Chapter 3 Humiliation In Public

• The ballroom glittered with golden chandeliers and the clinking of crystal glasses. Laughter echoed across the marble floors, and men in sharp tuxedos clustered with women wrapped in silk and diamonds. The corporate gala was not just an event;it was a battlefield where reputation was currency.
• And Elena was about to be displayed as a pawn again.
• She clutched the clutch purse Damian had handed her, its beaded surface cold against her skin. Every step she took in her satin gown felt heavy, measured. Her veil of humility had not lifted since the wedding, and now she stood under brighter lights, surrounded by sharper eyes.
• Damian’s hand rested against the small of her back, guiding her forward like one might parade a prized possession. His expression was calm, unreadable, but there was steel in the way he moved;commanding every gaze in the room.
• Whispers followed them. Elena heard them clearly though spoken behind fans and wine glasses.
• “That’s his new wife? Strange choice.”
• “Not half as radiant as Selena Voss.”
• “Pretty, but not the Blackwood standard. What did he see in her,anyway?”
• “ She's really a novice” “ I can bet with you, she won't survive this marriage “
• Her throat tightened. She kept her eyes forward, chin lifted. But inside, her heart pounded.
• ***
• When they reached the center of the room, Damian introduced her with the same coolness he used when presenting a business partner.
• “My wife, Elena.”
• The word wife rang hollow. The crowd clapped politely, their smiles sharp. Elena forced a smile in return, her cheeks aching. She felt like a mannequin in silk, placed here to complete a picture Damian painted for them.
• As Damian moved to speak with a cluster of CEOs and his business partners, Elena stood slightly aside, her glass of champagne trembling in her hand. Every pair of eyes seemed to measure her. Their thoughts and conversation includes that she's too young, too plain and too fragile.
• And then she saw her.
• Selena Voss.
• She arrived like a storm of elegance, sapphire silk draping her tall frame, diamonds glittering at her ears. Heads turned as she entered, her smile practiced and poisonous. She moved with the grace of a woman who knew every gaze belonged to her.
• Elena’s stomach knotted. Selena spotted her instantly, and her lips curved into a smirk that promised cruelty.
• ***
• Selena approached her, heels clicking against the marble like a countdown. When she stopped before Elena, her beauty dazzled and her disdain cut like ice.
• “So this is the replacement,” Selena said, her voice low enough to draw the attention of those nearby. She tilted her head, studying Elena as if she were something bought cheaply at a market stall. “Tell me, darling,did he pick you from the slums?”
• Gasps rippled around them. A few guests laughed softly, enjoying the drama.
• Elena’s face burned hot. Her fingers tightened on her glass, and for a moment she considered slipping away, hiding her shame. The humiliation pressed against her chest, crushing.
• But then something inside her snapped.
• She straightened her spine, lifting her chin. Her voice trembled at first but grew stronger as she spoke.
• “Better to come from the slums,” Elena said, her eyes fixed on Selena, “than to come from a heart that knows only arrogance and bitterness.”
• The room fell silent. A hush swept over the crowd as every head turned toward the confrontation.
• Selena blinked, momentarily thrown back. Then her lips curled into a smile, sharp and dangerous. “Bold words for a girl wearing another woman’s crown.”
• Elena’s hand shook,her heart beating in a rhythm but she did not back down. “Bold words are all I have left, Miss Voss. But at least they are mine.”
• The air thickened. Guests leaned in, savoring the scandalous moment. No one dared interrupt.
• From across the room, Damian watched. His glass hovered at his lips, but he had not yet sipped. His eyes were dark and calculating, fixed solely on Elena.
• Something stirred in him as he saw her stand tall, her fire ignited against Selena’s cruelty. For the first time, Elena was not merely the pawn he had paraded. She was something sharper and unpredictable.
• Selena, regaining her composure, laughed softly, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You speak bravely, but words don’t grant you worth. You don’t deserve to stand at Damian’s side.”
• The words stung, but Elena did not falter. She clenched her fists at her sides, her pulse pounding in her ears. “Perhaps not. But I am standing here, aren’t I? And nothing you say will ever change that.”
• Her defiance sparked another ripple of whispers, some admiring, some scandalized.
• Selena’s eyes narrowed, venom flashing. She turned slightly, glancing toward Damian as though expecting him to silence his wife.
• But Damian did not move. He remained still, watching, an unreadable smirk tugging at his lips.
• Selena huffed softly, forced to retreat under the weight of Elena’s resolve. She offered a mocking bow and drifted back into the crowd, her gown sweeping behind her like the tail of a storm.
• Elena exhaled shakily, her hands trembling from the effort of standing her ground. Her pride ached, her chest heavy, but she refused to let the tears rise. Not here. Not in front of them.
• And then she felt him.
• Damian stepped closer, his presence suffocating, his heat overwhelming. His shadow fell across her as he leaned down, his lips brushing near her ear.
• The crowd buzzed around them, but his voice cut through, low and dangerous, for her alone.
• “You surprised me tonight,” he murmured, low enough only she could hear.
• Elena met his gaze, wary. “Surprised you how?”
• “Maybe you’re not as weak as I thought.”
• Elena’s breath caught. His words were not of praise but they were a challenge, a warning, and an acknowledgment all at once.
• And when she turned to meet his gaze, she saw something flicker in his eyes. Curiosity. Amusement. Possession.
• Her humiliation had lit a spark. But sparks could either burn or destroy.