The Wife He Never Meant to Love (Lila and Damon) novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

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By noon, Lila was seated inside Damon’s executive office.

Elegant.

Composed.

Unshakable.

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She wore a fitted ivory dress-refined, modest, powerful. Her hair fell in soft waves over one shoulder. Minimal jewelry. Subtle makeup. The kind of woman Damon had once described in passing.

Not loud.

Not reckless.

Graceful. Controlled. Untouchable.

The kind of wife a Blackthorne should have.

When Damon stepped out of the elevator with Simon and Bryan trailing behind him, mid-conversation, he stopped abruptly at the sight of her through the glass walls.

Simon blinked.

Bryan nearly choked on his words.

Lila rose smoothly from the sofa as they entered.

“Mrs. Blackthorne,” Simon greeted politely.

Bryan followed, “Ma’am.”

Lila smiled-warm but dignified.

“I’m here to have lunch with my husband,” she said gently.

She made sure to emphasize the word.

Husband.

Damon’s gaze darkened slightly.

He lifted one hand without looking away from her. “Give us a moment.”

Simon and Bryan exchanged a subtle glance before quietly exiting the office.

The door closed.

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Chapter 41

Silence.

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Damon walked to his desk and set his files down slowly, eyes fixed on Lila as she began walking toward him.

Each step deliberate.

Measured.

She counted them in her head.

One.

Two.

Three.

Timing mattered.

She knew Maddy’s habits. Knew her routine. Knew she visited around this hour under the excuse of “checking in.”

And Maddy was never fond of knocking.

Five.

Six.

Lila reached Damon just as he lowered himself into his chair.

Without hesitation, she turned and settled gracefully onto his lap.

Damon stiffened.

Her hands lifted to his tie, adjusting it with careful fingers.

“Are you stressed, my dear husband?” she asked softly.

Her fingertips brushed deliberately along his neck.

Slow.

Intimate.

Intentional.

Damon’s breathing shifted.

This was different from the morning.

This wasn’t gentle.

Chapter 41

This was fire wrapped in silk.

Without a word, he lifted a hand to her waist and pulled her closer.

Then he kissed her.

Not tentative.

Not questioning.

Certain.

Claiming.

When their lips parted, Lila tilted her head slightly, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Oh dear,” she whispered, her voice teasing. “Do you miss me already?”

Damon was about to answer-

When the office door flew open.

Right on schedule.

Maddy stood frozen at the entrance.

Her confident posture cracked instantly at the sight before her.

Lila perched comfortably on Damon’s lap.

Damon’s hand firm at Lila’s waist.

Their proximity unmistakable.

Silence thickened the room.

Lila did not rush to stand.

Instead, she slowly turned her head toward the doorway, feigning mild surprise.

“Oh,” she said softly. “Maddy. You should knock.”

Her tone wasn’t sharp.

It was worse.

It was calm.

Damon’s grip tightened slightly-not in warning, but in something far more dangerous.

Possession.

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11:58 Mon, May 4

Chapter 41

For the first time, Maddy looked uncertain.

And Lila knew-

The game had officially begun.

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Maddy’s eyes darkened the moment she took in the scene.

Lila-comfortably seated on Damon’s lap as though it had always belonged to her.

Damon’s hand resting securely at her waist.

And worst of all-

The way he had looked at her.

Focused. Intent. Almost… adoring.

Is he truly falling for her?

The thought burned.

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“I’m here to give you this document for review,” Maddy finally said, forcing steadiness into her tone. “If you have time.”

Her gaze remained fixed on Lila.

Lila smiled softly.

“Oh dear,” she murmured, turning toward Damon. “I suppose this is the wrong time for us to have lunch together, sweetie.”

Sweetie.

Her fingers traced slowly along Damon’s lower lip before she leaned in and kissed him-slow enough for Maddy to see, deliberate enough to sting.

Damon did not stop her.

If anything, his grip at her waist tightened slightly.

Lila rose gracefully, smoothing her dress as though nothing scandalous had occurred.

At the door, she paused beside Maddy-but didn’t look at her.

Instead, she turned her soft gaze back to Damon.

“I’ll be waiting tonight at our villa,” she said gently.

Our.

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Chapter 41

Then she walked out.

The door closed with a quiet click.

Silence.

:.

Maddy exhaled slowly. “Since when did you start entertaining… that?”

Damon leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled before him.

“She’s my wife,” he said calmly.

“It’s just a contract,” Maddy snapped before she could stop herself.

Damon tilted his head slightly.

“What contract?” he asked innocently.

The question was smooth.

Careless.

Almost curious.

Maddy froze.

“You know exactly what I mean,” she said carefully.

Damon’s gaze sharpened. “Do I?”

A beat of silence passed.

“If you’re referring to my marriage,” he continued evenly, “it’s legally binding.”

Maddy’s jaw tightened. “You told me—”

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“I told you,” Damon interrupted, voice still calm but no longer warm, “that timing was complicated.”

There was something different about him now.

Protective.

Territorial.

“Be careful what assumptions you make, Maddy.”

Her chest tightened.

Because for the first time-

She wasn’t sure whether Lila was pretending.

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Chapter 41

Or whether Damon was.

And neither possibility worked in her favor.

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Across the city, Lila sat in her car, hands gripping the steering wheel.

Her reflection stared back at her through the rearview mirror.

She had executed it perfectly.

The timing.

The words.

The kiss.

Everything.

But one detail kept replaying in her mind.

When Damon kissed her-

There had been no hesitation.

No performance.

No calculation.

And now she had a new problem.

Because if Damon Blackthorne was rewriting the rules-

Her careful little strategy might no longer be enough.

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By mid-afternoon, the Blackthorne Industries office was alive-not with the usual rhythm of deals and deadlines, but with whispers, sidelong glances, and barely-contained laughter.

Gossip spread like wildfire.

“Did you see Mrs. Blackthorne today?” one assistant whispered near the copier. “She just walked into Damon’s office… alone… for lunch. Can you believe it?”

“She-she sat on his lap,” another added, voice dropping conspiratorially. “Like it was meant for her. Who does that?”

Some sneered, unable to comprehend why Lila still clung to Damon, especially now that Maddy had returned to his orbit. “Honestly, she’s desperate,” one junior analyst muttered. “Doesn’t she realize she has no chance against Maddy?”

Others were captivated, admiring her composure, her elegance, and the way she carried herself with unshakable grace. “She’s perfect,” a senior associate said softly. “Truly worthy of the title Mrs. Blackthorne.

11:58 Mon, May 4

Chapter 41

Poised, confident… unstoppable.”

Comparisons began to circulate quickly.

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“Reminds me of Margaret,” whispered a junior, referring to Damon’s late mother. “The poise, the walks… there’s something about her, like she was born to be in that house.”

way

she

Even the men noticed. Some leaned against desks, pretending to review reports while stealing glances. “She’s dangerous,” one muttered. “She knows exactly what she’s doing.”

Every corner of the office had an opinion. Some debated whether Damon truly cared, or if Lila was simply playing her part perfectly. “Look at how he looks at her,” one senior whispered.

Yet no one at Blackthorne Industries suspected the truth.

No one knew that the marriage between Damon and Lila had begun as a simple, strategic contract-except for Simon.

Simon leaned back in his office chair, smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he watched the gossip unfold.

Now this is entertaining, he thought, sipping his coffee.

For everyone else, the scandal was real. For Simon, it was just the beginning of a show.