DAMIEN WEST ALMIGHTY SYSTEM

Chapter 3

Damian stood there frozen. Everything inside him shattered. His dreams. His hope. His pride. All of it came crashing down at once. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. 

And Megan just sat there. Silent. She didn't defend him. She didn't say it was a mistake. She didn't even try to explain. If she'd just said his uncle forced her, if she'd said she didn't want this, he could've found a way to understand. He would've fought for her. Forgiven her. Anything.

But she said nothing.

His voice cracked when he finally spoke. "How could you? How could you do this to me, Megan? I thought you loved me. I thought we were in this together. I thought we were a team. I thought our bond was stronger than money. I thought no matter what we went through, we'd make it out the other side together. I thought—"

"Just shut up!" Megan snapped. Her face twisted with anger. 

"Stop thinking about yourself for once and think about what I want. You thought, you thought, you thought. When are you going to stop with all this useless thinking of yours? I stayed with you this long because I didn't want to leave you hanging. That's it. That's the only reason. But what can you actually give me? Nothing. You think those peanuts you make from your delivery job and that restaurant job are going to help me achieve my dreams? You think that's enough for me to go places? To travel the world? To live the life I deserve? My dreams are way bigger than anything you could ever imagine. And you expect me to suffer with you when I can have everything I want without lifting a finger? Why would I do that? And you standing here reacting like this just shows how selfish and heartless you are. If I was your sister, would you want her to suffer like this? The answer is no. So don't act like I'm the bad one here."

She leaned over and rested her head on Nathaniel's bare chest. Her hand slid across his skin, rubbing him gently like he was some kind of prize.

"Mr. Nathaniel can give me everything. Everything I've ever wanted. I don't have to beg. I don't have to work myself to death. I just ask, and it's mine. So I think you've got your answer now. Stop acting like you matter. Because you don't."

 Megan's words cut deeper than any knife. Each one landed like a bullet straight to Damian's chest. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His voice came out broken, shaking, as tears rolled down his face.

"I loved you. I loved you with everything I had. I would've given up my life for you. I worked myself to the bone just to make you happy. And this is how you repay me?"

Megan didn't even flinch. She grabbed Nathaniel's face with both hands and pulled him into a long, slow kiss. Right there. Right in front of Damian. When she finally pulled away, she looked back at him with cold eyes.

"You can go fall in love with someone else. I don't need your love anymore."

Nathaniel waved his hand lazily like he was shooing away a fly. "You can leave now. We're busy with something important. You've seen what you needed to see. Go."

Damian's entire body tensed. His jaw locked tight. His fists started shaking at his sides. The anger boiling inside him was too much to hold back.

"You crazy bastard!" His voice cracked as he shouted. "You had the nerve to say that to my face? Grandmother is dying in a hospital bed right now. We're breaking our backs trying to scrape together enough money to save her. And you've done nothing. Nothing! But you're here? In my house? With my girlfriend? Having the time of your life while we're suffering?"

He started moving toward Nathaniel. His feet carried him forward without thinking. All he wanted was to grab his uncle by the throat and make him feel even a fraction of the pain burning through his chest.

But before he could get close, the door burst open.

A group of men walked in. Big men. Dressed in black. They moved fast, surrounding Damian before he even realized what was happening. Two of them grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. He tried to pull free, but their grip was like iron.

Nathaniel leaned back against the headboard, completely relaxed. He took another drag from his cigar and smiled.

"What were you trying to do just now? Were you actually going to attack me? My men were already here, and you still thought you could touch me? Where did you get that kind of confidence? What made you think you had any power here?"

He blew smoke into the air and shook his head slowly, like Damian was a child who'd just done something stupid.

"You've bitten off more than you can chew. And honestly, you have no use to me anymore. Time to throw out the trash."

He looked at his men. "Deal with him. Don't hold back."

The men shoved Damian to the floor. Before he could even get his hands up, the first boot slammed into his ribs. Then another. And another. They came from every direction. Heavy boots crashing down on his back, his stomach, his legs. He curled up, trying to protect his face and his gut, but it didn't matter. The kicks kept coming. His mouth filled with blood. His nose started bleeding. Every breath felt like fire in his chest.

Then Megan's voice cut through the sound of the beating.

"Hold him down for me. I want to do something myself."

The men grabbed his arms and legs, pinning him flat against the floor. He couldn't move. Couldn't fight back. All he could do was watch as Megan tightened the robe around herself and bent down to pick up her slipper.

It wasn't just any slipper. The bottom was covered in decorative stones. Sharp, jagged stones that could tear through skin like glass.

She walked over slowly, holding the slipper in her hand like a weapon. She stood over him, looking down with pure disgust in her eyes.

"Just so you know how much I hate you. How much I despise you."

She raised the slipper high and brought it down hard across his face. The sharp edge of the stones tore into his skin. Blood poured down his cheek.

"This is for wasting my time."

She hit him again. This time across the other side of his face. The stones scraped his skin raw.

"This is for every time you touched me. Every time you held my hand. Every time you kissed me like I was yours."

Another hit. Blood dripped into his eyes.

"And this? This is for making me go to that filthy hospital every day to take care of your dying grandmother. Like I was some kind of servant."

She raised the slipper one last time and brought it down hard on the top of his head. The impact made everything go white. His vision blurred. For a second, all he could see was light. Blinding, burning light.

"This is for all the time I wasted on you."

She stepped back, breathing hard. Then she tossed the slipper aside and wiped her hands like she'd just touched something dirty.

"I'm done."

Nathaniel nodded at his men. "You know what to do. Throw him off the bridge."

Damian was already broken. His body was covered in bruises and cuts. Blood soaked through his clothes. He lay on the floor, unable to move. Couldn't even lift a finger.

The guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out of the house like a sack of trash. His feet scraped against the floor, then the concrete outside. He couldn't fight back. Couldn't scream. All he could do was let them pull him.

They threw him into the back of a car and drove off.