The storm outside raged, thunder rolling across the night sky like the roar of some ancient beast awakening. Inside Blackwood Tower, the tension was equally electric.
Ariella sat on the edge of a sleek leather chair, clutching the package tightly in her lap. Damian stood across the room, pacing slowly, the golden ring on his finger catching glimmers of light like a heartbeat of its own.
"I've spent years building an empire," Damian said finally, his voice heavy with the weight of truth. "But this curse... it's more than just a story. It's a prison."
Ariella's eyes searched his, trying to find the man behind the mask of power. "Tell me everything."
He hesitated, then pulled a worn leather-bound journal from a drawer. Its cover was embossed with strange symbols that shimmered faintly under the light.
"This belonged to my great-grandfather," Damian explained, flipping through pages filled with handwritten notes, sketches of runes, and cryptic warnings. "The ring is part of a bloodline curse. It's bound to every heir of the Blackwood family."
Ariella leaned in, intrigued despite the chill crawling down her spine.
"The curse is simple and cruel," Damian continued. "If the ring's wearer falls in love, the curse consumes everything—power, wealth, even life itself. The one he loves will be dragged into the darkness, and he will lose everything he holds dear."
Her breath caught. "Then why did you ask for me? Why risk everything?"
Damian's eyes darkened with a mix of pain and longing. "Because you're different. You have a light I haven't seen in years. And for the first time, I'm not sure I want to run from it."
Ariella's heart thudded wildly. The man before her was a king shackled by an ancient chain—and somehow, she was the key to breaking it.
But at what cost?
The lights flickered as the storm outside intensified. A sudden power surge plunged the room into darkness for a moment before the backup generators hummed to life, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
Damian reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden ring, holding it up between them.
"I need to know if you're willing to face the curse with me," he said quietly. "To risk everything for a chance at love."
Ariella swallowed, the weight of his words settling deep into her bones.
"I don't know what the future holds," she said softly, "but I'm not afraid to find out."
In that charged silence, two worlds collided — the cold, ruthless empire of a cursed CEO, and the fierce, untamed spirit of a girl who refused to be broken.
The game had only just begun.