Chapter 73: Celebrating My Victory With Clara

Knock! Knock!

Clara slowly opened the door with a flushed face and her head lowered, leaving Damian confused. He took a moment to study her carefully but noticed nothing different. Other than her hair being tied into a neat bun and her usual baggy sweater, there was nothing new about her appearance.

“Am I missing something?” Damian raised a brow in confusion.

Clara simply shook her head before running awkwardly into the apartment, leaving the door open behind her.

“What the hell?” Damian muttered as he stepped inside and locked the door behind him.

They settled in the living room and began reviewing what Damian had brought for dinner. Apart from some egg fried rice, there was General Tso’s Chicken, Chop Suey, two fortune cookies, and an abundant amount of rice wine.

Seeing the spread of food, Clara’s eyes sparkled with delight. She clapped her hands excitedly, completely forgetting the shyness she had displayed earlier.

The conversation between them flowed naturally as they talked about various things. When Damian mentioned the incident at the office after she had left, Clara stared at him in shock.

“Candice really did that?”

Damian nodded before emptying the contents of his cup.

“Tomorrow will be very eventful at work,” he said.

“Then I’ll make sure to get there on time. I don’t want to miss a thing.” She grinned sheepishly.

Even the usually quiet Clara seemed eager for a bit of drama.

After finishing their meal, they turned their attention to the fortune cookies, and Clara opened hers first.

“Your heart is brave, but even brave hearts sometimes choose the wrong home.” Clara read aloud, her face filled with confusion.

She pondered the message for a moment before looking up at Damian, only to find him staring at her far too deeply.

“I’m guessing it’s saying I’m the wrong choice for you.” Damian giggled.

“Are you?” She reached across the table and gently placed her fingers over his hand.

“Of course. You should be able to tell by now.” Damian did not deny it.

Clara did not seem bothered by his answer. Instead, she intertwined her fingers with his and lifted their hands slightly so their palms could meet.

“Well, we don’t always get our first loves right… right?”

Damian was about to agree with her immediately, but he froze as a realization struck him.

Candice had been his first love, or at least the person who had taken his virginity.

His romantic life in his younger years had been practically nonexistent until he distinguished himself at the firm and began receiving attention for the first time.

As someone starved for attention, he had mistaken Candice’s interest for love.

“She’s speaking to me, she must love me.” Damian scoffed inwardly at the memory of his pathetic younger self.

Perhaps if he had shut out all the noise back then, he might have noticed Clara standing quietly in a corner, watching him with genuine longing in her eyes.

He met Clara’s gaze and answered with a nod. “Yes, we don’t always get it right.”

With that, Damian gently broke their joined hands despite Clara’s repeated protests. He cracked open his fortune cookie and unfolded the small piece of paper inside.

“Not every crown is worth the cost. Some are forged from the ashes of the soul.”

Damian’s gaze turned cold the moment he read the words, and the room fell silent.

Clara immediately sensed the shift in his demeanor. She chose not to interrupt, allowing him the silence he needed to process whatever thoughts had gripped him.

Staring down at the paper, Damian could not shake the feeling that the words had been meant specifically for him. The path he had begun walking recently was undeniably dark, and it felt as though this fortune cookie was offering him one final warning.

“Coincidence?” Damian tilted his head slightly as he considered the possibility.

Even if it was not a coincidence, it did not matter anymore. He had already gone far too deep to turn back now. He had begun a life with his three wives. He had gained global recognition through this crown of power. And now he had the Black Apostle Cartel resting in the palm of his hand after Twenty signed his Faustian Bargain with blood.

There was no turning back.

Even now, Damian could still vividly remember the paper whipping through the air and slicing open Twenty’s palm, his blood spilling across the document as Damian laughed at the sight. The moment had reminded him of the way Lin Qui had once tricked him into signing his own contract.

He had gone far too far to start questioning his choices now.

“Pfft. Rubbish.” Damian shrugged as he crushed the paper in his fist and tossed it aside.

Clara’s eyes briefly followed the discarded paper before returning to Damian.

“Can we… do it now?” she asked.

Damian blinked in surprise at her sudden boldness. She always wanted to sleep with him, but she had never been confident enough to say it outright. For her to ask so directly meant she must want it very badly tonight.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

Damian smiled and began to rise from his seat, but Clara immediately jumped to her feet and thrust her hands forward.

“Wait here and come inside in thirty seconds… no, one minute!”

Without waiting for his response, she ran into the bedroom, leaving Damian standing there both confused and amused at the same time.

Clara undressed in the dimly lit bedroom, her body trembling with anticipation. The red lingerie clung to her curves like a second skin, the lace bra cupping her tiny breasts and leaving her nipples hard and visible through the sheer fabric.

The matching thong rode high on her hips, barely covering her shaved pussy, and nestled between her ass cheeks was a butt plug, its base sparkling under the soft light. She shifted her weight, feeling the plug press deeper, causing a soft moan to escape her lips.

This was why she had been shy all along.

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