Chloe rubbed her temples, trying to push back the lingering headache left by Damien's presence. "What do you want, Sienna?" she asked, settling into her chair. Sienna stood in front of her desk, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "You have some nerve, you know that?" Chloe exhaled, already tired of whatever fight Sienna was trying to pick. "What are you talking about?" "Oh, don't play dumb Chloe, you went to see Mom." Of course. Their father must have gone home and put up a fit, spinning the narrative in his favour. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, I went to see Mom. And?" "And," Sienna paused, her expression hardening, "you shouldn't have." Chloe let out a sharp breath, a humourless laugh escaping her lips. "Where do you get off saying shit like that?" Her voice was edged with irritation now, the initial restraint slipping. Sienna's eyes flinched, and she stepped closer to the desk. "You think you can just waltz her back into our life like nothing happened? After all
Ryan adjusted his cufflinks for the third time that evening, but no amount of straightening could steady his hands. His stomach twisted in knots, his mind racing through a hundred different excuses to get out of going to the Morelli auction. "Sienna, do we really have to go tonight?" He tried to keep his voice even, casual, as he watched her slip on a pair of diamond earrings. Sienna scoffed, rolling her eyes at his reflection in the mirror. "Ryan. It's one of the biggest nights in the industry. Everyone will be there." That was exactly the problem. Ryan swallowed hard. He had managed to stay out of Damien Cross's sight for years, always moving carefully, keeping his name under the radar. But tonight, there was no avoiding it. He had overheard the whispers—Damien was coming. He tried again. "I just think we could sit this one out. It's only day one, Maybe—" Sienna turned, her lips pressing together in annoyance. "You're acting weird. What's wrong with you?" "Nothing,"
The hall stood still as Damien made his way to the platform. The chattering, slurping of champagne, and whispers of his presence all came to an abrupt stop. He looked at the audience, carefully picking his next words. When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with just the right amount of confidence to keep the crowd entertained. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "It's a pleasure to welcome you all tonight. I see many familiar faces - some of you have been regulars at this event for years, yet still somehow manage to lose every major bid- your persistence is admirable." He said with a light chuckle. Soft laughter rippled through the audience. A few murmurs of mock protest rose, but Damien let them settle before continuing. "Of course, tonight isn't just about winning," he looked up straight at the crowd before his eyes rested on a particular section where Ryan was seated, still and pale. "It's about the thrill of the chase, about knowing when to strike…." He said, his v
Chloe stepped back into the grand room, smoothing her dress as she wove through the mingling guests. Damien didn’t matter, and Noah was overreacting, or so she told herself. Inside the hall, the auction had ended, the formalities settling into an air of celebration. The orchestra played a softer melody, couples swaying gracefully on the dance floor, laughter and the scent of rich wine settling beneath the dazzling chandeliers. She exhaled, steadying herself. She walked slowly to the middle of the room as she sat on the stool at the bar. The night was long, from nearly getting knocked over by Ryan to being left behind by Noah, she wasn’t sure she wanted to indulge in the after-party. “Something strong please,” Chloe ordered as she ran her hands through her blonde hair, then as her eyes lingered across the room. She saw him. Damien. Her gaze locked onto him before she could stop herself. And in that moment it felt like the night they met, only this time, he wasn’t alone,
The night air was thick, pressing down on Ryan like an unbearable weight as he stood on the empty sidewalk. His breathing was uneven, his pulse erratic. His thoughts weren’t his own anymore, just a jumbled mess of memories, fears, and the undeniable truth that he could no longer keep buried. He ran a hand through his hair, gripping the strands tightly at the roots as if the pain might anchor him or stop the spiral. But It didn’t. Sienna didn’t wait for the auction to end. She kept saying he humiliated her and little Miss Bennett doesn’t do well with humiliation. She walked out on him. He barely registered it, barely cared. The argument had ended with her slamming the door of the car in his face, and speeding off into the night, but Ryan wasn’t sure who had walked away from whom. Because he had left her long before tonight. His thoughts, his body, everything was gone ever since he came back. Damien Cross. Ryan held back a groan every time he thought of that name. The nam
A sharp tug at the blanket yanked Ryan out of the fog of sleep. His head pounded, a dull, insistent ache, and the grogginess clung to him like a second skin. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the dim morning light filtering through the blinds. “Get up.” The sharp bite in Sienna’s voice sliced through the haze. Ryan cracked an eye open, just in time to see her standing over him, arms folded, her expression a mixture of impatience and barely restrained irritation. “I said, get up.” She deepened her words with another tug, nearly ripping the blanket off the bed. Ryan exhaled through his nose, raking a hand down his face. “What the hell, Sienna?” His voice was raspy, his throat dry from whatever the hell he had downed last night. She scoffed. “You dare to ask me that? After the stunt, you pulled at the auction?” He sat up slowly, his body protesting the movement. A hangover wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but paired with the frustration radiating off Sienna in
Chloe spent the entire day trying to push thoughts of Damien out of her mind. It wasn’t easy, not after what happened at the auction. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the way he had kissed her. The way he had looked at her like he had done something terrible. She had buried herself in work, hoping that if she kept herself busy enough, she wouldn’t have the time to dwell on it. Chloe leaned back in her chair as she stared at her desktop screen. 12:36 pm, she jolted up, like the time sent electric waves through her body. “Oh shit….Nina’s gonna kill me” she groaned. She stepped out of her office building. The weather was hot and the air was thick with the scent of coffee and freshly baked bread from the café across the street. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, her phone pressed against her ear as she navigated through the lunchtime crowd. “I’m literally on my way, Nina,” she said, dodging a man carrying an overstuffed briefcase. “Just order me the usual.
The night had started well enough.Sienna sat on the edge of Ryan’s bed, one leg crossed over the other as she watched him try to knot a tie. He muttered a curse under his breath as his face tightened in frustration. She shook her head. “You’re hopeless.” “I don’t see you offering to help.” He grunted. Sienna pushed herself off the bed, strutting barefoot across the room. She plucked his wrist from his neck and expertly knotted the tie. “There, now you won’t look like a mess in front of all the rich folks we’re about to dine with tonight. Ryan snorted. “Right, because you’re not one of them.” “Oh, I am, but at least I’m fun.” Sienna was already dressed in a deep emerald silk gown that clung to her curves, she did one final check in the mirror before slipping into her heels. Ryan watched her as she painted her lips. “You’re going all out tonight.” “Well it has been a while since we did this, don’t you think?” He hummed, running his hand through his damp hair st
Sienna parked her car on a sidewalk ten minutes away from Chloe’s apartment.She couldn’t wrap her head around how Damien had gotten so close to her sister.Something was going on between them—she was sure of it. And as much as she wanted to dig deeper, there was something else pressing on her mind.Ryan.She turned the broken phone over in her hands, the jagged cracks across the screen mirroring the uneasy feeling settling in her chest. A feeling she rarely allowed herself to acknowledge—regret.Letting out a slow breath, she settled back in her seat, trying to clear her thoughts. That’s when her eyes caught a familiar figure in the dimly lit bar across the street.It was Noah.She hesitated for only a moment before pushing open her car door. If anyone could help her find Ryan, it was him.And she was ready to take that chance.______Noah sat slumped over the counter, a half-empty glass of whiskey in his hand. His mind was a storm—anger, frustration, and something heavier he couldn’
It had been two days since Ryan vanished. And Sienna wasn’t the type to worry. She felt it gave her wrinkles and folded her cheeks.But now, she stared at her phone, scrolling through the unanswered messages and missed calls he had left her.She had ignored them all. At first, it was out of anger—she was still furious about the dinner, about how he let Damien humiliate her.She hadn’t been in the mood to hear his excuses. She thought he’d eventually show up at her place like always, trying to smooth things over, but he didn’t.To ease her mind, she grabbed her coat and drove to his apartment. The key he had given her felt cold in her palm. And she hesitated before pushing it into the lock.The moment she stepped inside, her unease deepened. The place was clean. Not just organized, but unnervingly spotless. Ryan wasn’t a slob, but he wasn’t this meticulous either. The air felt stale as if no one had been here in days.“Ryan?” she called out, even though she knew she wouldn’t get an an
Chloe’s breath was uneven as she stormed out of Damien’s penthouse. The elevator doors hadn’t even closed behind her before she was pacing down the quiet street.Her body still pulsed from where he had touched her—where he had almost taken her. She could still feel the touch of his fingers, the way he had teased her, controlled her, made her want things she wasn’t supposed to want.She sucked in a sharp breath, gripping her arms as she came to a halt outside the penthouse. The city was still alive in the distance, but here, in front of his towering penthouse, there was nothing but silence.Her mind screamed at her for what she had almost done.But her body… her body begged her to go back.Why did I let him touch me? She thought to herself.Her eyes flickered down to herself. She could still feel his hands on her thighs, the pressure of his fingers gliding higher, the way his voice had made her tremble.She looked back.The penthouse loomed above her, the high-rise windows dark and inv
Chloe sat cross-legged in Nina’s apartment, holding a bowl of oatmeal. “So let me get this straight,” Nina said, reclining against the armrest. “Noah kissed you, and you just… what? Sat there?”“I didn’t sit there. I was— I don’t know, I was shocked. It wasn’t exactly something I saw coming.”“Girl, you’re acting like Noah is some stranger.” Nina waved a dismissive hand. “You two have history, and let’s be honest, you could do worse.”Chloe rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point.”“Then what is?” Nina smirked. “Is this about him?”“Who?” Chloe asked.“Damien! I mean what’s going on with him anyway?”Chloe shot her a look, but Nina just waggled her eyebrows.“Chloe, think about it. Damien isn’t exactly relationship material, but the man is sin-walking,” Nina continued, swirling the wine in her glass. “And you’ve already been there once, so why not try it again? No strings, no drama. Just fun.”Chloe scoffed as her fingers intertwined around her bowl. “I’m not thinking about Damien.” S
Ryan Hastings was a man hunted—not just by Damien Cross, but by his guilt and paranoia. The shadows in his rambling apartment emerged larger these days, whispering Damien’s name at every corner. His eyes darted towards the clock every few seconds, it had been days since he’d last heard from Damien.And for those days, he’d been living on the edge, waiting for the inevitable. The silence was worse than an outright attack. It meant Damien was planning, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And that was far more terrifying than any impulsive act of violence.Ryan sat in his dimly lit house, a half-empty whiskey bottle on the table, glasses piled up in the sink, untouched food sat at the counter—he was falling apart in plain sight, but he didn’t care. Each sip of alcohol was an attempt to quiet the dread, but it only intensified it.Dozens of unanswered calls and texts stared back at him—contacts who had once been allies were now too afraid to associate with him. He had no one left.
Noah Sinclair had always been the guy people could rely on. The dependable one. The one who had a plan, a strategy, an answer for every problem. It was why he was good at what he did—consulting for Bennett Industries, ensuring everything ran smoothly, and finding solutions before problems even arose. It was a skill that had taken him far in his career. But when it came to Chloe Bennett, things had never been simple. He met Chloe back in college. She had walked into his life with a solid presence without even trying. Sharp-tongued, brilliant, and ambitious—Chloe had never needed saving, never needed anyone to fight her battles. And yet, Noah had always found himself wanting to stand by her, wanting to be the person she could lean on if she ever allowed herself to. They had been friends, close ones. The kind of friends who stayed up late talking about everything and nothing, who understood each other in a way that made words almost unnecessary. But there had been a time when
It had been a long day for Damien. Meetings. Business deals. The final day of The Morelli Auction. A headache that refused to go away. He had thought that drowning himself in work would keep his thoughts occupied, but it hadn’t. Damien was still fuming from his last phone call with Ryan. How dare he ask him if he was playing games?Did anything look like a game to him?Before Damien could entertain more aggressive thoughts, his phone vibrated against the desk.A single glance at the screen made the night take a different turn for him.Chloe? Chloe had never called Damien since the day they met, so why was she doing so now?He stared at the phone, the call ringing out as he sat motionless.He didn’t answer.Seconds passed and the ringing stopped.And then, a voicemail notification popped up.Damien hesitated before pressing play.“Damien… it’s me….Chloe.” A shaky voice started. Damien listened to the voicemail until the end. A deep frown creased his forehead as he replayed the messag
The tension in the room heightened as Chloe pinned Sienna against the wall. Her eyes weren’t the same as they used to be. The soft gentle look that she had, now turned into something much darker.Sienna’s eyes flashed, but her smirk didn’t waver. She had not expected Chloe to come off this strong but she couldn’t let her guard down either.“Get your slimy hands off me,” she snapped pushing Chloe as much as her strength could.Chloe staggered, trying to steady herself.“Is this what you do? Go ahead being a nuisance in everyone’s lives.” Her voice thundered across the room.“No Chloe, just yours.” Chloe rubbed her fingers against her forehead.“I can’t believe you.”“Oh, please. Drop the act, Chloe.” Sienna stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper, anger laced in every word.“You know what? I’m tired of you. It must be exhausting, pretending to be something you’re not. That perfect little daughter. That strong, self-made woman.” She tilted her head. “You want to know what’s pathet
The night stretched on, but for Damien, It was far from over. Midnight had settled over the city like a heavy cloak, muffling the usual hum of life. The streets below Damien’s penthouse were quiet. Only the occasional glitching of a streetlight captured attention. The distant howl of wind rushing between buildings. The city outside had gone into a quiet still, but Damien was more on edge than ever. Damien stood by his window, hands crossed behind his back, his reflection a shadow against the glass. He had been staring out at nothing for the past few minutes but in his mind? His mind was a mess. His patience was wearing thin. As the weight of the night settled into his bones, Damien felt a sharp pain strike his chest. Enough was enough. Ryan had made unforgivable mistakes and now he was going to pay for it. A sharp vibration broke through the silence. Ethan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down at the screen before lifting his eyes to Damien. “Well?” he asked,