The most dangerous games are played with a smile—because by the time they realize the rules, they've already lost."
Trina's POV
I should have felt victorious.
That was the plan, wasn't it? To make a scene? To remind the world that I wasn't some docile little puppet dancing on strings held by our families?
But as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, all I felt was frustration.Because Damian Blackwood hadn't reacted the way I wanted.
No, he hadn't been furious or flustered. He hadn't scowled or clenched his jaw like some overbearing tyrant realizing his bride-to-be was a nightmare in designer heels. Instead, he had played along. With that insufferable smirk and a hand on my waist, he had turned my rebellion into a performance.And now, the whole world thought we were in love.
I groaned and rolled over, reaching for my phone. The moment I unlocked it, notifications flooded my screen.
The New York Elite: "Chemistry or Cold Calculation? Damian Blackwood & Trina Sinclair Stun in Surprise Dance!"
Business Weekly: "Blackwood-Sinclair Merger Gets Romantic: A Love Story… or a Power Play?"
And of course, because life hated me, there was a picture. A perfect, cinematic shot of Damian and me in the middle of the dance floor, the city lights glittering behind us. His hand rested firmly on my lower back, mine on his shoulder. Our bodies close. Too close.
But the worst part?
The way we looked at each other.
Because in that moment—caught in a flash of camera lights, mid-spin, my breath short from too much wine—I had let my guard down. And Damian? He had taken full advantage of it. He had looked at me like I was his, like I belonged there, in his arms, dancing to a song I never wanted to hear.
I hated him for it. A knock at my door shattered the thought.
"Trina?" Olivia's voice filtered through the heavy wood. "Are you awake?"
I groaned. "Barely." The door cracked open, and Olivia stepped inside, phone in hand, eyes wide. "Have you seen it?"
I sighed. "Oh, you mean the disastrous proof that Damian Blackwood is a master manipulator and I fell right into his trap? Yeah, Liv. I saw it."
She flopped onto my bed with a dramatic sigh. "It's all anyone is talking about. Half the internet thinks it's fake, the other half is swooning."
I scowled. "Idiots."
"I mean…" She scrolled through her phone, biting her lip. "You have to admit, it was a good move. Wasn't that what you were going for?"
I shot her a glare.
She lifted her hands in surrender. "I'm just saying! You wanted to stir things up, but instead, he played you."
I flopped onto my back. "I know." And that was the worst part.
By the time the sun was fully up, I had made a decision.I needed a new approach. Playing the rebellious bride wasn't enough. Damian wasn't my father, who could be rattled by a public tantrum. He wasn't some over-eager businessman desperate for my approval.
No, Damian Blackwood was controlled, calculated. He wasn't thrown off balance easily. So, if I wanted to win, I needed to understand him.
I spent the morning digging. Scrolling through old interviews, reading about the Blackwood empire, scanning for any weakness, any hint of scandal.But Damian Blackwood was too clean.
Too perfect.
Which only made me more suspicious.My thoughts were interrupted by a text from my father.
'Be ready by seven. Charity gala. No excuses.'
I groaned. A gala? Tonight? And then it clicked. This was the perfect stage, now let the games begin.
When I arrived at the venue, Damian was already there, looking infuriatingly perfect in a black suit, his tie loosened just slightly—just enough to appear effortlessly charming. He was speaking to some executives, but the moment I walked in, his eyes found mine.
And just like at the bar, I felt the shift in the air. I lifted my chin. If he wanted to play this game, I wasn't going to lose. So, I did what he had done to me. I smiled. I walked right up to him, slid my hand through his arm, and turned to the executives like I had done this a million times.
"Gentlemen," I said smoothly. "I hope my fiancé hasn't been all business tonight."
Damian didn't flinch. He didn't tense. Instead, he just smiled.
Damn him.
"Trina," he said, voice as smooth as whiskey. "You look stunning."
I ignored the warmth in my stomach. "Of course I do." I stared at him with the smile that made sure anyone else that was staring thought we were lost in love. Two can play the game, Damien
The men chuckled, and just like that, I had flipped the script.For the next hour, I played the part. The perfect, affectionate fiancée. The cameras caught every smile, every lingering touch, every carefully crafted moment.
I wasn't just keeping up. I was winning.
Or so I thought.
The night was going smoothly until Damian pulled me onto the dance floor.
Again.
I tensed as he slid a hand to my waist. "What are you doing?"
He smirked. "Dancing with my fiancée."
I swallowed hard. The room blurred around us as we moved in slow, practiced steps.
I had meant to control the night. I had meant to be the one with the upper hand.
But as Damian leaned in, his lips just brushing my ear, he murmured, "Your game is good, Trina. But you forget, I invented it."
My breath hitched.
And just like that, I realized I wasn't winning at all. The moment we stepped off the dance floor, I pulled away. "We need to talk."
He arched a brow. "Oh?"
I didn't stop walking until we were alone in one of the side halls, away from the cameras, the flashing lights, the people.
I turned on him, arms crossed. "What do you want?"
Damian tilted his head. "From you?" He smirked. "You already know the answer."
I exhaled sharply. "You think this is funny? Playing these mind games with me?"
He stepped closer, and I had to force myself to hold my ground. "It's not a game, Trina. It's business."
I clenched my jaw. "So that's all I am to you? Business?"
His eyes darkened slightly. "That's all marriage is to you, isn't it?"
I froze.
He studied me, and for the first time, there was no smirk, no amusement. Just something deeper, something unreadable.
"Tell me," he murmured. "Why do you fight so hard to make me hate you?"
I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. "Because it would be easier." The words slipped out before I could stop them.
For a second, Damian didn't speak. He just looked at me. And then, softly, he said, "For who?"
I gasped.
That was the exact question I asked myself.
For who?
I looked him straight in the eyes. I was lost in his dark eyes.
Slowly, I could hear the music start to end, he started to let go of me walking off the floor. With me stuck and transfixed. The tension was so a thick.
I snapped out of it. I shouldn't give him that much power over me. It was like he was slowly sipping into my head, it was like an unwanted Tumor. I walked away not daring to look back. I couldn't even stay in the same space as him without losing my self control. The took over all my thoughts.
I walked towards the bat. I needed to get myself a drink. I didn't drink but, this occasion wasn't something I wanted to go through without a drink.
"Hi." I said to the bartender.
He wore a suit that fit him nicely enough. He was also handsome too. He looked at me with a flirty glint in his eyes.
"And what can I get the pretty girl tonight." He answered in an all too husky tone. I was really bored so, I flashed him a quick smile.
"I'm not one for anything too strong or too sweet. You know what surprise me." I said staring with a mega watts smile.
"Coming right up, I know one that would be perfect for a perfect girl like you." He said looking at his cups and drinks so intently, like he was conjuring in his head. I sat there with my hands under my chin. Legs swaying like a princess on a high seat.
After a few minutes. He finally finished
"Close your eyes." He said as he tries to hide the content of the glass from me.
I squealed giddyly. I was sure people around wondered why I was like this with him. Well,d I didn't care.
No, not even in the slightest way. I finally turned and opened my eyes when I saw it. A purple and sparkly swirl. I really didn't think it was for drinking.
"I don't think this is something I want to do more than admire." I said looking skeptical.
Then he spoke. "It's called mirokosmos. A bangtan drink." He said smiling.
Aww, he was army. Talk about matches made in heaven. I stretched and collected the drink, it smelt citrusy as I brought it closer to my mouth.
The first taste was a burst of flavour. He was right, this was the best drink ever had hands down.
"Oh my God." This is probably the best thing ever. It was sweet but not so much. You could taste the zing from the lime. It was just perfect. I moaned out loud,earning me a smirk from bartender guy.
"This is my all time favourite drink. You do magic as a side hustle, this is perfect." I rambled as I took the second cup he made, then another and another until I could feel the birds in my head singing.
I kept laughing stupidily to everything bartender guy said.
"So what's your name? " I asked randomly. The guy was probably tired he smiled like he enjoyed my company. Well that or, he thought I was going to leave with him tonight.
"Wade, Zayn Wade." He replied making me giggle.
"You look like a Wade." Damn, he gave surfer beach boy vibes. He finally asked for my name.
He smiled and he answer." I do not surf, if that s what you are thinking. I get that a lot." I laughed. I just assumed but that was my fault. he looked like he was the type that wiped out a surf board on command .
" Soo, can I put a name this beautiful face" he asks.
Suddenly I could notice the confusion in his face as it gets pale.
His smell invaded my nostrils. I sure knew who was here. His body heat radiated and warmed me instantly. I couldn't keep reacting like this around him.
"Her name is Damian's wife, except you don't have a thing for people's wife right?" Damien asked sternly. I wasn't scared but I could see the face of Wade the bartender get pale. This man really had an effect on everyone.
"I... Di...didn't kn...know sir." He replied in incoherent words.
I felt very bad. I slowly stood up and walked away. I didn't answer as I heard Damien call my name.
Not only did he barge into my life. He wanted to control it like he owned it.
I left the hall as the cool midnight breeze touched my skin in a gentle caress. I looked and noticed he wasn't walking towards me anymore. For a while I expected him to walk forward. Or acted like a bitch but I got nothing. I finally left to go home. I didn't want to continue the day.
That night, as I lay in bed, I replayed that moment over and over again.I had expected him to push back, to fight. But instead, he had unsettled me. Damian Blackwood wasn't just cold and calculated. He wasn't just an obstacle in my path.
He was dangerous.Because the longer we played thus game, the more I started to wonder…
Who was really playing who?And if I wasn't careful…
I was going to be the one to carve.