The Billionaire Investor Stolen Bride

The engagement party was almost over. The ballroom glittered with laughter, but my skin prickled like someone was watching me. No-not someone. Him. I found him standing alone near the tall glass doors that led to the balcony. The man from behind the curtain. The one my fiancé had just sold me to. He wasn't mingling. He wasn't drinking. He was waiting. And every instinct in me screamed to run the other way. I didn't. Instead, my heels clicked toward him, as if drawn by something I couldn't name. When I stopped a few feet away, he spoke first. "You shouldn't eavesdrop, Lila Hart." My breath caught. "How-" "I know everything about you," he interrupted, his silver gaze sweeping over me like a claim. "Your favorite flowers. The fact you hate champagne but drink it anyway in public. The way you bite the inside of your cheek when you're nervous." He was right. I was biting it now. "Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking. A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. "Damien Blackwood." The name felt like a warning. He stepped closer, close enough for the heat from his body to touch mine. "Tomorrow night, you'll come with me." My pulse thundered. "I'm not going anywhere with you." One dark brow arched, as though I'd said something amusing. "Sweetheart," he murmured, leaning so close that I could feel his breath against my ear, "you don't have a choice." A chill ran through me. And then- For a fraction of a second- His pupils narrowed into slits, like an animal's. I stumbled back. But when I blinked, his eyes looked normal again. Had I imagined it? The music swelled, and Ethan appeared beside me, slipping an arm around my waist. "Lila, I see you've met our... guest," he said tightly. "Guest?" I repeated, still staring at Damien. Damien's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, I'm more