Chapter 43: What He Owns

The following week passed differently than Damon expected.

Vivian showed up at six every morning.

The first day, she struggled. He pushed her harder than before. Corrected her stance every time it slipped. Made her repeat the same combination until her arms shook.

When she missed a block, he didn’t tell her what she did wrong. Just waited for her to figure it out.

She got frustrated. Didn’t hide it.

"You could just tell me," she said, breathing hard.

"I could."

She waited.

"You learn faster when you find it yourself."

She didn’t like that answer. But she didn’t argue. Just wiped her face and reset.

By the fourth day, she started predicting some of his movements. Small things. The way he shifted weight before a counter. The pause before he stepped in.

By the sixth day, she caught him trying to bait her into a pattern. She saw it coming and changed her approach mid-attack.

She still couldn’t land a clean hit.

But she was getting closer.

Damon found that more interesting than he expected.

They started eating breakfast together after training.

Not every day. But often enough that it became routine. Vivian would shower and come down, hair still wet, and sit across from him in the dining room. Sometimes they talked. Sometimes they didn’t.

She learned things about him. He didn’t explain himself twice. He hated small talk. He had no patience for people who complained without doing anything about it.

He learned things about her too. She was stubborn. More than she looked. The calm face she wore was a mask. Underneath, she was competitive. She hated losing. Hated being wrong.

She also started looking forward to the mornings. Not just for the training.

That bothered her. She didn’t show it. But Damon noticed. The way she lingered after sessions. The way she found excuses to stay close.

He didn’t push. He could wait.

Lily was getting restless.

Her nights with Damon hadn’t changed. When they were together, he gave her what she wanted. Enough to leave her satisfied. Enough to keep her coming back.

But everything else felt empty.

Damon had his own life. Vivian occupied his mornings. Claire was busy with the bakery. Eleanor was always working.

Lily spent her days at the manor. Shopping. Swimming. Talking to the staff. Finding ways to pass the time.

At first, the freedom felt good. She could do anything she wanted. Buy anything. Go anywhere.

After a week, it started to feel pointless.

She had no work. No project. Nothing to show for her days except new clothes and new things she didn’t need.

Then she heard more about Claire’s bakery. Her sister was building something. Employees. Decisions. A future.

Lily was happy for her. She was also jealous.

Not of the money. Damon had made it clear she could ask for anything.

She wanted something that belonged to her.

Damon found her in the lounge one afternoon. She was sitting on the couch, staring at her phone. Not scrolling. Just staring.

"What’s wrong with you?"

She looked up. "Nothing."

"You’re quiet."

"Am I not allowed to be?"

"You are. It’s just unusual."

She rolled her eyes. But the usual teasing didn’t reach her face.

He sat across from her.

"If you have something to say, say it."

She hesitated. Then it came out. The words were fast. Like she’d been holding them in for a while.

She was tired of doing nothing. Claire was building her business. Lily didn’t want to be the sister who spent someone else’s money and had nothing to show for it.

Damon watched her while she talked. She wasn’t fishing for attention. She was actually bothered.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

She looked at him. Not sure if he was serious.

"I like clothes. Fashion. I notice designs. Fabrics. How things fit together." She paused. "I’ve thought about becoming a designer."

"Then why haven’t you tried?"

"Because liking clothes and knowing how to design them aren’t the same thing."

"At least you understand that."

She glared at him.

He ignored it. Thought about it for a moment.

Eleanor was expanding. Velour had operations. The acquisitions were piling up. She needed people she could train. People she could trust.

Lily had interest. No experience. But experience could be built.

"I’ll talk to Eleanor," he said. "If you’re serious, she’ll teach you. You’ll have to work for it."

Lily stared at him.

"You’re actually going to help me?"

"I’m giving you a chance. What you do with it is your problem."

Her smile came back. Real this time.

"Fine. I’ll prove I can do it."

"Good. Don’t embarrass me."

She threw a cushion at him.

He caught it before it hit his face.

For once, she wanted something that wasn’t just his attention. That was more interesting than another shopping spree.

Vivian found out about Eleanor by accident.

She already knew Lily was living at the manor. That was obvious. But she didn’t know about the others.

A conversation with Thomas revealed more than he’d intended. A few careless details about Eleanor and Damon’s relationship were enough to put the pieces together.

Damon had other women. More than one.

She sat with it for a while.

She should have been more surprised. He hadn’t hidden it. When they talked about their future, he made it clear he wasn’t going to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.

Still. Knowing it in theory was different from seeing it.

For a moment, she wondered what that meant for her place in his life. Whether she was just another piece. Whether the title of wife meant anything to him beyond a piece of paper.

Then she remembered their agreement.

She had told him she would be his only wife. He agreed. They never said he would have no other women.

She didn’t pretend that distinction didn’t matter. It did.

But she wasn’t going to let it decide everything for her.

She had chosen this. Eyes open. If she wanted a place beside him, she had to decide what she could live with.

For now, she would keep training. Learn more about him. Watch.

She wasn’t going to compete with other women for his attention.

At least, that’s what she told herself.

By the end of the week, several things had changed.

Vivian was improving faster than Damon expected. Lily had a direction for the first time since moving in. Eleanor’s business network was growing. The system had already rewarded him for the acquisitions.

One reward was still waiting.

A commercial mall in the central district.

He’d received ownership through Facility Assistance. But he hadn’t visited. Hadn’t looked at the operations. Didn’t know what condition it was in.

He wanted to see what he owned.

Sunday morning, he called Thomas.

"Bring the car around."

"Of course, young master."

Damon checked the address on his phone. The mall was waiting.

He intended to find out exactly what the system had given him.