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Gilded Hearts
publish date:
2025-10-02 12:41:32-----------Glimpse-----------
The stillness of the penthouse felt just like some gilded cage pushing me down.
I still could hear my mother’s rasping breaths in my head alongside seeing a hopeful smile on my brother’s face when I told him about tuition. Survival along with books in addition to breath that is what the money represented for me.
Under a man who looked directly at me as though I were some poison wrapped up in pearls, I found myself still wrapped well in silk I’d never truly own.
With sleeves rolled up and jaw clenched, Damian stood on the other side of the room. A particular storm brewed within Damian's eyes.
“You think I don’t see through you?” His voice was sharp, practiced cruelty.
“Marrying me was just your ticket. Admit it. You got what you wanted: my name and my money. Isn’t that what gold diggers dream of?”
The word seared through me. For a moment, I almost believed him. Hadn’t I signed my name on that contract, bartered my freedom for funds? What else was it but a transaction?
I had sold myself, even if it wasn’t for diamonds and gowns but for hospital bills and textbooks. My chest tightened with shame; I couldn’t quite swallow.
“I never wanted your money for me,” I snapped, my voice trembling against the fire in his. “I wanted it for my family. For a roof over their heads, for medicine to keep my mother alive. But you wouldn’t understand that, would you? Because everything in your world comes served on a silver platter.”
Damian closed the distance in two strides, his face inches from mine. His anger was a heat I could feel against my skin. “Don’t play the martyr. You’re no different from the low-class women who throw themselves at me for a taste of wealth. You just wear your desperation better.”
The insult burned, but before I could hurl words back, his mouth was on mine. It wasn’t tender; it was a punishment, a forceful claiming.
I pushed at his chest, fists curling in defiance, but his grip was iron at my waist. And the worst betrayal? My body wavered. The resistance bled into something else, something I hated myself for. My lips betrayed me, pressing back against his, a spark catching fire where there should have been nothing but ice.
The kiss deepened, reckless and consuming, carrying us backward until the bed caught me. He followed without breaking the pull, and for a fleeting heartbeat.
He was kissing me hungrily, while his hands keeps on moving from my breasts to my ass
I forgot everything: Edward’s deal, the money, and the venom in Damian’s words. It was only us, tangled in a kiss that felt like it could destroy and save in the same breath.
Then, just as suddenly, he tore away. The loss of him was a whiplash, air rushing back into my lungs. I looked in his eyes until they landed dark and unreadable, and before the certainty of a bare crack of his hand hit the air to my cheek.
The pain burned deep without a sound; I felt air drive deep to my ear, but it was his words that ripped me in two.
"You are nothing but a whore," he smirked, voice like melted sugar, and spoke terribly with disdain.
"A woman who has no self-respect."
The taste was still sharper on my lips, bitter as ash. I grabbed my stinging cheek, thinking about if this was what Damien meant: a man who clearly despised me, and I despised myself for even wanting him back a few moments before.
Damian’s gaze raked over me with venom, his voice low and merciless.
“This marriage will be a nightmare for you, Sophia. And I’ll make sure of it.”
"The countdown to your disaster begins right now," he spat and walked out.
The words cut deeper than did the slap since they promised torment and the silence. At that moment, I realized survival in this marriage would be another kind of battlefield.
Love had no place here, only fire and ruin.
Latest chapter
Gilded Hearts Chapter 53
Damien POVThursday, 5:37 in the eveningI had spent an entire day trying not to think about it,.Unsuccessfully.I signed another document.Then another.Then stopped reading altogether.Because somehow—I had been staring at the same page for the past three minutes,.My pen tapped once against the desk,.Then again.I leaned back in my chair.Why exactly was I thinking about this?Because I wasn't.I was thinking about the project.That was all.The textile integration deal was important. A partnership with Romano Group could open half of Southern Europe to Hayes Industries.It wasn't a deal I could afford to lose.Which was precisely why yesterday's lunch had bothered me.I frowned.No.Not the lunch.Lorenzo.The man had been paying an unusual amount of attention to Sophia.Watching her.Talking to her.Inviting her to lunch.Then making her laugh.I still remembered that.The sound of it.Her laugh.I exhaled sharply.Ridiculous.I sat forward.I knew Lorenzo Romano.Not well.Bu
Gilded Hearts Chapter 52
Sophia POVWednesday, 1:28 p.m.The meeting finally ended.I had never been so relieved to see a presentation conclude.People started gathering their files and standing up from their seats.I was doing exactly the same when—“Ms Sophia?” Lorenzo called.I looked up; Lorenzo was already watching me.“Do you have a few minutes?” he asked.I blinked.“A few minutes?” I repeated.“I wanted to discuss some details regarding the textile integration project,” Lorenzo said.“Oh.” I nodded. “Of course.”“Perhaps over lunch?” he added.I opened my mouth to say no.But before I could answer—Lorenzo looked toward Damien.“If that’s alright with you, Mr Hayes,” Lorenzo said. “Since she’s part of the project.”The room suddenly felt… quieter.I looked at Damien as he looked back at Lorenzo and then at me.Then back at Lorenzo.His expression remained neutral.Mostly.There was just the slightest tightening around his eyes.A muscle in his jaw moved. It lasted barely a second.“It’s about the proj
Gilded Hearts Chapter 51
Sophia POVWednesday-, 10:07 a.m,.I was sitting on the couch with a book balanced on my knees-, halfway through reading and pretending not to think about how strangely quiet the penthouse had been these last two days,.Damien had barely spoken to me,.Not that I minded,.Actually,, I preferred it,.Silence was easier than his words,.My phone suddenly buzzed against the coffee table,.Unknown number.I frowned and picked it up.“Hello?”“Good morning-, Madam,.”I blinked,."This is Ethan., Mr Hayes's assistant,.Immediately-, confusion settled in my chest,.“Ethan?”“Yes.” His usual calm professional tone came through the line. “Mr. Damien Hayes has asked me to inform you that he needs you at Hayes Global within the next hour.”I stared at the phone.“…Me?”“He requested your presence at the office.”I sat up straighter.“No.” I frowned. “No, I think you’re mistaken.”“No, Madam.”“Ethan-,” I said slowly-, “Damien specifically asked me not to come back to the office a few days before
Gilded Hearts Chapter 50
Damien POVI never wanted this marriage.That was the truth beneath every family dinner, every staged appearance, every signature on every legal document tied to Sophia Bennett’s name.It was never about love.It was obligation.Control.Damage management.At present-, I am the CEO of Hayes Global, and right now I am sitting with my trusted lawyer on a random mid-week afternoon discussing my freedom,.The lawyer adjusted his glasses as he slid the folder across the conference table,.“It won’t happen immediately-, Mr. Hayes,.”I leaned back slightly in my chair-, expression unreadable,.“How long?”“A few days to prepare the formal paperwork.” He opened the file carefully. “Given the nature of the marriage agreement and your family’s visibility, we need discretion.”Discretion.Of course.Everything around the Hayes name required discretion.I glanced toward the glass wall of my office overlooking the city.“And once the papers are ready?” I asked calmly.“We can proceed immediately,
Gilded Hearts Chapter 49
Sophia POVMy hands were shaking.Not enough to stop working.Just enough for the broken porcelain pieces to click softly against each other as I dropped them into the trash bin one by one,.The kitchen felt too bright after the terrace,.Too quiet.But not quiet enough to drown out the humiliation replaying inside my head.I shut my eyes briefly.God.I gripped the edge of the counter and inhaled slowly-, forcing myself to focus,.I bent to throw the broken shard when the kitchen door slammed open hard enough to make me flinch,.Damien walked in as the air shifted instantly,.His expression was terrifyingly calm,.His jacket was gone now, sleeves rolled up slightly-, jaw tight enough to cut glass,. He stepped into the kitchen slowly-, shutting the door behind him,.The click of the lock echoed,.I straightened immediately.“I didn’t know she had an allergy-,” I said before he could speak,. “You never told me—”“You think this is about mushrooms?”His voice was low.Deadly quiet.I fr
Gilded Hearts Chapter 48
Sophia’s POVIt's already been a week, since I started living like this.Like a puppet A week doesn’t sound like much until you live through it like this.By Friday, I didn’t wait for instructions anymore. I anticipated them.That evening, I was in the kitchen-, slicing vegetables with precise-, mechanical movements when I heard his footsteps behind me,. I didn’t turn immediately,. I waited, because that’s what he preferred,.“Tomorrow.” Damien's voice cut through the quiet.I glanced over my shoulder. “Tomorrow… what?”“There’s a party.”I turned fully this time, setting the knife down. “Here?”“Yes.”“How many people?”“Five. Maybe ten.”“Friends?” I asked“Some friends and some business.” Damien replied.“What exactly do you want me to handle?” I wiped my hands on a towel,. He leaned against the doorway-, his posture relaxed-, but his gaze steady and sharp,. “Everything,.” “Be specific.” I held his eyes.A faint pause. Then, “The terrace. Set it up.”“Seating arrangement?”“Yes.
Gilded Hearts Chapter 21
Sophia POVI had not expected this night to end with dinner with Edward Hayes.But there I was, sitting opposite him in a quiet, graceful restaurant out of the bustle of the city. It was not lavish in the manner in which riches tend to proclaim themselves--no chandeliers and show-off opulence. Only
Gilded Hearts Chapter 20
Sophia POVThe hospital room was no longer a place of emergency,.It was still reeking of disinfectant,. Machines continued to hum in the background. Nurses still came and went. But the fear--that sharp, choking fear which had been in my chest for weeks, had been loosened.Mom was better.Not heal
Gilded Hearts Chapter 19
Damien POVThe summons came without explanation.The voice of Claire on the phone was brief and official. Mr. Hayes, your grandfather wishes the entire family at the manor to-night. Entire family.That in itself was sufficient to make me nervous. Edward Hayes did not assemble us unless something
Gilded Hearts Chapter 18
Sophia POVTwo days the hours blended together. I sat in hospital corridors., with the sweet smell of medicine, and heard the beep of machines, that monitored the weak heart of my mother. I could hardly sleep. My brother barely talked. It was all as though by a thin thread. Today morning, when
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