Chapter Fifty Four: The Truth Beneath the LiesLena's POVThe air in my room was suffocating, pressing down on me like a weight I couldn't tolerate. My hands trembled at my sides as I paced back and forth, my mind reeling with everything that had just happened. Damian had looked at me with suspicion in his eyes—suspicion that hurt more than any wound.How could he ever think I would betray him?I tightened my fists, breathless. Bianca did this. I was certain of it. But she had played her cards too perfectly this time, leaving evidence so incriminating that even Damian had paused before me. The video footage… the alleged proof of my "betrayal."I needed to clear my name.I swallowed my pride and made myself think logically. If I allowed emotions to rule my head, I would be where Bianca had wanted me to be—broken and defenseless. But I was not about to let her win.Step one: go through everything that had occurred.I was on the edge of my bed, eyes shut while I replayed each detail in m
Chapter Title: The Truth RevealedLena's POVThe fury boiling inside of me was something new for me. My heart pounding in my chest, I stormed into Damian's office, my hand clutching the proof so tightly that it turned white from the grip. I had been humiliated, abandoned, and made to endure because of Bianca's deceptions. But now, I had evidence—undeniable evidence—that I had been framed.Damian sat behind his desk, sorting through some documents, but his entire body stiffened the instant I entered. His black eyes snapped up to meet mine, and for a brief moment, I saw something there—guilt, doubt, maybe even remorse.I didn't care.I slammed the folder onto his desk with emphasis. The papers scattered everywhere across the polished surface, some falling on the floor."See it," I insisted, my voice firm and uncompromising. "See it and say that you did not make an error."Damian exhaled deeply, sitting back in his seat, his expression neutral. "Lena, if you've come here to—""Don't," I
Lena’s POVThe house was colder than ever. It wasn't the chill of the air, but the chill that seeped into my bones and made me hollow inside. I had been saved, rescued from the hell Bianca and Marcus had subjected me to, but I wasn't free yet. Not yet.Because the moment Damian had enveloped me in his arms, telling me I was safe, I had felt it—fear.Fear of what came next.Fear of what he needed.Fear that I would never be normal again.I sat beside the window in the darkened bedroom where Damian had brought me back. My fingers traced imaginary patterns on the glass, my mind replaying every detail of what had happened. The chains. The black room. Marcus's sneer. Alex's willingness to sacrifice himself for my liberty.And Bianca…She wasn't done. I knew it.I took a deep breath, misting the glass with my exhalation. The door thudded shut, and I bristled at once. My heart pounded as I shifted my head infinitesimally, to discover Damian standing there.He towered there, his face impassiv
Bianca's New PlanLena's POVDark clouds gathered over the city as if the sky itself sensed the brewing storm. I sat at the window of Damian's mansion, staring out over the horizon, my mind disturbed. It had been days since Bianca's last threat, and no matter what Damian tried to tell me, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the calm before the storm.Bianca wasn't a woman to give up. No, she was a woman who smiled while whetting her blade.And she was planning something. I knew it.Damian ramped up the security, having double the amount of guards posted at the house. Every doorway was monitored and no one came or left without being searched. It should have made me more comfortable, but it didn't. Bianca had means, connections—she wasn't the kind of woman who had to play by rules.She was unpredictable.And then, as if the world had it in for reliving my worst nightmares, Damian stormed into the room, his phone clutched in his hand.His face was unreadable, but the tension
.Chapter Title: The Betrayal UnfoldsDamian’s POVI could feel the weight of the world bearing down on me, more than ever before. The absence of Lena from my life had left a vacuum, an emptiness of a gulf that echoed in the darkest corners of my mind. And now, in the shadows of my own kingdom, I realized something worse—something I never imagined possible—had happened.There was treachery in plain sight.I had always counted on others. I had always taken loyalty for granted, in bonds created through years of adversity and common goals. But here, in my office, I had a new understanding. A bitter realization consumed me, and it sickened me. One of the people I thought I could trust was implicated. One of them had betrayed me—and more importantly—betrayed Lena.The clue had been given by an unexpected source: a missing report I had found secretly stashed in a drawer that should have been empty. The papers had been neatly folded, carefully hidden between folders I knew I'd sorted through
Chapter Title: The Price of Betrayal(Lena’s POV)The room was silent, yet it felt suffocating. My breath came in slow, measured exhales as I sat on the cold stone floor, my arms wrapped tightly around my knees. My body ached, my wrists raw from the hours of being tied up, and the shadows in the corners of the dimly lit room seemed to shift with an eerie presence. Time had lost all meaning. How long had I been here? A day? Two? More?Hunger clawed at my insides, my throat dry from lack of water, but I refused to break. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me beg. Not Bianca. Not Marcus. No one. The memory of how I got here replayed in my mind like a cruel joke. I had trusted too easily, believed too much, and now, I was paying the price.A loud creak echoed through the room, making me flinch. My eyes darted to the heavy metal door as it swung open, revealing the last person I wanted to see—Bianca.She stepped in, her heels clicking against the stone floor, her expression a
Chapter Fifty Nine: Whispers Of BetrayalLena's POVSilence had been her most merciless friend.Lena sat in the dark room, her arms wrapped around her knees as she fought to calm the hurricane brewing within her. Every breath was leaden, every second stretched out endlessly. She was trapped—not physically but also mentally, emotionally. Bianca's ultimatum was a noose around her neck.Either she would have to push Damian aside and shatter his heart, or she would be responsible for his ruin.She shut her eyes, exhaustion gnawing at her. She had not been sleeping well in days. How could she? Every time she allowed herself to close her eyes, she could see Damian's face—the way he regarded her in love, in unbreakable dedication. And now they wanted her to betray that?She swallowed hard. No. She couldn't.But what else could she do?Marcus and Bianca had been methodical in their intimidation, with no way out for her. The only thing they hadn't banked on was the depth of her love for Damian
Chapter Suctu : Betrayal within the Ranks(Damian's POV)The weight of what I had just discovered felt like a knife against my ribs, suffocating me. Bianca was dangerous, but I had underestimated her desperation. She was not acting alone—she had powerful allies, ones that had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.I clenched my fists as I scanned the documents laid out before me. The evidence was undeniable. A series of encrypted emails between Bianca and an unknown contact, and transaction records—hundreds of thousands of dollars funneled through offshore accounts. But what ran cold was the final page. A signature.The signature at the bottom gave me the chills.Carlos.My right hand. My most faithful lieutenant. The one I'd had since war, since betrayal, since bloodshed. The man to whom I'd entrusted my life.For what seemed like forever, I just stood there, not wanting to accept it. No, this was some kind of mistake. Someone had signed his name, or pe
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty a one: A Perilous MissionLena's POVThe night was abnormally still as I crouched next to Logan behind a row of abandoned boxes outside the warehouse. The cold wind nipped my skin, but the surging adrenaline coursing through my veins prevented me from feeling it. This was it. Bianca's operation. One of her most important warehouses, where she had stored weapons, money, and intel that could be used against her. Blowing it up would eliminate a good chunk of her might.It wasn't just a matter of incinerating her resources, though. It was a matter of finding out what she had in store. Why she had allied herself with Antonio Ricci.Logan handed me an earpiece, his expression serious. "Stay close. No unnecessary risks. If something does go wrong, we leave right away."I grinned wryly. "Oh, you don't trust me?"He glared at me. "I trust you. I don't trust this place."He wasn't joking. The warehouse was heavily guarded. Security cameras were around every corner
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Lena's ChoiceLena's POVI lay in bed beside Damian, my hands holding him tightly. His face was pale, breathing labored but slowed. Having him like this—so broken and open and vulnerable—was like having someone poking an icicle deep into my heart. I never saw him in this manner before. Damian was always standing, always directing everything. But now, he was hanging by a thread barely.And this is all Bianca's doing.I swallowed the lump in my throat, and fought to keep my cool. I didn't have time to lose it. I didn't have time to let fear get the best of me. Bianca wasn't finished yet. She had already demonstrated how far she would go. And if I just sat here, waiting for Damian to wake up, she would come after us again.I couldn't let that happen.I needed to do something.I needed to stop this.I breathed in deeply and looked over at Logan, standing by the door. His arms were crossed, his face inscrutable, but I could tell there was tension in his stanc
Chapter One Hundred and Nine: The Escape (Lena's POV)The sound of gunfire echoed through the air, my own heart pounding against my ribcage. There was madness inside the warehouse—shouting, running, bullets ripping through walls. I blinked through dust and smoke, but I did not have time for fear. Logan was beside me, firing at Bianca's men while I held onto Damian, trying to keep him awake.He was too white. Too quiet. His chest rose and fell shallowly, and blood trickled through the bandages I'd slapped across his wound."Stay with me," I breathed, jostling him lightly. His eyelids trembled, but he didn't move.Logan ducked behind a stack of crates, reloading his pistol. "We have to go now," he exclaimed, sounding frantic. "They're on top of us.".I swallowed and nodded. My body trembled, but I steadied myself against it. Now was not the time to be afraid."We can't get out the front," Logan said. "They're too numerous."I looked around for another way out. The warehouse was big, but
Chapter One Hundred and Two: Hiding in the Shadows(Lena's POV)Blood scented the air in the vehicle. It was heavy, pungent, and metallic. My hands trembled as I pushed the cloth harder against Damian's wound, trying to cut off the flow of blood. His skin felt hot to the touch, and his breathing shallow."Stay with me," I whispered, my voice nearly drowned out by the hum of the engine.Logan gripped the wheel with tightly clenched fists, his eyes fixed on the road. City lights flashed by us as we sped through the black streets, headed towards a place I had never been to before."We're almost there," Logan muttered, his voice strained.Damian grunted deep in his throat, bracing in his chair. His jaw was clenched, his fists balled. He was struggling with the pain, resisting to allow it to consume him. But I could see how his eyelids were fluttering, the way his energy was seeping away.I'd never seen him so vulnerable.My heart pounded inside my ribcage as I cinched the cloth tighter on
Chapter One Hundred and seventeen: Escape in the DarkLena's POVThere was a single loud gunshot, a slicing cut into the night like a blade. It was a deafening crunch that wedged itself in my ears, pushing out the rest of the world.I froze. My heart stilled. My body froze.For a moment, I wasn't sure if I'd been hit.I hurt nothing—nothing ached or burned. But the quiet after the shot was stifling, a heavy weight of importance suspended in the air.And then I heard it. The hitch of breath, the low, agonized grunt.My gaze snapped to Damian.He crumpled back, his fingers digging into his ribs, clenching his side. Blood seeped through his black shirt, staining it a deep, dark red."Damian!" I exclaimed, racing towards him.His eyes never dimmed, his jaw still set, his face contorted in a scowl, but he didn't collapse. He didn't stumble. Injured, he stood—lethal, unstoppable.Against the wall, Bianca gripped the smoking gun in trembling hands. Her eyes were wild, her face vacillating be
Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: The ChaseDamian's POVThe moment I stepped out of the warehouse, my phone rang. Logan's name was on the screen. I answered in a flash, my voice cold."Tell me you found her."I didn't like the silence, so I waited."We tracked her phone," Logan said. "But it was discarded three blocks from the estate. She's off the grid."My fist clenched around the phone. I knew what that accomplished. Bianca had done it intentionally. She had had Lena under wraps to avoid tracking. My chest seethed with rage and something deeper beneath—fear.Lena was in danger.I gave orders to my men, my voice coldly. "I want everyone on hand out searching for her. Every street corner, every surveillance camera. If anyone even caught a glimpse, I want to know about it."They scattered at once, wiser than to linger. My head was pounding, my pulse a beat of tension. I had kept Lena in the dark, thinking I could shield her from Bianca's manipulations. And now she had been yanked into
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen: Cret CloserDamian's POVI stood in the middle of my office, staring at the map laid out on the table. My mind was racing, every thought slicing like a knife. I knew Bianca was brewing something big, and with Ricci involved now, things had become dangerous.Bianca wasn't just attempting to make my life complicated anymore. She was hell-bent on ruining me completely. And the worst, she was using Lena as a pawn.I tightened fists.I could not let that happen."Boss." Logan's voice snapped me out of my contemplation. He was at the door, his face serious. "We got more information."I stood up. "Tell me."Logan came in, closing the door. He placed a folder on the desk, but I didn't need to open it to know it was bad news. The tension on his face told me so."She's dating Ricci again," he told me. "Tonight. Same place as before."I gradually let out a breath, holding back my anger. "And?"Logan paused for a moment before going on. "They have something planne
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen: TrappedLena's POVThe house was heavy with tension. Damian had been tight since the explosion, snapping orders at his men, making late-night calls, and taking off for hours at a time without informing me where he was going. I could feel the shift in the atmosphere—the war had begun at last.And I was caught in the middle.I remained in the living room, gazing at the dancing flames within the fireplace. The heat would have been calming, but instead, it was a reminder of the explosion—the roar of the sound, the shaking walls, the moment that I thought I was going to die.There were so many questions I wanted answered, yet no one was giving them to me.The men in the house avoided eye contact with me. They were keeping something from me. Even Logan, the one who had tried to be nice to me at least, had been chilly. Damian was keeping things from me, and I was sick of it.I needed some answers.I stood up and made my way towards his office. The door was o
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen : The Chase Begins(Damian's POV)The scent of smoke and blood hung in the air as I loomed over the dead form of the man who had tried to abduct Lena. My fists were clenched at my sides, my temper barely under control.He was one of Bianca's men. That much was certain. But before I could get a word out of him, he had bitten down on something hidden in his mouth—cyanide, most likely.A tidy, efficient way to avoid talking.I expelled a rough breath. Bianca wasn't playing games anymore. She was escalating, putting me on the brink. And if she thought that she could take Lena away from me, she had another think coming.Logan intervened, his face stern. "We searched him. There wasn't much on him—no ID, no money. But we did have this."He handed me a phone. The screen was cracked, but it worked. I rapidly scrolled through it and found nothing but a single unread message."Take her to the docks. Midnight."My grip around the device hardened. Midnight was unde