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
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
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’
Sienna sat in front of her vanity, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The bedside lamp cast a golden hue over her features, making the shadows under her eyes look darker and sharper. Her white silk robe draped over her shoulders, loosely tied at the waist, revealing a hint of her collarbone as she absentmindedly toyed with the paper in her hand.The note.Watch yourself.The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with meaning as Sienna ran her fingers over the edge of the paper, pressing it lightly between her fingertips.The message felt more like a warning than a threat. She had no definite proof but deep down, she was certain of one thing. It had to be Damien. It had his name written all over it.She didn’t have proof—just instinct. And instinct, Sienna knew, was something she had honed to perfection over the years. It had never failed her before. She had been challenging Damien, pushing him, she thought. And now he was irritated.This note, this chilling reminder, was his w
The office was silent except for the soft rustling of paper as Chloe moved around, straightening a few things on Damien’s desk. She wasn’t doing it for orderliness— it was just something to keep her hands busy, something to fill the space between them.Damien sat back in his chair, watching her with a lost expression. Then, without warning, he spoke.“You sent the note, didn’t you?”Chloe stilled, her fingers hovering over a stack of documents.A wave of silence passed through them before she turned slowly, her brows furrowing in feigned confusion. “What?”“You sent that note to Sienna.”Chloe let out a soft, disbelieving chuckle. “Why would I do that?”“You tell me.”“You think I threatened my own sister?”“Well it was more of a warning, not a threat, but yes.”“If you already decided I did it, then why are you asking?”“Because I want to hear you admit it.”She stared at him, refusing to waver. “I didn’t send it.”Damien leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. His voice dro
Chloe Bennett tasted betrayal on her tongue. It wasn’t the tequila. No. It wasn’t the burn of the liquor sliding down her throat. That would have been much easier to handle. It was the sight of them—her sister, her ex—wrapped in each other’s arms like she had never existed. She felt her chest tighten as she wallowed in self pity. The club pulsed around her, but she didn’t hear the music. All she heard was the echo of his words, the ones that shattered her into nothing. Stabbing her like a blunt pocket knife twisting deeper into her back. “It was always her, Chloe.” She had replayed those words over and over again, her mind desperately trying to find some loophole in their meaning. Some ridiculous way to make them mean anything but what they did. But no, the truth was there, raw and unyielding. She should have known, the late-night calls he ignored, the way his gaze lingered a second too long whenever her sister entered the room. The tightness in his voice when he swore
Chloe Bennett couldn’t believe her ears. For a moment, everything went dark and hazy, as if she were trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t wake from. She shook her head, desperate to shake off the wave of hurt coursing through her. “What are you saying, Ryan? I… I don’t understand,” she stutters, fighting back the warm tears already gliding down her cheeks. She stands frozen in the living room, her heart hammering against her ribs as the harsh reality of Ryan’s betrayal hit her like a tidal wave. His words echo through her mind, each syllable cutting deeper than the last. Her breath grows unsteady. The room seems smaller, suffocating. Across from her, Ryan her boyfriend and Sienna her older sister sit side by side on the sofa, their hands intertwined. Their closeness was a cruel confirmation of what she had just heard—what she had lost. Chloe’s stomach twists violently. She clenches her fists while trying to control her breath. “I asked you a question,” she says, her voice barely
The bar was crowded, the low hum of conversations blending with the soft clinking of glasses. He sat in his usual corner, swirling the liquid in his glass. He wasn’t here to drink, not really. He was here out of habit, a way to pass the time. And then he saw her. She walked in like she had no real destination—like the world had just thrown her out and she hadn’t decided where to land. Her steps were slow, hesitant, and yet there was a fire in her eyes, a storm she was trying to conceal. She took a seat at the bar, ordered a drink, and wrapped her fingers around the glass like it was the only thing tethering her to reality. He watched as she brought it to her lips, taking a slow sip, her shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath. Something about her caught his attention, though he wasn’t sure what. Maybe it was the way she gripped the drink like she was trying to draw strength from it. Or the way her gaze occasionally flickered to her reflection in the mirror behind the bar,
The office was silent except for the soft rustling of paper as Chloe moved around, straightening a few things on Damien’s desk. She wasn’t doing it for orderliness— it was just something to keep her hands busy, something to fill the space between them.Damien sat back in his chair, watching her with a lost expression. Then, without warning, he spoke.“You sent the note, didn’t you?”Chloe stilled, her fingers hovering over a stack of documents.A wave of silence passed through them before she turned slowly, her brows furrowing in feigned confusion. “What?”“You sent that note to Sienna.”Chloe let out a soft, disbelieving chuckle. “Why would I do that?”“You tell me.”“You think I threatened my own sister?”“Well it was more of a warning, not a threat, but yes.”“If you already decided I did it, then why are you asking?”“Because I want to hear you admit it.”She stared at him, refusing to waver. “I didn’t send it.”Damien leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. His voice dro
Sienna sat in front of her vanity, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The bedside lamp cast a golden hue over her features, making the shadows under her eyes look darker and sharper. Her white silk robe draped over her shoulders, loosely tied at the waist, revealing a hint of her collarbone as she absentmindedly toyed with the paper in her hand.The note.Watch yourself.The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with meaning as Sienna ran her fingers over the edge of the paper, pressing it lightly between her fingertips.The message felt more like a warning than a threat. She had no definite proof but deep down, she was certain of one thing. It had to be Damien. It had his name written all over it.She didn’t have proof—just instinct. And instinct, Sienna knew, was something she had honed to perfection over the years. It had never failed her before. She had been challenging Damien, pushing him, she thought. And now he was irritated.This note, this chilling reminder, was his w
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