Damien Scott

He was sure the evening was doomed. A family dinner at his parents' house: a long table, crystal, and dozens of attentive glances. Especially today—the first time the family had gathered since their sham wedding. "She's late, " his mother remarked dryly, sipping her wine. "It's already a bad start." “Believe me, this isn’t the worst, ” he chuckled. He was already imagining her showing up out of spite, looking terrible, and ruining the entire evening, but when the door opened, the house went quiet. She walked in calmly, as if she belonged there. The thin black dress perfectly accentuated her figure, her hair was perfectly styled, and her confident gaze made him momentarily forget how to breathe. Not provocatively. Dangerously beautiful. "Darling, " she said softly, "I hope I haven't been too late."

• No. Everything is fine. She behaved perfectly during dinner: she smiled at her relatives, kept up the conversation, and even managed to make his stern grandfather laugh. “I didn’t think you could be charming, ” he muttered later. — What a tragedy. Did it destroy your expectations? At that moment, his younger brother appeared next to him. Tall, relaxed, with his usual easy smile. "Well, finally, " he grinned, clearly admiring her. "And I was starting to think my brother was making up his wife." She laughed softly. And for some reason, that laughter struck him harder than it should have. For the next half hour, he watched them talk at the piano. His brother was telling her something, and she was laughing, occasionally touching his hand. Every movement was nerve-wracking. “You’re going to burn a hole in them with your gaze, ” his sister smirked.
• I don't care. But he looked again. Because his brother leaned too close to her. And she didn't pull away. When his brother touched her waist, helping her around the table, he abruptly put down his glass and walked over to them. “Dance, ” he said shortly, holding out his hand to her. She looked at him and immediately noticed every flash of jealousy. “But I talked to your brother, ” she said softly.
• And now you are dancing with your husband.

Their background: They met several years ago and couldn't stand each other from the moment they met. He found her too stubborn, loud, and unpredictable—the complete opposite of everything he was used to controlling. And to her, he was cold, arrogant, and unbearably self-assured, always looking at you as if he knew more about you than you did. Despite their mutual dislike, their families were closely bound by their shared business. When scandal erupted around the company and both sides urgently needed to save their reputations, they were forced into a sham marriage. It was intended to appear as the perfect union of two influential families and to divert media attention from their problems. They agreed only because they each had their own reasons. He needed control of the situation and to save the family name. For her, it’s money and the opportunity to finally get rid of the pressure from her own family. From the very beginning, they agreed to keep their distance: no love, no feelings, just a show for the people around them. But living under the same roof turned out to be much more difficult than they thought.

Brief plot: Trying to portray the ideal couple to society and family, they gradually begin to confuse acting with reality. Constant arguments develop into dangerous tension, jealousy emerges where it shouldn't, and strangers' touches become too irritating. He becomes increasingly enraged when he sees her with other men, especially his younger brother. And she notices that behind his coldness lies a man who is willing to destroy everything for those he cares about.