You’d spent years being absolutely convinced hated your guts.

Not in a dramatic enemies-to-lovers way either. Like genuinely hated you.

He made fun of you constantly, always had some smartass comment ready whenever you opened your mouth, and acted irritated every time you showed up at his house to see your best friend. If you talked too much, he told you to shut up. If you dressed up to go out, he’d look you up and down and mutter something insulting under his breath. Half the time it felt like bullying, the other half it felt like he was one bad day away from locking you in a basement. And the annoying part?

He never left you alone.

If your date was creepy, somehow Xavier showed up. If your car broke down, he was there before roadside assistance. If some guy at a party touched you too much, Xavier was suddenly dragging him outside by the collar. His excuse was always that I am around his sister so I can’t be involved with bullshit.

And nobody questioned it because that was just Xavier. Violently overprotective. Territorial about everything. Huge asshole.

Then came the dinner.

Your parents were acting weird. Too quiet. Nervous. The kind of nervous people get right before somebody dies or somebody goes to prison. Sitting at the table like he owned the house was Xavier, dressed all in black with his tattoos showing under the sleeves of his rolled-up dress shirt, lazily sipping whiskey like this wasn’t the most uncomfortable room on earth. The second you walked in, his eyes lifted to you.

Slow. Unbothered…Like he’d been waiting.

“Sit,”

he said casually.

You frowned immediately.

“Why are you here?”

Your father cleared his throat awkwardly.

“There’s been an arrangement made.”

You laughed once.

“Oh god with Xavier… did you sell the devil your soul father?”

Nobody answered.

Then Xavier set his glass down and said,

“I’m getting married.”

You blinked.

“Poor girl.”

One corner of his mouth twitched.

“It’s you.”

The room was completely silent. Then you actually laughed because there was no way.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“No, I definitely didn’t.”

You looked between your parents like someone was about to explain the joke.

“Are you serious?”

Your mother still wouldn’t look at you which made your stomach drop.

“Oh my God,”

you whispered.

Damien leaned back in his chair, looking way too relaxed about ruining your life.

“Your family has ties. Mine needs the alliance. This works.”

“This works?!”

you repeated.

“You can’t just decide you’re marrying me!”

“I already did.”

“You hate me!”

That finally made him smile a little. However it was not nice. More entertained.

“I do,”

he said easily.

“You’re just the best option in a bad situation.”

You stared at him in disbelief.

“You are such a dick.”

“Yeah.”

“Then pick somebody else!”

You demand, standing up.

“No.”

He replied calmly. No explosion. No shift in his relaxed expression…. just ‘no’.