The fire in her eyes should have been enough to make anyone else release her, but Damon remained unmoved.
With his other hand, he gently grasped her hand. Her heart was pounding wildly and despite good reason telling her to move, she remained still and transfixed by how gentle he was despite the apparent strength his other hand was showcasing.
"Why aren't you wearing your ring?" He asked.
Her ring? She followed his line of vision to see that he had spread out her fingers using his and was looking at her bare ring finger.
Before she died, Damon had gotten angry every time he had seen her wearing her wedding ring or the necklace he had given her. So it was a habit for her to take them off when she got home, only wearing the wedding ring in public and only wearing the necklace when she went out without him.
"It's in my bag," She was confused, "I didn't lose it."
"Why won't you wear it?" He sounded frustrated. It was strange, she realized he didn't sound angry or hurt like a husband rejected by his wife.
He just sounded exasperated, like a pet owner who bought a nice bed for their cat or dog but came home to find their pet sleeping on the floor next to the new bed.
"You want me to wear my wedding ring?" Sienna clarified, just in case she was misunderstanding. This new life was weird sometimes.
"All the time," Damon confirmed, his voice was unyielding and his gaze was hard.
The order made Sienna bristle. She wasn't a pushover anymore!
"I'll wear it in public," She lifted her chin in defiance, "But I can take it off in private if I want. Like I said, this is just a contract union planned by our families."
Damon's jaw tightened and his blue eyes turned icy, "Whatever this marriage is, you should never take it off."
Sienna yanked her arm free and dug around in her bag until she came up with her wedding ring. Holding it up, she tilted her head with a challenging look in her green eyes.
"If you want me to wear it all the time, what are you willing to give me in exchange for that?"
For a moment, Sienna wondered if she had gone too far. Damon stared at her and she returned his glare, the ring in her hand catching the dim kitchen light and glinting as she turned it slightly.
Damon cleared his throat, and chuckled. Sienna's throat went dry and she fought to keep the defiant expression on her face.
"What do you want?" Damon asked.
Bingo.
With the thrill of success running through her, Sienna leaned in with a triumphant grin.
"Tell me about the deal my family made when we got married."
Fifteen minutes later, the two of them left the kitchen wearing their wedding rings and matching smirks.
***
"This is a waste of time," A middle aged man dressed in a fine suit grumbled.
Another man agreed with him, "How did a startup get our contacts anyway? Do they know how powerful we are?"
"It's good to see what's new in the market," An older woman remarked, her short haircut and sharp dressing made her intimidating.
"That's right," A younger, handsome man added, "No harm taking a look, right?"
The meeting room was filled with comments like this, with some investors unhappy and on the verge of leaving, while others seemed content to wait and see.
Before anyone else could say anything, a striking woman walked in. Objectively speaking, there was nothing special about her.
Her glossy dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail and her bright green eyes were accentuated by her deep emerald blazer.
She was beautiful and cut an understatedly fashionable figure, but that wasn't very special either.
What made her so striking was the aura she exuded. When she walked into the room, one couldn't help but turn to look at her, and when she opened her mouth to speak, it felt as though she was bound to say something important.
Something about the way she carried herself spoke of confidence and power. And that was before she even started talking!
Politely, she thanked them all for taking the time to come. Then she launched into a business presentation that had skeptical frowns morphing into surprised expressions and curious looks turning into approving smiles.
When she came to the last slide with the names of the co-founders printed, a ripple of shock went around.
So this was the eldest daughter of the Astor Corporation! Who knew she was so formidable?
All along, Sienna Astor had worked quietly in the family company and everyone has assumed she wasn't very bright seeing as they never heard much about her.
But now, the presentation had demonstrated her skills and sharp mind. Clearly she was a hidden gem!
The older woman who had spoken up earlier was the first to leave, but not without leaving her private contact with the assistant who had followed Sienna in.
With an approving nod in Sienna's direction, she swept out, leaving the other investors to follow her lead and make arrangements for further discussions.
Sienna was positively glowing with this response. She knew that the business idea was good, but the investors she had invited were the cream of the crop and some of the most influential people in the city. They were known to be picky and difficult to deal with.
They were a hard bunch to win over, but their support would mean half the battle won!
The final investor stepped forward, having waited for everyone else to leave. It was the young man who had encouraged the others to wait and see before Sienna arrived.
Eric Ramsey was from another of the most powerful families in the city, with his family owning multiple buildings and businesses across the country.
With his princely looks, he resembled a fairy tale prince come to life. It was no surprise he was quite the playboy, his devotion was completely reserved for his work life instead of his love life.
"Miss Astor," Eric shot her a movie star smile that would have any other girl swooning. Unfortunately, Sienna only had eyes for one man despite her resolute attempts to be cold to him, "That was a brilliant presentation. Could we discuss the product you mentioned as well as Ramsey Holdings' involvement over a meal?"
Sienna knew very well what Eric's reputation was, however, she knew that he was, first and foremost, a good business man with principles and a strong backing.
If he was looking to do business with her, she would be a fool not to accept.
"I'd love to talk business with you," She maintained a professional tone, "In fact, I was about to go for lunch now. Would you like to join me?"
Over lunch, Sienna came to realize that Eric is not at all the air-headed himbo that the media has portrayed. Their conversation revealed that he was hard working and had a fantastic grasp of the going-ons in the industry.
The two of them quickly bonded over similar business ethics and upon realising that the other was intelligent and serious about work.
Eric had never had such an exciting conversation with a beautiful woman before. Of course, he had met smart and beautiful women before, but Sienna Astor was surprisingly attractive.
She had never been on his radar before, and surely he had met women more stunning than her. But something about her made him enjoy this lunch tremendously.
"Mrs Wright, is that you?" A scowling woman stood near their table and glared at Sienna.
Sienna turned in surprise.
"It is you," The woman stepped closer to cast a disdainful look at Sienna and Eric, "How shameless, having a private meal with another man so soon after your wedding."
Sienna's mouth fell open while Eric's eyebrows went up slightly.
Was she accusing Sienna of cheating on Damon?