Chapter 1 — The Man I Swore to Hate
Seven years.
That was how long I had waited to see Damian Vale again.
Seven years since my father’s company collapsed.
Seven years since our home was taken from us.
Seven years since my father died with one name on his lips.
Damian Vale.
I had spent years telling myself that I hated him.
Tonight, I finally had the chance to prove it.
I stood near the entrance of the Grand Hall, holding a glass of champagne I hadn’t touched. Around me, wealthy businessmen and women laughed and talked as if the world had never been cruel to anyone.
I didn’t belong here.
At least, that’s what they would have thought if they knew who I really was.
My black dress was simple compared with the expensive gowns around me, but I had chosen it carefully. I wanted to look confident.
I wanted Damian to see me and realize that I had survived.
My eyes moved across the crowded room.
Then I saw him.
Damian Vale.
He stood near the large windows, surrounded by people who seemed desperate to get his attention.
He looked almost exactly as I remembered.
Tall. Calm. Dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit.
Seven years had changed me.
Apparently, they hadn’t changed him.
My fingers tightened around the glass.
That’s the man who destroyed my family.
I watched him for a moment.
Then, as if he could feel me staring, Damian turned.
Our eyes met.
My heart stopped.
For one stupid second, I forgot every reason I was supposed to hate him.
His eyes stayed on mine.
He excused himself from the people around him and started walking toward me.
One step.
Then another.
My heart began beating faster.
I told myself it was anger.
It had to be anger.
He stopped in front of me.
“Amara.”
Hearing my name from his lips brought back memories I had spent years trying to bury.
I lifted my chin.
“Mr. Vale.”
Something changed in his expression.
“You’re not going to call me Damian?”
“No.”
He studied my face.
“You’ve changed.”
“So have you.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“I don’t think that’s true.”
I wanted to slap that smile off his face.
Instead, I took a sip of champagne.
“You look like you’ve been doing very well for yourself.”
“I have.”
Of course he had.
While my father had died in shame, Damian had built an empire.
While my family had struggled to survive, he had become one of the most powerful businessmen in the country.
I looked directly into his eyes.
“I suppose destroying people has been good for business.”
His smile disappeared.
For the first time, I saw something in his eyes that I couldn’t understand.
Pain.
It was gone almost immediately.
“Is that what you believe?”
“It’s what everyone knows.”
“No, Amara.”
His voice was quiet.
“You only know what they wanted you to know.”
Before I could answer, someone called his name from across the room.
Damian didn’t look away from me.
“Come with me.”
I almost laughed.
“Excuse me?”
“I need to speak to you somewhere private.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“I know.”
He stepped closer.
“That’s why I’m going to say it.”
There was something about his voice that made me hesitate.
I followed him.
Not because I trusted him.
Because I wanted answers.
He led me through a quiet corridor and stopped beside a large window overlooking the city.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Damian turned toward me.
“Your father didn’t lose everything because of me.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Don’t.”
“Someone betrayed him.”
I stared at him.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because you’re in danger.”
I almost laughed.
“From who?”
Damian looked toward the hallway.
Then back at me.
“Your family.”
My blood went cold.
“What does that mean?”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small envelope.
He held it toward me.
I didn’t take it.
“What is it?”
“Something your father left behind.”
My breath caught.
“My father is dead.”
“I know.”
“Then how do you have something from him?”
Damian’s eyes met mine.
“Because he gave it to me the night before he died.”
I stared at the envelope.
For seven years, I had believed Damian Vale was the reason my father was dead.
Now he was standing in front of me, holding something my father had personally given him.
I slowly reached for it.
Before my fingers touched the envelope, Damian spoke again.
“Amara, before you open that, there’s something you need to understand.”
“What?”
His expression hardened.
“The man you have spent seven years hating…”
He paused.
“…is not the man who destroyed your family.”
My fingers froze.
Then he said the words that changed everything.
“Your father’s enemy is still alive.”
And suddenly, I heard footsteps coming toward us from the hallway.
Someone was coming.
Someone who had heard everything.
