Chapter 34

Slamming the door shut, Damien swirled Emmaline around before enclosing her small figure in his strong arms. The girl was too stunned to react. Her heart skipped a beat when a warm hand was placed on the back of her head, patting it gently.

"How are you, my baby?" Damien cooed softly in her ears before massaging her thick locks with his fingers, "You should have called me before coming here by yourself. I would have picked you up from your apartment." He kept speaking but his lips were stretched in a small smile. Burying his face in her locks, he inhaled her fragrance and closed her eyes. Her essence was his heaven.

But unlike him, Emmaline was a statue. The warmth of his touch always performs its magic but this time she didn't let it sway her mind. Her blue orbs were blazing with the flames of vengeance. Moving slightly aside, she gave a harsh push on his right shoulder and freed herself.

The blow was so sudden that Damien also wasn't able to comprehend it. His hands fell to the sides. Hurt, he looked at her but his gaze turned dark as soon as he was confronted with a pair of fireballs, glaring at him with sheer resentment.

"I came to resume my work not to become your side chick whom you can touch whenever you want to. Try these disgusting acts with other girls, not on me." Emmaline spoke with clenched teeth and looked away. Pure rage rolled off her tongue.

The annoyed look on her face and the way she spoke to her with so much disgust hit Damien hard. He clenched his fists before taking a step forward, "Mind your tongue babe. You do remember that you're mine. My mate." He drawled out the last words as if warning her to swallow her words back.

"And you don't forget that I have rejected you." Emmaline shot back, not at all ready to surrender.

Her words blow his top.

"OH REALLY?" Damien hollered and grabbed her shoulders in a firm grip making her wince, "If you won't accept me then who is it huh? THE BOY WHOM YOU WERE ASKING FAVORS YESTERDAY?" He growled like a maniac.

Her words rendered Emmaline silent. She looked at him with protruding eyes, "You're stalking me?" Her own voice sounded so foreign to her ears.

He was keeping tabs on her.

Damien smirked in return, "Yeah so. You're my girlfriend. I should know whom you meet, what you talk and where you go." His pitch dropped with every word.

Emmaline noticed the menacing grin on his face. All she wanted was to bang his head on the wall but soon something clicked in her mind.

Damien furrowed his brows when he noticed her relaxed state. Emmaline stepped closer to him, the corner of her lips tilted upwards, "I didn't know that the business mogul has so much free time. Are you really into business or all this is just a sham? Looks like you just put tags on your employees' hard work because you know nothing. Bonehead." She scorned him and shook her head feigning disappointment.

Her words wiped the smirk off his face. Damien watched Emmaline with hawk eyes as she sashayed inside and made her way to his table. Grabbing the nameplate, she traced her fingers over his name which was carved with gold-colored letters.

"Well, what can I even expect from you?" She said and turned her gaze to him, "Today I would like to be your eye-opener, Mr. Knight. The truth is that you are just a spineless leech feeding on others’ hard work and surviving on your father's wealth. You didn't earn the title of being an Alpha, you got it as alms. And just like here I am sure it would be your Beta and Gamma shedding their blood, sweat, and tears while you take all the credits."

Damien stiffened on spot. Her vitriolic words scalded not only his heart but his soul. With wide, disbelieving eyes he kept staring at Emmaline who continued spewing venom.

Emmaline on the other hand was so blinded with anger and spite that she failed to notice his heartbroken expressions. She was looking for an opportunity to show him his place, to give him the treatment he deserves. And why not? That man had snatched her peace and filled her days with threats. The man who claimed to give her the world had become her worst nightmare.

Emmaline tossed away the nameplate and pushed away the chair with her leg before settling herself on the table. Crossing her legs, she rested her palms on the table and leaned back on them.

"You want me to accept you? You? Pfft! Just because you have money, you think you will walk over me. I don't even waste my spit on pathetic creeps like you and you're dreaming of becoming my man. Forget about mate, you aren't even qualified to become my servant. My expectations for a life partner are beyond your limits."

The smile on her face suddenly dropped. Red streaks covered the white part of her eyes. Pulling to her feet, she looked at him ferociously before snarling, "You claim to love me but the truth is that you're tormenting me in the name of love. You're just obsessed with me. A sybarite, spoiled kid who only knows how to possess not cherish. And I hate men like you. You're a parasite, a cadger, and an extremely self-conceited and disgusting man. You don't even deserve my hate. What if you're an Alpha? Sorry to burst your bubble but girls don't fall for your charms rather they love your money. And I am not interested in both because I have seen much better men than you." Snorting, she stepped on the nameplate with her high heels, breaking it in the process.

Damien didn't say a word. Her every word was like shards of glasses impaling his heart into smithereens. His gaze momentarily dropped to the broken glass plate that was reflecting his vulnerability. His steely eyes depict his sheer agony. He was broken, hurt, and destroyed.

Unbothered by his shattered state, Emmaline walked over to him. Sensing her presence, he lifted his moist eyes. Somewhere deep down he was still bullish that maybe his tears would thaw her heart but that little bit of hope also vanished in thin air when his eyes met with her empty azure ones.

'She hates us that much?' Scar lamented and rubbed his snout, mirroring his pain. But Damien was too hurt to console his buddy.

They both kept staring at each other in silence. Emmaline was also befuddled because she didn't feel an ounce of regret. She felt no sympathy for the man who was crying in front of her. Call her heartless but she had her reasons too.

Where was he when she was crying alone? Why he never came to check up on her when she used to sleep with an empty stomach? Why he never cared to show mercy to a teenager who was almost kicked out of her university? She literally begged him to let her study, let her live, leave her alone but he remained heedless to her cries. Then how can he expect the same from her?

Emmaline knew she can't fight him physically so she came up with a plan to wreck him emotionally. To defeat him, she had to hit him below the belt. Damien knew how much her studies mattered to her so he targeted her education to gain her submission. Emmaline did the same.

She was well aware that his feelings were genuine but he was forcing her. He was simply wresting control of her in the name of an Alpha and her Boss. That's when she came up with a plan to ravage his reputation. Offend him so brutally that he would end up hating her. Because no Alpha would tolerate being called impotent and spineless even if it came from his Luna.

"Forcing love isn't a manly act. Money and power can't lure everyone and force them to kneel. Your fake tears wouldn't stop me today Damien because the truth is that you don't deserve to be loved. You said to me once that I compelled you to use force. I simply returned the favors to you today."

Her voice was cold and indifferent so was her aura. Gulping his tears, Damien watched her with pained eyes but Emmaline ignored him and walked past him. Halting at the door, she inhaled sharply before looking over her shoulder only to find him glued on the same spot.

"A girl isn't bound to accept a man if he proposes to her. We do have the right to turn him down no matter how much he adores and cares for us. Love can’t be forced, it should be mutual then only relationships work, Mr. Knight. If you're a real man then have the guts to accept rejection. Stop considering yourself king and try to respect others' feelings too. Your money might shut me down but no power on Earth is above my self-esteem. I would never compromise with that even if you bring me onto the streets or worse kill me."

She spoke sternly and opened the door. Damien still had his back facing her. A tear escaped his eye and slid down his cheek as he heard the door slam shut. His eyes stared at nothing but the streams of tears leaving his eyes never stopped. He felt dead inside. Bit by bit, he could feel himself sinking into the ocean of despair but did not attempt to save himself. He let himself drown, with a promise of never seeing the sunshine.

Emmaline, on the other hand, exited the building but this time her steps were large, her posture screamed confidence, and her head was held high. She was exhilarated. Her heart which was laden with grief finally breathed out in relief. Pulling her hair tie, she let her silver tresses swirl in the air.

People watched the girl with confused but smiling faces who kicked her heels recklessly and ran while jumping in the air like a kid. Her eyes spotted a park and soon her legs started moving in its direction.

Emmaline halted near a small pond. The tranquil blue waters showed her an image of a lively girl smiling at her widely. Her ears perked at some murmurs and giggles. Lifting her head, she noticed a bunch of kids standing on the opposite side watching her with keen interest. Wondering why a girl with a disheveled appearance and barefoot smiling at herself.

But Emmaline shrugged away as today she felt like a free bird. She doesn't care about the judging eyes. Spreading her arms, she looked at the sky and closed her eyes before taking a big whiff of freedom.

Reina chuckled at her adorable acts. She was also enjoying and celebrating her victory.

‘So, my girl is back huh?’, she grinned while prancing happily.

Emmaline smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I am.”