The morning sunlight slipped through the cracks in the curtain, delicate and warm, but it wasn’t the light that woke Sienna it was the soft, steady rhythm of Damien’s heartbeat beneath her ear.She lay curled against his bare chest, tangled in the sheets and in him. His arm was draped protectively around her waist, his fingers absentmindedly stroking her spine in a lazy rhythm that grounded her more than any words ever could.It felt safe.It felt real.But safety, she’d learned, was always temporary in Damien’s world.She tilted her face up to study him. His eyes were closed, lashes casting faint shadows against his cheekbones. For a moment, he looked peaceful. Vulnerable. Like the weight he carried had momentarily loosened its grip.And for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to imagine a future. Not just fragments or fantasies but actual mornings like this. Shared coffee. Arguments over who finished the milk. Laughter in the kitchen. Maybe even Her thoughts were cut
The world outside kept moving cars humming through distant streets, horns blaring, lights flashing in dizzy rhythms but up on that balcony, everything was still.Sienna stared at Damien as his confession lingered in the air between them, heavy and raw.Every time I think I’m ready, something pulls me back. My father’s voice. The sound of my mother crying in the dark. The night I stood outside a burning house and didn’t feel anything.He hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud.But now that he had, he didn’t try to take it back.Sienna’s chest tightened. The image was too vivid. Damien, cold and emotionless, standing in front of flames that devoured everything while he stood there—untouched, unshaken, unreachable.She moved closer to him.What house, Damien?He shook his head slowly, the memories chasing the color from his face.It was my aunt’s. I was thirteen. She’d taken me in for a while after things got bad at home. She was the only one who tried to save me from him. From my f
The next morning came with an unexpected gentleness.No alarms. No urgent calls. No headlines. Just the quiet hum of the city beneath them and the soft rays of sunrise spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows.Sienna stood by the edge of the bed, her suitcase open, half-packed. A pair of heels dangled from her hand, though her mind was far away. She didn’t know what surprised her more than Damien had suggested the trip, or that she’d actually agreed.It wasn’t like her to run. She’d always faced things head-on, fought through the pain, stood in the storm. But for once, she didn’t want to be strong. She didn’t want to prove anything.She just wanted to feel something other than exhaustion.Damien stepped into the room, fresh from the shower, towel around his waist, droplets gliding down his chest. He looked like something from a dream—messy, raw, real. He paused when he saw her.You’re overthinking it again, he said softly.She looked up.Maybe.He crossed the room, slowly, like h
The soft hush of morning wrapped itself around them like a warm cocoon.Sienna stirred slowly, her body entangled with Damien’s beneath the light sheets. The window shutters were slightly open, and sunlight spilled through them in golden slants, painting lines across the bed. Outside, the Aegean Sea sparkled like it was made of crushed diamonds, calm and endless.Damien’s arm was slung around her waist. His breathing was deep, steady. Peaceful.She studied his face the strong jaw that always tensed when he was holding something back, the slight crease between his brows that remained even in sleep, and the shadow of stubble along his cheek. This was the Damien the world never saw. Not the ruthless billionaire. Not the scandalized heir. Just… him.Her Damien.She slipped out of bed carefully, padded barefoot across the marble floor, and stepped onto the private terrace. A breeze swept over her, carrying the scent of sea salt and sun-warmed stone. She closed her eyes, letting it wash ove
The return to New York was nothing short of jarring.Gone were the ocean breezes and peaceful silences of Santorini. In their place came traffic horns, the buzz of notifications, and the suffocating weight of responsibilities waiting on their doorstep.Sienna stepped out of the black SUV, heels clicking against the pavement as the penthouse building loomed above her. Damien followed silently, jaw clenched, shoulders taut. Neither of them had said much during the ride from the airport. Not because they were upset but because they were holding on to something fragile. Something they weren’t ready to break.Reality.Inside, the penthouse was spotless. Too spotless. Like it had been cleaned to erase everything that had happened before they left.Sienna dropped her bag near the couch and stood in the middle of the living room, scanning everything. The art on the walls. The untouched bar cart. The view of the city that no longer felt comforting.Damien came up behind her, wrapping his arms
The dinner was a trap.Not the kind you walked into unknowingly but the kind you stepped into with your eyes wide open, daring the other person to flinch first.Damien reserved a private room at one of the most exclusive rooftop restaurants in Manhattan. Sienna wore red bold, dangerous, and unforgettable. Damien’s charcoal suit was pressed to perfection, but beneath the surface, he was a storm held together by sheer control.Alec arrived ten minutes late, as if he owned the place.He walked in with that easy smile, that false warmth in his eyes, and hugged Damien like they were still brothers.You look good, man, Alec said. Greece must’ve been good to you.Damien’s expression didn’t change. He nodded once and gestured to the table.Sit. We have things to celebrate.Sienna poured champagne, her smile polite, too smooth to be genuine.Celebrate what exactly? Alec asked, swirling his glass.Loyalty, Damien replied. And the people who pretend to possess it.For a moment, Alec froze. His e
The city didn’t sleep that night.Neither did Damien.Sienna had drifted off sometime after three, curled against his side in the bed they now shared more than just physically. But his mind refused to rest. The confrontation with Alec still echoed in his skull like the ringing of a distant gunshot. Sharp. Final.He stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the city pulse beneath them. Lights, traffic, endless movement and yet, a part of him felt like everything had stopped.He hadn’t just severed a friendship.He’d amputated a part of himself.Sienna stirred behind him. Her voice came soft, half-asleep.You haven’t slept.I don’t think I can.She sat up, the sheet sliding down her bare shoulder. The dim glow from the city lights danced across her skin.Come back to bed, Damien.He didn’t move.It hurts, doesn’t it? she whispered.He finally looked at her.I knew Alec for over twenty years. We built everything side by side. And now I look back, and I don’t know how much of it was
The city buzzed with noise, but inside the penthouse, it was too quiet.Damien sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, staring down at the cryptic message Alec had posted. His phone dimmed and brightened again. Notifications were flooding in investors asking questions, journalists poking around, old acquaintances reaching out as if they had always cared.But none of that mattered.What mattered was the chill in Alec’s words.Just wait.Sienna walked in from the bathroom, her damp hair wrapped in a towel, her robe tied loosely around her waist. She saw the look in Damien’s eyes and knew instantly.He’s retaliating, she said.Not with facts. With fire. And shadows.Damien turned the screen toward her.Sienna read the words again, slowly. Her stomach twisted.This isn’t just a threat to you, Damien.I know.He’s going to come after me, she whispered.Damien stood and cupped her face in his hands.Let him try. I will bury him before he lays a single finger on you.She nodded,
Back in Damien’s penthouse, the silence between them was no longer thick with doubt but with fire. The kind that smolders deep in the bones, dangerous and determined.Sienna stood by the window, the night skyline glittering behind her like a taunting illusion of peace. In her hands, the recorder still felt warm. The sound of her mother’s voice echoed in her head like a phantom she couldn’t shake. The words were etched into her like a scar.Damien poured two glasses of whiskey, the amber liquid swirling as if the glass couldn’t contain its rage. He handed her one, but Sienna didn’t drink.“We have proof,” she said flatly. “Proof that your mother orchestrated everything. My mother’s death. The threats. Maybe even more than we know.”Damien downed his drink in one sharp motion. His voice was rough. “We also have a problem. My mother isn’t someone we can take down easily. The moment she realizes we have this, she’ll strike.”Sienna turned to him, fire blazing in her eyes. “Let her. I’m no
The luxury car sped through the outskirts of the city, Sienna seated beside Damien in the backseat, clutching her mother’s notebook tightly to her chest like a lifeline. The silence between them was thick with everything unspoken truths too dangerous, fears too real.Damien’s jaw was clenched, his eyes forward, but Sienna could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.They weren’t just chasing ghosts anymore.They were preparing for war.“I can’t believe your family did this,” Sienna said quietly, flipping to the last few pages of the notebook. “Everything in here points to one person pulling the strings, and I think it was never just about power. It was about control. Control over your father. Control over you.”Damien finally looked at her. His voice was low, a little hollow. “That’s exactly what it was. My mother always wanted to be the one holding the reins. Even when it meant destroying everyone in her way.”Sienna’s fingers tightened around the notebook.“Your mother threatene
The next morning was quiet too quiet. The kind of silence that settles after a storm, or before the chaos that’s about to descend. Sienna sat on the edge of the bed, her hands gripping her mother’s old notebook as though it might slip away from her at any moment.The pages inside were yellowed with age, but the words were sharp burning with truths Sienna had never dared to uncover. The journal revealed fragments of conversations, cryptic notes, and warnings her mother had left behind. It was clear now. Sienna’s mother hadn’t died by chance.One line jumped out at her, written hastily and almost as if her mother had feared being interrupted:If anything happens to me, don’t trust Damien’s family. They will bury the truth.Sienna’s breath caught in her throat.She needed answers. She needed to confront Damien. But she also needed to know if Alec’s claims had any shred of truth.She paced the room, wrestling with the heaviness in her chest. How could Damien someone she had given so much
The night air outside the penthouse was cool and crisp, but inside Damien’s world, the heat of revenge and danger simmered beneath the surface. He couldn’t sleep. Not with Alec still breathing. Not when he knew this wasn’t over.Sienna stirred beside him, sensing the tension in his body as she slowly blinked awake.You’re still up?Damien didn’t answer immediately. He was staring at the encrypted message that had just hit his private line an anonymous email with one chilling sentence:You haven’t buried all your secrets, Damien. Some were only sleeping.Attached was a video file. One he hadn’t yet opened.Sienna sat up, her voice soft but alert.What is it?He looked at her and for a moment, considered lying.Then he handed her the phone.Watch it with me.They pressed play together.The footage was grainy but clear. It showed a much younger Damien barely out of his twenties standing in what looked like a luxury hotel room. Another man appeared on screen, face blurred, voice distorted
The air at the dock was thick with salt, smoke, and silence. Alec stared at the man standing in front of him the one he believed had disappeared for good.Luther Kane.Damien’s former security chief.Fired. Exiled. Silenced after a scandal Alec had orchestrated years ago to bury a major cover-up.You were supposed to be dead, Alec said slowly.Luther smirked.I was supposed to stay quiet. But you made one mistake.Alec narrowed his eyes.And what’s that?Luther stepped forward.You forgot I kept receipts.He pulled a slim flash drive from his coat and tossed it to Alec.On there are voice notes, signed contracts, offshore wire transfers, and about seven different crimes that would make the FBI salivate.Alec’s jaw clenched.You think blackmailing me will end well for you?This isn’t blackmail, Kane said, voice cold. It’s justice.I’m not handing it to the police.I’m handing it to Damien.Alec lunged, grabbing Luther’s collar, but the man barely flinched.Try it, and I’ll leak the fil
The courtroom was suffocating.Damien adjusted the cuffs of his suit, his expression unreadable as he stood before a judge that already seemed to be sizing him up like prey. The gallery behind him was packed reporters, investors, corporate spies in tailored suits pretending to be concerned citizens.But he didn’t care about the whispers.Not when Alec was sitting just a few feet away, smirking in his corner like a predator who believed the trap had finally snapped shut.The charges read like a death sentence to any empire: corporate fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, illegal international transfers. All carefully constructed. All rooted in truth that Alec had twisted like poisoned wire.Sienna sat behind Damien, eyes locked on him, chin held high. Her presence alone gave him strength. He could feel it her fire, her loyalty, her love burning behind him like a shield no courtroom could tear down.The judge’s voice echoed.Mr. Blackwood, how do you plead?Damien stepped forward.Not g
Damien stood at the edge of the rooftop helipad, the wind tugging at his coat as the city lights flickered beneath him. It was past midnight, but sleep was a luxury he hadn’t known in days.Behind him, Logan approached cautiously.We traced the leak. The person who sent the courtroom footage to Alec works for one of your oldest affiliates someone you trusted.Damien didn’t even flinch.Name?Brent Lawson.Damien’s jaw clenched. Brent had been with the company for over seven years. Quiet. Reliable. Efficient.Or so he thought.Logan continued, Alec paid him to dig into old employee files, financial records, sealed case histories. Everything.How much did he take?Enough to ruin you.Damien turned slowly, eyes sharp like a blade.Then it’s time we start taking things back.Downstairs, Sienna sat cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by papers, files, and old court documents she hadn’t seen in years. The ones Alec was now threatening to release.Her heart ached, not from the pain of her pa
The walls were closing in.Sienna sat on the edge of her bed, the envelope Alec had sent still open beside her. Her eyes were fixed on the photograph a man in a hospital bed, frail and bruised, but alive. Her fingers curled tightly around the frame, knuckles white.It couldn’t be real.He was supposed to be dead.Her father.The man who broke her. The man who taught her fear, pain, and silence. She had testified against him. She had helped lock him away. She had built her entire life from the ashes he left behind.And now Alec was using him as a ghost from the past to shatter her future.Her phone vibrated on the nightstand.Damien: I saw the footage. I know everything now. Come home.She didn’t respond. Not yet.There was too much weight on her chest, and it felt like if she moved too quickly, she’d collapse under it.She stood up, shoved the photo back into the envelope, and stormed into the bathroom. Cold water hit her face. Hard. Jarring. She needed to wake up. She needed to think
The city buzzed with noise, but inside the penthouse, it was too quiet.Damien sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, staring down at the cryptic message Alec had posted. His phone dimmed and brightened again. Notifications were flooding in investors asking questions, journalists poking around, old acquaintances reaching out as if they had always cared.But none of that mattered.What mattered was the chill in Alec’s words.Just wait.Sienna walked in from the bathroom, her damp hair wrapped in a towel, her robe tied loosely around her waist. She saw the look in Damien’s eyes and knew instantly.He’s retaliating, she said.Not with facts. With fire. And shadows.Damien turned the screen toward her.Sienna read the words again, slowly. Her stomach twisted.This isn’t just a threat to you, Damien.I know.He’s going to come after me, she whispered.Damien stood and cupped her face in his hands.Let him try. I will bury him before he lays a single finger on you.She nodded,