Chương 18: Chapter 18: The Legacy

Emilia

The room feels too still, too heavy with the weight of secrets. My mind races as I sit across from Damien, the space between us filled with tension that I can almost taste. It's as if the walls are closing in, and every word we exchange only adds to the suffocating pressure. But something has shifted in him—something darker, more dangerous. And I can't help but wonder if this is the calm before the storm.

Damien leans back in his chair, his eyes not quite meeting mine. For a moment, I wonder if he's trying to find the right words or if he's waiting for me to speak. But I can't—can't say anything without risking sounding foolish, desperate, or naïve.

"Emilia," he says, breaking the silence at last, his voice low and measured. He looks at me then, his expression guarded but intense. "There's something about your family's past I need to tell you."

My heart skips a beat, and I feel a shiver crawl up my spine. I brace myself, my fingers tightening into the folds of my dress. The air around us seems to thicken, crackling with a sense of impending revelation.

"You need to understand that what you think you know about your family is only part of the truth," Damien continues, his gaze never wavering. "Your mother wasn't just some distant figure who ran from her responsibilities, Emilia. She was much more than that."

I frown, my brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean? My mother… she was never really part of my life. She left us when I was young, and I always assumed she just didn't care."

Damien leans forward, his hands clasped tightly together. His voice drops even lower, a whisper of something old, something buried. "Your mother was the true heir to my family's fortune, Emilia. Not me. It was her. She was the one who was supposed to inherit everything—the title, the wealth, the power. But she was pushed out. Forced out."

I blink, my mind struggling to catch up. "Wait… you mean my mother was supposed to marry into your family?"

Damien nods, his jaw tightening as if the memory pains him. "Yes. But her inheritance was stolen from her. She was betrayed, manipulated. The people closest to her—my family included—turned on her. They erased her from the picture, made sure she had nothing. And then they gave it all to me."

I feel the ground beneath me start to shift, the truth pulling the rug out from under me. All my life, I've believed the narrative that my mother was just a neglectful figure who abandoned us. But now, sitting here, hearing Damien's words, everything is suddenly flipped on its head.

"Why are you telling me this now?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, unsure of whether I want to know the answer.

Damien leans back again, staring at the floor, as if contemplating the weight of his next words. "Because you need to understand why this is all happening, why it's so important that you and I… align ourselves. It's not just about us, Emilia. It's about your mother's legacy. About the wealth, the power, the control that was stolen from her."

I feel a lump form in my throat, my hands trembling in my lap. "You mean… all this time, my mother was supposed to be in charge? She was supposed to inherit it all, and instead, it went to your family?"

Damien's expression hardens, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Yes. And they took everything from her. From you. From all of us. And now, it's our turn to take it back."

His words hit me like a tidal wave, and I'm left struggling to stay afloat. The pieces are beginning to fall into place, but the picture they form is something I'm not sure I can stomach. My family, my mother—none of it was what I thought. I was never just an ordinary girl, caught between my stepmother's cruelty and the life my mother left behind. No, I was the key to something much bigger.

Damien stands abruptly, his movements sharp, purposeful. "You don't understand the full picture yet, Emilia. But you will. You'll see why this is the only way forward." He pauses, his eyes softening for just a second before the mask slips back into place. "And the truth is, by marrying me, you could end up controlling everything. My family's wealth, my inheritance, the future of this entire house—it all could be yours."

I stare at him, the shock rippling through me like a current, pulling me under. "Wait, what? Are you saying… that if I stay married to you, I could inherit your family's fortune?"

Damien's eyes flicker with something almost imperceptible, but it's there. A glint of something cold, calculating. "Not just the fortune, Emilia. The power that comes with it. The control. You'd be more than just my wife. You'd be the one pulling the strings."

I feel the room spin, the weight of his words pressing in on me, suffocating me. Could it really be that simple? Could I—we—actually take back what was stolen from my mother? Could I control the very thing that has haunted my family's legacy?

A part of me wants to recoil, to step back from this dangerous game he's pulling me into. But another part of me feels the thrill, the rush of power that comes with knowing I could hold the cards. My life has never been my own, not truly—not until now. This could be the chance to rewrite everything, to take control for once.

I stand up, my head spinning, my thoughts a whirlwind. "You're saying that if I stay married to you, I could have everything?"

Damien's lips curl into a faint smile, one that holds no warmth, only cold precision. "Yes. But remember, Emilia, it comes with a price. Power always does."

I swallow hard, a knot tightening in my stomach as the full weight of his offer sinks in. What am I willing to sacrifice for all of this? What price am I ready to pay?

As I look at him, I realize I'm already too far in. There's no going back now.

Damien takes a step closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper, the words hanging between us like a promise and a warning. "But you must choose wisely, Emilia. Once you take the reins, you'll never be able to let go."

And as I stand there, staring into his dark eyes, I feel a flicker of something dangerous ignite inside me. The temptation to take control. To claim what's mine. But at what cost?

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