The Billionaires Christmas Temptation

Christmas Market

✴ Scarlett ✴

The Wintervale Christmas Market was in full swing. The array of lights, the laughter, and the smell of roasted chestnuts mingled with the crisp winter air. I strolled through the crowd as I carefully sipped on the hot cocoa in one hand, while I carried a small bag of handmade ornaments in the other. This market had always been my favorite part of the holidays with the sights, the sounds, and the feeling that – for at least a few weeks – Wintervale was something magical.

“Scarlett! Over here!” I turned to see my best friend, Emily Quinn, and I immediately smiled. She waved at me from a booth that sold intricate wood-carved toys. I made my way over as I dodged kids in Santa hats and couples holding hands. “What do you think?” Emily questioned as she held up a small, hand-carved train set.

“It’s adorable,” I said as I took the train and examined it. “It’s perfect for your nephew,” Emily grinned as she turned back to the vendor to make her purchase. I glanced around the market, and then I froze as I spotted someone I hadn’t seen in years. Ten years, to be exact. Damien Gale. For a moment, I thought that my eyes were possibly playing a trick on me. It couldn’t be him. Could it? The last time I had seen Damien was on graduation day over a decade ago. Back then, he had been the brooding bad boy with a sharp tongue and a reputation for skipping class to race his car down the empty back roads of Wintervale. Every girl in school, myself included, had been hopelessly infatuated with him. But Damien had left town right after his mother’s funeral. Of course, I knew that Damien had gone out into the world and had made a name for himself. And here he was. In Wintervale. Tall, impeccably dressed in a black wool coat that screamed money, his dark hair dusted with snow. He was focused on his phone, oblivious to all the looks he was getting.

“Scarlett? Are you listening to me?” Emily’s voice snapped me out of my trance.

“No, sorry…what?” I mumbled as I turned back to her.

“I asked if you wanted to grab dinner after this?”

“Sure,” I answered as my gaze flickered back over to Damien. It was him. He was here. There was no mistaking him with his sharp jawline and his piercing gaze. However, there was something different about him. Something colder. Something distant. Without thinking, I gave Emily the small bag as well as the styrofoam cup. I adjusted my scarf and straightened my coat. Emily took the items without argument as she continued talking about who knows what. “I’ll be right back,” I told her.

“Wait…what?” Emily called out to me, but I was already weaving my way through the crowd as my heart started to race. Damien hadn't noticed me yet, which gave me just enough time to position myself in his path. My brain screamed at me to stop, but my feet had a mind of its own. Before I could second-guess myself, I ‘accidentally’ bumped into him, hard enough to make his phone slip from his hand.

“Oh! I am so sorry!” I exclaimed as I crouched down to grab the phone.

“No problem,” Damien remarked, his tone polite but distracted as I handed over the phone. I waited for him to recognize me. But he didn’t. Damien smiled politely as if I was just another random face in the crowd. I sighed softly, but before I could make a move to leave, he frowned. “Are you ok?” he asked, his tone still polite.

“I’m fine,” I said as I swallowed past the lump of disappointment in my throat. “Sorry about that, I wasn’t looking where I was going,”

“It’s not a problem,” he said again, and he looked back down at his phone. I was dumbstruck and disappointed. He didn’t remember me. Not even a flicker of recognition or even interest.

“Well, I should probably get out of your way,” I said as I forced a bright smile. Damien nodded as he continued to focus on his phone.

“Have a good evening,” he said before he walked away. I stayed rooted in place with a mixture of embarrassment and disappointment that swirled inside of me. Of course, he hadn’t recognized me. I was just Scarlett Matthews. I was younger than him, but I had been his biggest fan. Who cared that I used to doodle hearts around his name in my notebook? After all, why would Damien Gale, billionaire, and literal walking perfection, remember me?

“Scarlett? What are you doing?” Emily questioned me and the sound of her voice startled me.

“Nothing,” I said quickly as I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck. “Did you decide where you wanted to have dinner?” I asked as she handed over my bag. Emily immediately started to talk, but my thoughts stayed firmly on Damien. Seeing him again had stirred up something I hadn't expected. Memories of late-night bonfires, stolen glances, and the way he used to smirk like he knew every secret in the world. The Damien I had seen tonight was nothing like the boy I had once known. He was polished, distant, untouchable. But there had been something in his eyes. Maybe a flicker of sadness, perhaps, or loneliness.

“Oh, by the way, did you hear that the Damien Gale is in town? Apparently, he is here to oversee the gala,” Emily then said, and the mention of his name caught my attention.

“Oh?”

“I don’t think there is a single person in Wintervale who hasn’t followed that man’s journey to success…hey, do you think he will remember us?” she asked, and I shrugged. I didn’t want to tell her about my ‘run-in’ with him, so I remained silent. “I mean, we were his biggest cheerleaders…and you helped him with his English studies a few times,” I stopped listening as we left the market. One thing was clear, Damien hadn't recognized me, which meant he didn’t remember me. I was offended, but then again, Damien had always been a bit aloof. And while I had been one of those girls who doodled his name in their notebooks, Emily was someone else who had done the same thing. In fact, I remembered how we used to talk about marrying him someday. Did Emily still have a thing for him? Did I? And why was he here to oversee the gala? Normally, his sidekick did that. Damien’s presence in Wintervale raised a lot of unanswered questions. Questions I was determined to get answers to.