Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 130 Finished?

Victoria’s POV 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The office door closed behind me, and I found Damien exactly where I’d left him—seated at my desk like he owned the place. He’d set aside whatever book he’d been reading, his eyes now fixed on me with that intense, almost predatory gaze that made my wolf stir.

"Finished?" he asked casually, as if he hadn’t just cooled his heels for nearly two hours.

I noticed that despite the stacks of documents on my desk, everything remained untouched. He hadn’t so much as glanced at my files—I had to give him credit for that. Instead, he’d clearly been occupied with a couple of books from my shelf.

"Yes," I replied, placing my tablet on the side table. "I’m surprised you’re still here."

"Didn’t we agree on dinner?" A slow smile played on his lips. "Was I supposed to just abandon you to eat alone?"

My eyes flicked to my desk. "Did you go through my things?"

"What’s the matter? Hiding something I shouldn’t see?" His eyebrow arched playfully. "Don’t tell me you’ve got a little voodoo doll of me stashed away somewhere."

"Now that’s an idea," I laughed, leaning against the doorframe. "If curses actually worked, I’d hex you into bankruptcy and claim all your assets for myself."

"If that happened, you’d have to take care of me," he countered, his smile turning wolfish.

"Why would I? I’d rather get a pet—at least they wag their tails for attention."

"I can wag my tail for you too," Damien said with such deadpan delivery that I nearly choked.

"What tail?" I challenged.

To my complete shock, the powerful Alpha actually wiggled his hips in an exaggerated motion, like a puppy begging for treats.

I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing. The sight of Damien Sterling, feared Alpha and business magnate, playfully wiggling like that just to make me smile was utterly disarming.

"I can do it faster if you prefer," he offered, amping up the ridiculous movement.

My laughter grew louder. It was both endearing and utterly surreal to watch this imposing man, who usually commanded a room with a single glance, act so ridiculously just to chase away my bad mood.

As my amusement subsided, the knot of worry that had tightened in my stomach all day resurfaced.

"You signed a contract with Lancaster Corp," I said, my voice losing its playful edge. "Why didn’t you tell me about it? How did you manage to convince Kane to keep quiet? He’s supposed to be loyal to me, yet he seems to follow your instructions like a well-trained guard dog."

"Your man?" Damien’s eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice taking on a low growl that I hadn’t noticed before.

Something in his tone made the hair on the back of my neck bristle, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.

"Yes, my man," I confirmed, completely oblivious to his underlying meaning. "Why wouldn’t he be?"

Damien’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly as I continued.

"Don’t tell me you’re trying to poach him," I said, suddenly wary. "That’s absolutely out of the question. Kane won’t leave—he’s been with the Lancaster family since childhood. He’s practically family. Whatever scheme you’re plotting, forget it."

I knew Damien recognized talent, and my first thought was he wanted to lure Kane away. I had to shut that down immediately.

"Poach him?" Damien scoffed. "Why bother when I could poach you instead? If I managed to get you on my team, wouldn’t Kane just come along like a dowry package?"

I frowned at his choice of words. "Kane isn’t property. He’s not a dowry or an object. Even if I married you, he’d still be his own person with his own choices. He’s free to do whatever he wants—no one controls him."

The moment those words left my mouth, I realized my slip. Had I just mentioned marrying Damien? My mind screamed.

"I mean—forget what I just said," I backpedaled quickly. "What I meant was that even if I somehow ended up married to you for some unfathomable reason, Kane wouldn’t automatically follow me. He’s his own person."

Damien’s smile grew wider, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Interesting. Already thinking about marrying me, are you?"

"You set me up!" I accused, heat flushing my cheeks. "I would never marry you. The Sterling name doesn’t exactly inspire confidence these days."

"One bad experience and you condemn an entire family?" he asked, his tone softening. "That seems harsh."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "What if I took all their money and gave you half of it? Would that help?"

"Half?" I perked up despite myself. "How exactly would that work?"

"Marital assets," he replied smoothly. "Marry me, and half of everything is yours. Even after divorce, you’d walk away with quite the settlement."

I stared at him, speechless.

I tried to read him, searching for a hint of a joke, but his dark eyes revealed nothing—they never did. Surely, he couldn’t be serious about something as monumental as marriage. Only in bad rom-coms did people propose business arrangements this casually.

I broke eye contact first, feeling my cheeks flush even more.

"Weren’t we supposed to be having dinner?" I said, desperate to change the subject. "If we don’t leave soon, the restaurant will close."

"Let’s go," he said simply, standing up.

I gathered my belongings, trying to ignore how my heart was racing as we walked out of my office together. Why did conversations with him always end up in such unexpected territory?