Lila Carter sat on the edge of her worn-out twin bed, the mattress dipping under her weight. Her fingers twisted the frayed hem of her sweater, a nervous habit she couldn’t shake. The dim glow from the streetlamp outside barely illuminated the small, cluttered bedroom she had called home for nineteen years. But none of it felt like hers anymore—not the walls, not the bed, not even the air she was breathing.

Her father’s desperate words still rang in her head, louder than the suffocating silence surrounding her.

“There’s no way out of this, Lila. Damien Steele owns everything now—including our lives.”

Her throat tightened. No matter how many times she repeated the words in her head, they still didn’t make sense.

At nineteen, Lila thought she understood hardship. Her father’s struggling construction business had always been a source of stress, but this...this was beyond anything she had imagined.

Bankruptcy was no longer just a looming fear; it was their cruel reality. And to save themselves from complete ruin, her father had made a deal.

A deal with the Devil.

Damien Steele.

A name that carried weight, whispered in hushed, fearful tones in boardrooms and printed in scandalous headlines. A billionaire who didn’t just win—he destroyed. Power wasn’t something he held; it was something he was. His empire was built on ruthless takeovers, crushed competitors, and the unwavering belief that everything had a price. And now, Lila was about to learn hers.

The stories about him weren’t just rumors. They were blood-chilling accounts of calculated ruthlessness.

There was the time he dismantled an entire corporation overnight, buying out every major shareholder until the CEO was left with nothing but humiliation.

Another time, he had a man arrested mid-gala for breaching a contract with him, smirking as security dragged the man away in front of cameras.

But the most terrifying was what he did to the Reynold family. Their construction firm had defaulted on a loan. Damien had bought the deed to their family mansion—and instead of selling it or repurposing it, he had demolished it. When a reporter had asked why, Damien had given a chillingly simple response.

“I like to leave my mark.”

A shiver ran down Lila’s spine.

She didn’t want to imagine what kind of “mark” Damien Steele intended to leave on her life.

A soft knock on her door snapped her from her thoughts.

“Lila?” Her father’s voice was hesitant, thick with guilt.

She didn’t answer immediately. After a long pause, she forced out a shaky, “Come in.”

The door creaked open, revealing the man who had once been her hero. Now, he looked nothing like the strong, confident father she remembered. His eyes were sunken, rimmed with exhaustion, and his shoulders sagged under the weight of too many failures.

“He’ll be here in an hour,” he whispered, as if speaking any louder would make it real.

Her heart clenched. So soon?

“Why do I have to meet him?” she whispered. “Can’t you explain things to him?”

Her father shook his head, his eyes lowering to the floor. “Damien Steele doesn’t deal with intermediaries. He insisted on meeting you personally.”

A shudder ran through her. “Why me? What could he possibly want from me?”

He didn’t answer.

And that silence was far more terrifying than any words he could have spoken.

An Hour Later

Lila sat in the living room, her hands clenched in her lap, her breathing uneven.

Her father had begged her to wear something presentable, so she had put on the only decent dress she owned—a simple blue one that used to belong to her mother. But it felt tight, suffocating, like a noose wrapped around her ribs.

She barely heard the car pull up outside.

But the sound of a door slamming sent a shockwave through her body.

A knock came, sharp and demanding.

Her father visibly paled. And suddenly, she understood—he wasn’t just afraid of losing everything. He was afraid of the man standing outside their door.

Her breath hitched as the door swung open.

Then, he walked in.

Damien Steele didn’t just enter the space—he commanded it.

Standing well over six feet, he was an imposing figure dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

His chiseled jawline and piercing gray eyes gave him the look of a fallen angel—beautiful, but undeniably dangerous.

His stunning features could have belonged to a statue, but the cold calculation in his storm-gray eyes reminded her that this man wasn’t made of stone—he was made of ice.

He moved with the kind of presence that turned heads and silenced rooms, exuding raw power with every step.

Lila felt herself sink into the couch, her pulse hammering in her throat.

“Mr. Steele,” her father stammered, rushing forward. “Thank you for coming.”

Damien didn’t acknowledge him. His gaze swept the room with disinterest before settling on Lila.

The moment his eyes locked onto hers, a chill ran down her spine. It was like being pinned beneath a blade.

“This is her?” he asked, his deep, measured voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Her father nodded quickly. “Yes, this is my daughter, Lila.”

Something flickered in Damien’s eyes—a ghost of amusement, sharp and unsettling.

“Stand up,” he ordered.

The command sent ice through her veins.

She didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to play whatever twisted game this was. But her legs acted on their own, shaking as she rose to her feet.

Damien took a step closer, closing the distance between them. His presence was suffocating, his gaze so sharp it felt like he was peeling away every layer of her defenses.

“Nineteen,” he murmured, his voice almost thoughtful. “Young enough to be molded. Old enough to understand what it means to obey.”

Lila’s throat went dry. Her cheeks burned with humiliation.

“What… what do you want from me?” she forced out, her voice barely a whisper.

Damien’s expression didn’t shift. “Your father’s debt is twenty-five million dollars.”

Her breath hitched.

“He has nothing to offer me,” Damien continued, his voice calm. “Except you.”

Lila’s world tilted.

She could hear the blood roaring in her ears, the air vanishing from her lungs.

Damien continued, unbothered by her shock.

“This morning, your father signed a contract. You will be my wife. In exchange, I will erase his debt and keep you from losing everything.”

She felt like she had been punched in the stomach.

“You can’t just—”

“I can,” Damien interrupted, his voice softer now, more dangerous. “And I already have.”

Her father stepped forward, his hands trembling. “Mr. Steele, please—”

Damien cut him off with a single look. Cold. Dismissive. Absolute.

“This isn’t a negotiation.”he said coldly.

Tears burned her eyes. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

“Why me?” she whispered. “What do you gain from this?”

For a moment—just a flicker—she thought she saw something unreadable pass over his face. A shadow of something deeper. But it was gone before she could place it.

“That’s not your concern.” His tone brooked no argument. “Your only job is to follow my rules and play the role I’ve assigned you.”

Lila clenched her fists. “And if I refuse?”

A slow, predatory smile stretched across his lips.

“Then I’ll let your father’s business collapse. I’ll buy out his debts, evict your family, and make sure no one in this city ever hires him again.” He leaned in, his lips just inches from her ear. “By the end of the month, you’ll be on the streets.”

A sob clawed its way up her throat.

“You’re a monster,” she choked out.

He tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words. Then, slowly, he smiled—a slow, wicked curve of his lips that sent terror slicing through her veins.

“You’re not the first to say that,” he murmured, his voice a low growl.

His fingers brushed her chin, tilting her face up until she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“But monsters,” he said, his voice dripping with quiet amusement, “always get what they want.”

Lila felt her world cave in around her.

No escape. No choices.

She was trapped.

And Damien Steele had just closed the cage.