Damien had begun his plan for revenge the moment he started gaining power in the business world. It had taken years. But patience was something Damien had mastered long ago.
After tragically losing his parents and sister at the age of ten, Damien was cast adrift in a world that neither wanted nor cared for him. He was too young to fully understand the depth of his loss, yet old enough to feel the crushing weight of abandonment. His remaining extended family made it painfully clear that they had no interest in taking him in. There were no offers of shelter, no outstretched hands of comfort—only cold indifference.
And so, Damien became a child of the system, bouncing from one foster home to another like an unwanted package, never staying long enough to put down roots. Some families took him in for the government stipend, not because they had room in their hearts. Others saw him as a burden, a problem child too quiet for his age, too sharp-eyed, too haunted. A few were outright cruel—stern hands and stricter rules, punishments for things he didn't understand.
He learned quickly that he was on his own. There was no place he truly belonged, no one looking out for him. He had to be strong, to survive, to bury the pain deep inside where no one could see it.
But some nights, when the world was quiet and the ceiling above him was unfamiliar yet again, he would close his eyes and remember the warmth of his mother's embrace, the sound of his father's laughter, the way his sister's hand would pat his head affectionately.
The memories were all he had left. And they burned.
But fate had a way of twisting the course of a man's life.
Everything changed when he manifested as a dominant alpha at only thirteen.
A rare occurrence. Rarer even than dominant omegas. And in a world where power dictated status, his very existence had suddenly become valuable.
That was when Albert Sandbrook, a ruthless but influential alpha entrepreneur, entered his life. A man without heirs, but with an empire in need of one.
Albert adopted Damien, gave him a name worthy of respect, a home that exuded power, and most importantly—the foundation upon which he would build his revenge.
Albert was a strict man, but never cruel. He taught Damien discipline, control, and the art of business warfare. He forged him into something sharp, something dangerous. And Damien took every lesson to heart.
By the time he was thirty-one, he had carved a place for himself in the world, a force to be reckoned with. His dominion stretched far and wide. And finally, it was time to put his plan into motion.
His target? The Mastersons. Moguls of the hotel industry. Filthy rich. Merciless. The family responsible for the destruction of his own.
And at the head of that wretched household stood Richard Masterson, a man Damien had spent years hating, waiting for the perfect moment to drag him into the abyss.
But it wasn't enough to ruin Richard alone. No, Damien wanted all of them to suffer. Just as he had suffered. Just as his family had suffered.
And so, he began digging their graves. Slowly. Methodically. Thoroughly.
The first step was easy—lure Richard into a carefully designed web of false investments. Damien crafted a series of lucrative business ventures, each one designed to pull Richard deeper into the illusion of wealth and opportunity.
And Richard, being the greedy, arrogant fool that he was, took the bait.
It wasn't long before the thrill of the game consumed him, until he was desperate, addicted. Losing money, clawing for more, convinced that his next move would turn his losses around.
He didn't even realize that the more he struggled, the deeper Damien tightened the noose.
Next came, Eleanor, Richard's wife. A woman of appetites. She collected lovers like trophies, only ever alphas, but they had to be poor. Men she could own, control, discard.
So Damien provided her with the perfect temptation—an impossibly handsome alpha escort, one trained to seduce, manipulate, and extract every ounce of information from her while slowly driving a wedge between her and her family. Eleanor fell. Hard.
Ian Masterson, the predator, followed next on the list. Ian was a sickening excuse for an alpha.
He had a type—omegas. Vulnerable ones. He enjoyed breaking them. But if the omega was male? Then Ian's cruelty became monstrous.
He had been accused of sexual assault multiple times, yet every victim had either been silenced through bribery or threats. Destroying Ian would be Damien's greatest pleasure.
All he had to do was find the victims and convince them to speak. And once they did? Prison would take care of the rest. Of course, Damien would have much rather ended Ian's life, but someone like him did not deserve the release brought on by death. Just like his father, Ian had to pay for his sins by living a long and painful life.
Elena Masterson was even easier to deal with. Drugs. Sex. Tax evasion. She had enough vices to bury herself.
Her favorite poison was pheromone enhancers, the kind that sent alphas into uncontrollable ruts. A dangerous addiction. Because if the partner caught in the heat of those pheromones wasn't strong enough, they could go into pheromone shock.
It was deadly—and Elena already had a trail of bodies in her wake.
Damien only needed to tip the scales and she would end up behind bars just like her older brother, Ian.
Alex Masterson, the youngest of the infamous Masterson family, turned out to be the most difficult target for Damien's revenge. Unlike his corrupt and indulgent relatives, Alex had no vices to exploit, no dark secrets to unearth, and no scandals to manipulate. He was simply a beta with a passion for cooking, a quiet existence that seemed at odds with the rest of his family's depravity.
But that, in itself, was useful. If there was one thing Damien had learned about the Mastersons, it was that they adored Alex. Cherished him.
He was the youngest. The darling of the family. The protected one.While his siblings were shackled by their parents' control and expectations, Alex was the golden child, allowed to live freely, unburdened by the weight of their name.
A cruel idea took root in Damien's mind—if he couldn't find a way to ruin Alex, he would break him instead. He would turn their darling into a shattered mess, force the Mastersons to experience the agony of watching a loved one suffer. That, he thought, would be the most exquisite form of vengeance.
Initially, Damien considered hiring someone to seduce Alex, but something held him back. He wanted to understand his prey first. He observed him, studying his movements, his habits. Alex didn't seem interested in relationships, rarely engaging in casual affairs. But when he did indulge, he had a type—alphas. Tall, strong, broad-shouldered men who could tower over him. That was useful information.
So when Damien learned that Alex had been frequenting the same club for two nights in a row but had left alone each time, he decided it was time to make his move.
The first time he laid eyes on Alex up close, something strange happened. His body tensed, an unfamiliar hum vibrating through his veins. The attraction was instantaneous, raw. Was it those amber eyes, large and burning with quiet intensity? The hesitant, almost clumsy smile that carried an awkward charm? Or was it the entirety of Alex's being, the way he carried himself—untouched by the corruption of his family? Whatever it was, Damien told himself it didn't matter.
He knew how to play this game. He approached Alex with the same confidence he always wielded, drawing him in like a moth to a flame. He was patient, charming, and attentive. It wasn't long before Alex was looking at him with that shy yet eager expression, following his lead, sinking into his arms.
Damien had slept with beta men before. He knew their bodies lacked the natural lubrication omegas produced, which usually made things tedious, an extra step in a process he didn't care for. But with Alex, it didn't bother him. In fact, he found himself taking his time, savoring the preparation, the way Alex responded to his touch, the quiet gasps, the shivers. The way he surrendered so completely in bed, melting against him in a way no one ever had before.
Days passed, then a week. Alex flourished under Damien's attention. His amber eyes sparkled with unrestrained joy, his laughter became more frequent, his touch more affectionate. He cooked for Damien on many occasions and opened up about his dream of one day owning a small restaurant by the sea, where he could live a peaceful, simple life with the person he loved.
A Masterson dreaming of a humble life? It was almost laughable. Clear evidence of how sheltered Alex had been. But Damien played along. He listened, indulged him, painted himself as the lover Alex had been waiting for.
And then, just like that, he disappeared.
For Alex, it must have felt like Damien had vanished from the face of the earth. No calls, no texts, no explanations. Just an empty void where his lover used to be.
For Damien, however, things had only just begun.
By then, he had already made his move against the Mastersons, tightening his grip around their wealth and reputation. When Richard Masterson finally realized the extent of Damien's power, the shift in his demeanor—from arrogance to forced pleasantries—was intoxicating. But Damien wasn't satisfied yet. He wanted to push them further into despair.
Alex had returned home shortly after Damien's abrupt disappearance. But surprisingly, he told his family nothing about the heartbreak he had suffered. That, more than anything, caught Damien off guard. Alex had been desperate in his messages, pleading, confused, asking what he had done wrong. And yet, he kept his pain to himself.
It didn't matter. Damien had already planned the perfect moment for the final reveal.
When he discovered Alex had found work at Magnolia, a restaurant owned by an old acquaintance of his, the opportunity presented itself. Damien arranged a dinner with the Mastersons, ensuring that Alex would be their waiter for the evening.
He wondered how Alex would react when he finally saw him again. Would he freeze, eyes wide with disbelief? Would he break down, humiliated in front of his family? Or would he lash out, demanding answers?
Whatever happened, Damien would enjoy every second of it. He had already decided on his response. If Alex cried, if he begged for an explanation, Damien would simply smirk and tell him the truth—that he had seduced him knowing exactly who he was. That it had all been a game. That he had wanted to know what it felt like to ruin a Masterson from the inside out.
And as for the rest of his family? Damien wanted them to watch their beloved child crumble, to see the pain in his eyes, to understand what it felt like to have someone you love ripped away and destroyed.
Revenge would surely taste sweet.