going on in there?” Damien called from the living room.
I rushed to shove everything back into the shelf, coughing through clouds of dust. The title of the last book made me pause: Celeste Sinclair, Degree in Jewelry Design Portfolio.
Bitter jealousy coursed through me as I flipped through her university designs–I couldn’t compete with their level of sophistication.
I sneered at the portfolio. “Finders keepers, losers weepers.“”
The study door burst open and my pulse stuttered.
“Vanessa, what was that noise?” Damien asked, scanning the room.
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What are you talking about, babe? I didn’t hear anything.”
He stepped into the study, eyes narrow with suspicion.
My grip tightened on the portfolio behind my back. If he saw these designs, he’d take them for his company and ruin my chances of financial freedom at Crown Luxe.
Good thing I was always fast on my feet.
“Our baby just kicked!” I squealed, placing his hand on my belly.
Damien frowned. “I don’t feel anything.”
I batted my lashes at him. “Maybe the baby will kick again if you fetch my favorite cake from downtown.”
“Fetch it yourself tomorrow.” He said with a scowl and turned to the door.
“But Damien, you said you’d treat us well from now on.”
His shoulders tensed. “Fine, but you better hold up your end of our bargain.”
With that, he closed the door, and I waited to hear his car drive off before I greedily poured over Celeste’s old designs. Maximilian wouldn’t be able to turn these down.
My phone rang, giving me a fright. My irritation melted away when I saw the number on the screen–it was my private investigator.
2/3
Hapter Seventy One
“Did you find Rosemary’s studio address?” I asked.
“That was child’s play.” His brisk tone came through. “I also acquired a list of her most influential clients, suppliers‘ details, and her favorite brand of espresso machine capsules.”
My lips curled into a smirk–Celeste would soon discover she fucked with the wrong woman.
