“Put the gun down, Damian.” Evan’s voice was calm, but the glint in his eyes was anything but. He stood between Naomi and the exit, a smug grin curling at the corner of his mouth. His men flanked him, hands resting on their weapons, waiting for his command.Damian’s grip on the gun tightened. “Let. Her. Go.” His voice was pure steel.Evan chuckled, shaking his head. “You really think this ends with you playing the hero? You always were arrogant. But here’s the problem—you can’t shoot me without starting a war. And we both know how much you hate chaos.”I barely breathed. My wrists ached from the rough grip of one of Evan’s men, but I refused to let them see my fear. I had learned something about Damian in the past few months—he never made empty threats.“Damian,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.His eyes flicked to mine for a fraction of a second, but it was enough. There was something there—something raw, something desperate.Then everything happened at once.Damian fired
"Stay still," Damian murmured as he dabbed a cloth against the cut on my forehead.I flinched at the sting, but I refused to make a sound. Too much had happened tonight. Evan’s escape. The revelation that Charlotte had been backing him all along. The gunshot narrowly missed Damian. My body still trembled from the chaos, my pulse refusing to settle.Damian sighed, tossing the cloth aside. "You should be in bed."I scoffed. "And you should be in a boardroom ruining someone’s life, but here we are."His lips twitched, almost like he wanted to smile but didn’t remember how. Instead, he exhaled and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. For the first time since I met him, Damian Cross looked exhausted. Not just physically—but emotionally drained.I shifted on the couch, hugging my knees to my chest. "What happens now?""We rebuild," he said simply.I studied him. "We?"His jaw tightened, his eyes darkening. "I nearly lost you tonight, Naomi."I swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure what to say to
"You didn’t think I’d disappear forever, did you?"The voice cut through the silence like a blade. My heart pounded as I turned toward the source. Charlotte stood at the entrance of Damian’s office, her arms crossed, a smug smile playing on her lips.Damian tensed beside me, his jaw tightening as he slowly rose from his chair. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here."Charlotte tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Oh, come now, Damian. You always did love a dramatic entrance. I thought I’d give you one last show before I take everything from you."I stepped forward. "What do you want, Charlotte?" My voice was steadier than I felt, but I refused to let her see my fear.Her eyes flicked to me, amusement dancing in them. "Oh, Naomi. Sweet, naive Naomi. Always playing the victim, aren’t you?" She sighed. "I came to correct a mistake. A mistake that should’ve never worn my wedding dress."Damian’s voice was cold. "You lost your chance, Charlotte. You ran away. You sold yourself to Evan R
"Are you going to keep looking at me like that, or do you actually have something to say?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Damian as we sat across from each other in his dimly lit study.His eyes—darker than I’d ever seen them—held a storm I couldn’t quite decipher. He was tense, his hands folded under his chin, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he just watched me, like he was studying something he wasn’t sure he could trust."Say something," I whispered.Damian leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. "Why didn’t you tell me Charlotte was working with Evan?"I swallowed hard. "Because I wasn’t sure. And when I did find out, I didn’t know how to tell you without making it worse."His jaw clenched. "Making it worse? You kept secrets from me, Naomi. And now my business—my entire empire—is hanging by a thread because of your sister."I flinched. I hated how much his words could still wound me. "She’s not my sister anymore," I said bitterly. "Not after what she’s done."Damian exhaled, rub
“Where is he?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.Olivia, standing by the window, arms crossed, didn’t turn to face me. “He left before sunrise,” she said coldly.Something was wrong. Damian never left without a word. My chest tightened. “What’s going on?”Olivia finally turned, her piercing blue eyes dark with something unreadable. “Evan just raised the stakes.”A chill ran down my spine. “What do you mean?”She tossed her phone onto the bed beside me. “See for yourself.”I hesitated before picking it up. The screen was paused on a video. My heart hammered as I pressed play.Evan’s face filled the screen, his expression composed, almost amused.“Damian Cross has two options,” he said, his voice smooth and calculating. “Hand Naomi over to me, or watch his empire crumble. To sweeten the deal, I’ve placed a bounty on her head. Ten million dollars to anyone who delivers her to me. No questions asked.”The video cut to a still image—my
“Get up. Now.”Damian’s voice was a low growl, his grip iron around my wrist. I had barely sat up when he yanked me to my feet. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light spilling from the open doorway. His face was hard, carved from ice and steel, but his eyes burned.“Damian—” I started, but he didn’t let me finish.“We don’t have time, Naomi. They’re coming.”The weight of his words sent a chill through me.“Who?” My voice was barely a whisper.He didn’t answer, but Olivia did, stepping into the room with a pistol clutched tightly in her hands. “Evan’s men. They’re already on the estate.”My pulse spiked. “What?”“We’re leaving. Now,” Damian snapped, pulling me towards the closet.I dug my heels in. “I’m not running, Damian. This is my home too.”His head snapped toward me, fury flashing in his eyes. “Do you think I can survive losing you?” His voice cracked slightly at the edges, his control slipping. “Do you think I would let them take you?”I opened my mouth, but no words
"Damian!"My scream echoed through the underground tunnel as his body jerked back from the impact. His grip on my wrist loosened, and he staggered, his knees buckling. A crimson stain spread rapidly across his white dress shirt, seeping through the fabric like ink spilling onto paper."No, no, no—Damian!"I lunged forward, catching him before he could hit the cold, damp floor. His weight was too much, and we sank together, his body pressing against mine as I cradled him. His breathing was ragged, his face pale.Footsteps pounded in the distance. Olivia’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears."Move! We have to move!"I barely registered the chaos around me. The shooter had vanished, but we weren’t safe. I pressed my hands against Damian’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding."Damian, stay with me," I begged, my voice breaking.His eyes fluttered open, dark lashes heavy against his skin. A weak smirk curved his lips. "Didn’t think... you'd get rid of me that easily, did you?"Tears b
"Where’s Charlotte?"Damian’s voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, but those three words cut through me like a blade.I sat beside his hospital bed, gripping his cold hand, my heart still racing from the nightmare of nearly losing him. The sterile scent of antiseptics filled the room, and the steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only reassurance that he was alive. That he was still here with me.But his first thought wasn’t about me. It wasn’t about the bullet that nearly took his life.It was about Charlotte.A sharp pain coiled in my chest, and I let go of his hand. "You just survived an assassination attempt, and that's your first question?" My voice wavered between anger and hurt, but I refused to let him see how much it stung.Damian turned his head slowly, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine. He was pale, weakened, but the intensity in his gaze was as sharp as ever. "Naomi, answer me."I clenched my fists. "She’s gone. Again."He exhaled, his fingers twitching a
I stood there, at the edge of our new life, feeling the weight of everything we had been through. The past few months had broken us both, but in a way, they had made us stronger. Stronger than we ever could have imagined.Damian’s hand was warm against mine, and I couldn’t help but look up at him, feeling the flicker of something that had been missing for so long. His gaze met mine, and in his eyes, I saw a reflection of the man I had always hoped he could be. No longer the ruthless billionaire consumed by his empire, but a man who had fought for what mattered most—us.“I never thought we’d get here,” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly.Damian smirked, the faintest hint of his old arrogance still present, but I could tell it was softer now. “Did you doubt me?”I shook my head. “No. But I didn’t think... I didn’t think this would be easy. That we could have a future after everything.”He squeezed my hand, his touch grounding me, reassuring me that, despite all the chaos, we had s
The air felt thick with tension as the final confrontation came to a head. Everything had led to this moment—the battle for control, for love, for survival. It was no longer about power or money; it was about us, Naomi and Damian, fighting for our place in a world that had never given us a chance. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as we stood, side by side, ready to face whatever came next.Damian's hand brushed against mine, and for a fleeting moment, the chaos around us seemed to fade. The world, which had been a whirlwind of betrayal, deceit, and hurt, felt strangely calm. I looked up at him, seeing the raw emotion in his eyes that spoke louder than words.“We’re almost there,” I whispered, my voice trembling.He nodded, his gaze intense, unwavering. “Just one more step, Naomi. And then everything changes.”I swallowed hard, trying to push the fear down. It wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot. We had won the battle, but the cost had been immense. Damian’s empire was on the
“Do you think you’ve won?” The voice cuts through the silence like a dagger, cold and cruel. I freeze in place, my heart pounding in my chest, the weight of the words sinking in like a stone in water. Damian, beside me, stiffens. His hand on mine tightens, but I feel the tremor in his grip. We’ve come so far, fought so much to reach this moment—and yet, the voice seems to mock us, a reminder that the end is never as simple as we want it to be.I glance at Damian, his jaw clenched in that way he does when he’s suppressing the storm inside. His eyes burn with the same fire I’ve seen when he faces his enemies head-on. We’ve been through hell, both of us, but there’s still something lingering in the air, something I can’t shake off.“Who’s there?” I demand, my voice a mixture of fear and defiance. It’s hard to stand tall in the face of such uncertainty, but I force myself to, for Damian, for us.The shadow steps forward, revealing itself in the dim light. And there she is.Charlotte.My s
"Are you sure you’re ready for this?" Damian's voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried weight. He stood at the far end of the room, his eyes never leaving me as I meticulously adjusted the papers on the table. My hands were steady, but my heart? It was a different story.I paused, my fingers lingering on the edge of the documents, the papers trembling ever so slightly. "I have no choice," I murmured. "We've come too far to back down now."Damian walked toward me, each step deliberate, purposeful. The air between us felt thick, charged with an energy neither of us could quite shake. The final battle was approaching, and it was more than just about business. It was about us. It was about everything we had fought for.He stopped beside me, his presence enveloping me as if he was grounding me in a storm of uncertainty. His breath brushed my ear as he leaned in, his lips just a breath away from my skin. "No," he said softly, "it’s not just about business. It’s about us, Naomi. Ever
“I’m not sure where we go from here,” I whisper, my fingers entwined with Damian’s, as we sit in the quiet of our study. The weight of everything we’ve endured still lingers between us. Despite the storm, the fires of betrayal, and the wreckage that once stood as our lives, the connection between us hasn’t faltered—at least, not entirely.Damian’s gaze is distant, dark eyes staring at nothing in particular, lost in thought. His once commanding presence has softened, as though he’s been stripped of his armor, revealing a man who is far more vulnerable than I ever imagined. And somehow, in that vulnerability, I see the man I’ve come to love.“We take it one step at a time,” he replies quietly, his voice rough, as though it’s been too long since he’s spoken his thoughts aloud. “Together, Naomi. We can’t face this alone.”There’s a rawness in his words that cuts through the fog of uncertainty, and for a moment, the world outside of these walls seems to disappear. It’s just him and me. Tog
"Are you sure about this?" Damian's voice was low, gravelly. It was a rare moment of softness, one I had never thought I would hear from him. My fingers brushed against his jaw, tracing the sharp line of it as he looked down, his eyes distant."We don't have a choice, do we?" I whispered back, my words tinged with a sadness that still hadn't quite left me. We had been fighting for so long, against everyone around us, that the last thing I expected was to discover the true enemy had always been closer than we realized.I had spent the better part of the night trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling into dark places. Damian had been distant, a shadow of the man I had once hoped to love. The betrayal, the lies, the power struggle—it was all too much. But the silence between us now was different. It wasn't the cold silence of before; it was the heavy, suffocating kind—the kind that pressed down on my chest and made it hard to breathe.I looked up at him again, seeing the weight of the w
The room was quiet, the kind of silence that weighed on you like a thousand-pound burden. I could feel the tension in the air between Damian and me. After everything that had happened—the betrayal, the lies, the secrets—it was hard to imagine that we could ever find a way back to each other.But here we were, trying to make sense of it all.Damian stood by the window, looking out over the city. His posture was tense, his fists clenched at his sides. I could see the lines of exhaustion on his face, the weariness in his eyes. He had been through so much in such a short amount of time, and I could feel the weight of it all pressing down on us.I took a deep breath, stepping closer to him. I wanted to say something, to make this better somehow, but the words wouldn’t come. We’d said so many things already, things that had cut too deep, things that had left scars.Finally, Damian turned to face me, his gaze locking with mine. "Naomi," he started, his voice low and raw. "I know I hurt you.
"I can't believe it," I whisper, my voice shaking as the weight of the revelation crushes my chest. "Damian, is it true?"Damian stands frozen in front of me, his eyes filled with a mix of disbelief and horror. The letter in his hand trembles slightly, its contents now fully exposed."The truth... it's out," he mutters under his breath, but the words sound hollow, like a man coming to terms with a nightmare he's tried to bury for years.I reach for his hand, my heart racing in my chest. "What does this mean for us?" I ask, trying to make sense of the chaos that has unfolded before me.Damian doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he glances at the letter one more time, as if he hopes the words will somehow change, that they’ll rewrite themselves into something more bearable."I don't know," he admits, his voice cracked. "I should have never kept this from you."I can feel the tension in his shoulders, the way he carries the weight of this secret like a man broken by his own choices. I st
“You’ve made a mistake, Damian,” the voice from the shadows growled. I could feel the chill in the air as I stepped into the dimly lit study, where Damian stood frozen, his back stiff and his jaw clenched tight.I had been watching him for a moment, trying to piece together the tension radiating off him. He was usually a man of few words, a man who didn’t show fear. But something in his posture now was different. It was as if he was facing a ghost—a specter from a past that refused to stay buried.“I don’t make mistakes,” Damian said, his voice low, though there was a crack in it. A crack I had never heard before.“I think you’ll find you’ve made plenty,” the voice retorted, its owner stepping into the light.Julian.I hadn't expected him to show up here—of all places. The man who had wreaked havoc on Damian’s life, the man who had once been part of his closest circle, now stood before us like a shadow, darkening every part of the room.“What do you want, Julian?” Damian's voice was h