Damien chuckled. “I never said that. But Mason is different. He doesn’t have the same coldness. Naomi keeps pushing him to be something he’s not.” Aurora stared at him for a moment before sighing. “I don’t know if you’re protecting him or just manipulating the situation.” Damien smirked, turning his eyes back to the road. “Maybe both.” Aurora scoffed. “You’re impossible.” Damien reached over and took her hand. “And yet, you’re still here.” Aurora bit her lip, looking away. She couldn’t deny the warmth that spread through her when he held her like that. The car slowed down as they approached a grand, glass-fronted restaurant with golden lighting reflecting off its entrance. The valet rushed forward as Damien pulled into the driveway. “We’re here,” he said, letting go of her hand. Aurora inhaled deeply before stepping out of the car, already sensing that the night wasn’t over yet. The moment Aurora stepped inside Restaurant de Sea, the aroma of grilled seafood and ocea
The room was silent. Aurora’s skin was clear of the rash but still pale. Damien sat on the couch, watching her. Everyone had left the room to give him space. He bit his inner cheeks, watching her closely, trying to catch any slight movement she might make. While he kept staring, his phone began to ring. “Boss,” Simon’s worried voice sounded. “Our ship transporting goods to Australia was attacked. We lost a lot of goods and the team. I’m trying to—” “They fell for it,” Damien scoffed. “What? Boss?” Simon tried to understand what he meant. “Find out if Daniel is awake,” Damien ordered and hung up. Mason walked into the room. “Work?” he asked. Damien didn’t respond. He just sat there, his gaze fixed on Aurora. “I just came from the doctor. The DNA result will be out by evening,” Mason said. Damien only nodded. Naomi, who had been about to enter, stopped in her tracks when she heard Mason mention a DNA result. She frowned and leaned in to eavesdrop. “The last time I remember, i
Daniel smirked, watching Kayla adjust her handbag with a determined look in her eyes. “You really think his assistant will be your way in?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice. Kayla turned to him, her eyes cold. “Simon is more loyal to Damien than a dog to its owner, but even the most loyal men have weaknesses. I just need to find his.” Daniel chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Kayla. Seems like you’re tired of governing your cosmetic company.” “I have to do this. Beverly loved him, and this is all she gets?” she shot back. “I can make a difference before he even realizes what’s happening.” Daniel leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “And what exactly do you plan to do? Seduce him? Bribe him? Because Simon is not stupid.” Kayla smirked. “I don’t need to seduce or bribe him. I just need to make him desperate enough to come to me.” Daniel arched a brow. “And how do you plan on doing that?” Kayla took a deep breath. “I have some di
The room was silent. Everyone watched as the nurse removed Aurora’s IV drip and prepared her for discharge. After a few minutes, she smiled at Aurora.“All done,” she said, prompting Damien to bend down and carry Aurora in a bridal style.After they left the hospital, Damien drove her to get ice cream. Everyone chose their flavors, with the happiest person among them being Naomi, who stuck close to her husband. The smile on her face was so obvious that Mason had to ask.“Did you win a lottery?” he asked as they all sat down.Damien didn’t take sweets, so he just focused on his phone. Aurora and Agatha looked at Naomi, who chuckled.“Something like that, my love,” she said, then pecked Mason’s cheek.“Do you mind sharing?” he asked, but Naomi shook her head, laughing. The DNA result worked as she planned.“Damien,” Aurora turned to her husband, who immediately dropped his phone.“Yes, honey?” He sat up straight and looked at her.Aurora chuckled. She had noticed he had been calling her
Naomi swallowed hard and immediately hung up. She cleared her throat, trying hard not to look at Damien’s expressionless face. “It’s uncultured to listen to someone’s phone call,” she said. Damien simply nodded. “I can identify a fake the very first day I see one. If Mason believes you are the one, so be it. But take note—if you mess with his naivety, the earth will be a place you will wish you never existed.” His voice was quiet, but every word sounded like a warning. Without waiting for Naomi’s response, he walked away. Naomi frowned. Her palms were sweaty, and her body was shaking. She swallowed hard and tried to sit down to calm herself. As Damien walked back upstairs, he saw Mason coming out of their room. “Did you see Naomi?” Mason asked. Damien shook his head. Mason sighed and left to go look for his wife. Inside the master bedroom, Aurora was in her nightwear, focused on her phone when Damien walked in. “You should be sleeping,” his voice said, making Aurora raise he
The night was cold. After much anticipation, Simon decided to meet with the lady who had called earlier. He had calculated everything and knew where it was going to end.The Bridgeton Bar was bustling with celebrities and influencers inside. Simon entered and went upstairs to the cabin he had been told about earlier.As soon as he entered, he saw the familiar face.“I thought you wouldn’t be coming,” Kayla said as she sat up, causing Simon to scoff.“Miss Kayla,” he said, then sat down.“Drink?” she asked.“Get to your point,” he said with a straight face.“Let’s make a deal. Tell me where Beverly is, and your secret is safe with me,” she said, causing Simon to scoff. He sat up, shaking his head before looking at her.“In other words, I should betray my boss for my secret,” he said, and Kayla smiled.“If you say so,” she said, causing Simon to chuckle.“Do you know that once you agree to blackmail, it never stops?” he added, causing Kayla to look at him.“In this case, it stops. All I
Damien looked at Mason. The sadness in his eyes made him understand, in that instant, that he had been betrayed.Mason bowed his head slightly, then scoffed.“My mom was right. Bitches like her—”“I’m not standing here to listen to your baby cries. Say what you found out,” Damien cut in immediately.Mason chuckled, then looked at him.“He was her ex-husband. After getting what she wanted, she left, even when he refused to divorce her.”“So you married another man’s wife?” Damien scoffed.“It’s not funny,” Mason said with a straight face.“He’s not the only one,” he added.“What?” Damien asked as Mason ran a hand through his hair.“That’s her job—marry rich men, take a decent fortune from them, and run.”“I thought she was a poor waitress you fell in love with,” Damien said, making Mason sigh.“That was just her cover. I—”“What are you going to do about it?” Damien finally asked.“I’ll watch her and see what she wants from me,” Mason replied, taking a deep breath.“Women like that are
Aurora’s fragile hands held onto Damien’s chest. She swallowed hard before relaxing her head against him. “Why did you strip me naked?” she asked slowly. “I don’t think it’s because you want us to continue from last night,” she added. Damien raised her head and gently took her lips. He kissed her tenderly, tasting every inch before slipping his tongue into her mouth, devouring her whole. Aurora’s hands moved towards his neck, her delicate fingers caressing him as she kissed him back harder. Damien lifted her, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her into their bathroom, gently placing her down before breaking the kiss. His hazel eyes stared into her blue ones, and her flushed face made him chuckle. He slowly stripped off his clothes, leaving himself bare. Aurora immediately covered her face, making Damien chuckle again. He gently removed her hands, cupping her face. “I love you,” he whispered, making Aurora blush. He stepped closer, causing her to
Aurora’s eyes remained wide open, her mouth slightly parted as she slowly raised her head to look at Damien. His weak eyes stared back at her, and his lips were dry and cracked.Tears began to flow from her eyes as she stared at him.“Will you stop…” Damien tried to speak.Aurora cut him off with an intended kiss — a kiss of gratitude, pain and love, filled with joy for surviving.His lips were dry, and she could feel it. He was too weak to energetically kiss her back.Aurora broke the kiss and hugged him tightly.“Awch,” Damien hissed in pain as her hands touched his bandaged hand.“Oh… sorry, baby,” she said, wiping her tears.“Baby,” Damien called, looking at her, causing Aurora to sigh.“No time for jokes, Damien,” she said, making Damien chuckle.“Come here, you love crying too much,” he said, patting her hair slowly.“When did you wake up?” she asked, and Damien smiled.“You’ve been on the phone with Camila — how would you notice your husband has been awake since morning?” he te
Inside the presidential suite, the steady beep of the life-support machine filled the room. Aurora clung tightly to Damien’s unconscious hand, her tears refusing to stop. She thought he was dead. After waiting endlessly for the surgery to end, her heart had pounded without rest, desperate in prayer for her husband’s life.She had forgotten she was bleeding and her clothes were stained until a nurse approached, gently handing her clean clothes and sanitary supplies.Raising her head to gaze at Damien’s sleeping face, Aurora closed her eyes and continued sobbing. Simon, standing nearby, could feel the heaviness of her grief. He sighed, then approached quietly.“Madam,” he whispered, leaning close.“Ma—”Just then, the door burst open. Camila and Agatha rushed in.“What happened?” Camila cried, her eyes already filled with tears as she hurried to Damien’s side.Aurora sat up, allowing Agatha to pull her into a comforting hug.“I thought he was dead,” Aurora whispered brokenly into Agatha
John cleared his throat, then smiled at Aurora. “Aurora,” he called, smiling. “Father,” Aurora responded with a smile. “Sir Damien,” the manager who was with John now greeted. “I’ve told you to stay away from anything that has to do with my mother,” Damien said, making John sigh. “Thank you for your help, Manager Christ. I’ll take my leave,” John said and left. “You’re fired,” Damien said as he entered the elevator with Aurora. “Boss, I’m sorry, he—” The manager tried to plead, but the elevator doors closed. “You can’t just fire—” “It’s my company, my rules. I warned him. My father’s presence here—I should be informed. He disobeyed me. I would have sent him to the hospital before firing him, but you’re here. I don’t want to traumatize you,” Damien said. Aurora gently held his hand. “At least… aren’t you curious to know why your father came?” “Same reason as always. It’s his dead wife’s property. He came to visit,” Damien replied, making Aurora sigh. “Well, I don’t see an
Aurora walked into the wardrobe where Damien was, after she was done eating. Her eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.“What’s funny?” Damien turned around, wearing white pants and a beach shirt.“What’s in all these boxes?” she asked, opening one.“Ahh…” she looked at Damien, who smiled.“Go and bathe. I’ll fix your sanitary items for you,” he said, causing Aurora to bow her head, then chuckle again.“Do you want to start a company for manufacturing sanitary pads?” she asked.“Do you want me to?” he responded, making Aurora smile, then sigh.“You already have too much on your plate. That’s very unnecessary,” she said as she opened another box.“Oh, Damien…” she muttered upon seeing it was filled with tampons.“Go and bathe. I’ll select clothes for you to wear. I didn’t order other clothes along—I was in a haste while ordering all of them,” he said, and Aurora nodded.“Actually, I don’t like tampons. They make me uncomfortable,” she said, then left the wardrobe.In less tha
John drank his life away. The fact that his father’s death didn’t hurt him as much as seeing his wife having an affair did. He wanted to press her neck and choke her, but he loved her so much that doing so would feel like hurting himself.“Where’s my mother?” Daniel walked in.“I told you to leave,” John said, standing up from the couch.“I’ve called you father my whole life, not knowing you killed my real father. Still, I don’t care. The only person I don’t want to see in this family is Damien, because he is the reason I’m seen as a man with no use. So—”“Shut up and leave, Daniel. You have no right to say who you want to see and who you don’t,” John said, then turned to leave.“I will burn the Vladimirs to the ground,” Daniel said, causing John to smirk.“I’ll watch you try. A little reminder—Damien is not a man to play with. He’s been easy with you because of his grandpa, but now he’s gone. And your mother killed him. He’ll put a bullet through your heart without thinking. That’s t
Everywhere became silent. Mason’s eyes stared at Naomi. Agatha and Camila smiled at her curiously.Naomi knew Camila was trying to stir something up, so she immediately cleared her throat.“Erhhhem… I think you heard wrong,” she said, drinking from her wine glass.“I’ve heard that name before,” Mason said, removing the steaks from the grill.“Where, baby?” she asked, gesturing for Mason to cut the steaks into small pieces.“You. On call with some Sara,” he said, making Naomi frown.“You all have been hearing wrong, and even if you heard right, I don’t want to talk about my ex,” she said, prompting Camila to chuckle.“It doesn’t bite though,” Camila said, collecting steaks from Mason.“It should be my business,” Naomi added. Agatha chuckled at the drama before smiling at Mason, who handed her the steak.Naomi didn’t like that, but she couldn’t react, so she just sat still, holding in her anger.“What about you, Agatha? I see you’ve been staying with Aurora recently. Don’t you have a bo
The ride was silent. Damien looked at Aurora through the rearview mirror as she folded herself in the back seat and cried.He didn’t understand why she was crying. He hated himself for not punishing them—just giving them an easy death. His knuckles tightened as he picked up his phone and dialed a number.“Search for their family. Everyone should pay,” he said coldly, then hung up.Instead of heading to the mansion, Damien diverted to an isolated highway. He kept watching Aurora until she eventually fell asleep.He stopped at a small white beach. A beautiful vacation house stood at the center. He stepped out and carried the sleeping Aurora in his arms.“Open the door, Alexa,” he commanded, and the gate opened. Damien walked in while carrying Aurora. Her purple cheeks made him feel he hadn’t served justice yet. He entered the mansion and took her to the only bedroom in the house. Gently, he laid her down and went downstairs to make a call.“Frank, whatever you’re doing, stop it. I need
Agatha stood up, shocked and worried.“What did you say? She just went for a candy,” she said, rushing toward where Camila came from.“Aurora!!” she screamed out.“See, her ice cream stick,” Camila pointed at the melted ice cream on the floor.“It might not be hers. Might just be the same flavor. Not hers,” Agatha refused to believe it and rushed to the candy stand.“Did you sell candy to a petite, dark-haired girl with blue eyes? About twenty-four years old?” she asked. The man nodded.“She paid and took her candy away,” the man responded.“Did you see anyone with her or…”“A guy. Didn’t look at him very well,” he added, then continued attending to his customers.“What do you think?” Camila asked.Agatha rubbed her head, worried. “We need to tell Damien before it’s too late. He won’t take it easy on us. You know your brother.”On the highway, far from the park, three men sat in silence as they drove their little truck into the woods.“Are you sure the husband will pay a huge ransom f
John knew one thing for sure—messing with Damien was never a good idea. Upon finding out about their grandfather’s death and who was responsible, he vowed to make sure the person suffered emotionally, physically, and mentally. He knew Ciara had killed his father. That night, when he woke up and saw she wasn’t in bed, he assumed she was in the bathroom. But when he checked and didn’t find her there, he simply returned to bed. He hadn’t been surprised—but he was shocked that his suspicions had been right. He didn’t take action. He felt guilty for killing Daniel’s father, so he bore the responsibility. That was why he couldn’t let her leave the villa as Damien had demanded. But what he was hearing and seeing now—his body couldn’t contain the anger. The sounds of erotic moans filled the room. Ciara immediately grabbed her phone to switch it off. The message sent to her earlier was an erotic video—of her and her sugar boy. John couldn’t take it. He yanked the phone from her hands. “Jo