Chapter 357: A Quiet Victory and One Extremely Obnoxious Boyfriend

"The next woman who comes to our door with a marriage proposal is going to have to submit an official request through Naomi," I told him. "She’ll need to fill out a questionnaire about her intentions, provide references, and wait at least three business days for approval before she’s even allowed near the living room."

Damien raised an eyebrow. "Three business days?"

"Of course. We have standards in this house."

"And what if Naomi turns her down?"

"Then she’ll get a polite email explaining that her proposal doesn’t fit with our long-term domestic goals."

He stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing, the warmth in his voice making me grin. I’d always loved making Damien laugh.

There was something so rewarding about it, and it reminded me that beneath the expensive suits and his intimidating reputation, he was still the guy who used to bicker with me over trivial things back in our college dorm.

Now, instead of arguing over who needed to clean the kitchen, he was busy managing an empire while I sat on his lap, complaining about his coffee. We’d really come a long way.

"You’re enjoying this way too much," he said, pulling me in closer.

"Absolutely. Being the boyfriend of a powerful CEO has its perks, like a private swimming pool, fancy coffee, and the chance to set household rules that would put dictators to shame."

"I should’ve guessed letting you into the penthouse would lead to this."

"You should’ve known that inviting me into your life would lead to this."

His amusement faded a bit, and he brushed a loose strand of hair away from my forehead before planting a lingering kiss on my skin.

"I wouldn’t change it."

Those words were simple, but they hit home, reminding me of what it had been like waking up four years ago, alone and wondering if everything we shared had been just a dream.

For a long time, I thought loving Damien meant living with uncertainty, that our happiness depended on whether his family would let us breathe.

Even after he came back, I was still subconsciously bracing for the next threat or demand, or the next person who thought our relationship was something they could negotiate away.

But now things were different. Not because the world had turned kinder to people like us, but because Damien decided to stop letting others make his choices for him.

He had spent the past month building something more solid than his father’s approval, and while I knew we’d still have tough conversations ahead, I didn’t feel like our future could vanish just because some powerful figure found it inconvenient.

I held his face and kissed him, savoring the moment until he tightened his grip around my waist, and I found myself smiling against his mouth.

"You’re getting sentimental again," I whispered.

"You’re the one who kissed me."

"And you’re the one making it hard for me to keep up my reputation as someone who’s emotionally unavailable."

He chuckled softly and pulled me closer. I nestled against his chest, content to stay there while the afternoon sun bathed the sofa and the city buzzed outside the windows.

Finally, Damien glanced over at the dining table where his laptop sat open next to an unfinished governance report.

I tightened my arms around him immediately. "Don’t even think about it."

"I haven’t said anything."

"Your eyes have. They’re already calculating how many documents you could wrap up before noon."

He shot me a look of exaggerated innocence, which would’ve been more convincing if I didn’t know him well enough to see the signs of an upcoming work-related slip. "...I only need another twenty minutes."

"You said that forty minutes ago, Asshole."

"That was before Naomi called."

"And then you spent fifteen minutes chatting with me about accounting practices, which I can assure you wasn’t a productive business meeting."

"Your input was surprisingly useful."

I gasped, hand on my chest. "Was that a compliment? Should I tell Naomi to document this moment for the company archives?"

He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm before I could continue. "I’ll leave the paperwork until tomorrow."

I squinted at him, suspicious. "You’re not just saying that to get me off your back, are you?"

"No."

"Because if I find out you went back to work after I fall asleep, I’m going to introduce a strict bedtime policy."

"And what would that involve?"

"Confiscating your laptop, taking away your phone, and making you sleep with your head on my chest until you remember you’re a human being, not just a human computer."

He looked thoughtful. "That doesn’t sound too bad, honestly. Do I get easier access to your underwear to take them off and do... things to you?"

I blushed, "Shut up, Lockwood."

Before I could unleash more threats, he pulled me in for another kiss, and I decided to let the argument slide this time.

We stayed on the sofa until the light outside started to fade, chatting about everyday things that had nothing to do with board meetings, inheritances, or the families that tried to exert control over our lives.

Damien listened while I vented about prepping lectures for the next semester, and I listened while he shared details about a business partnership he was excited about, though I reserved the right to interrupt when his explanations began to sound suspiciously like a financial report.

At some point, he got quiet, resting his face against my neck while my fingers wandered through his hair lazily.

I smiled down at him, feeling a swell of affection for the man who once viewed rest as an unnecessary luxury but was now taking a moment to be still just because I wanted him to.

"You know," I said softly, kissing his temple, "for someone who spent years trying to prove he could carry the whole world on his shoulders, you’re getting really good at letting me lend a hand."

His arm tightened around my waist. "Maybe I finally found someone worth coming home to."

My heart did this embarrassingly soft thing, and I was glad my face was partly hidden in his hair because I had a rep to uphold, even if Damien seemed bent on tearing it down one sweet comment at a time.

"That’s disgustingly romantic," I said.

"You love it."

"Unfortunately."

He lifted his head, his icy blue eyes glinting with amusement, and kissed me again, slow enough for me to forget whatever witty comeback I’d been crafting.

When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his and let myself enjoy the quiet without worrying about how long it would last.

The company was still standing, the legal docs were in order, and Damien had finally come to terms with the fact that taking an hour away from his desk wouldn’t bring civilization crashing down.

More importantly, neither of us had had to give up anything precious to make that happen.

As Damien pulled me in closer on the sofa, I thought this kind of quiet victory suited us just fine.