Damien's been staring at the ceiling for over an hour.He retreats into his shell whenever he's going through something particularly difficult, I've noticed this about a hundred times. I don't know how to reach him and I'm not sure he wants me to. Gary's death got to him, I can't imagine what it must have been like for him to see his old friend dead on his desk, bleeding all over the place. The best thing I can do is give him space to digest this.I wish I could do something, anything to contribute, but I won't try to help. I don't want to get into more trouble and have him pay for my mistakes and my stubbornness. That has happened too many times already and I almost died. He could've died trying to save me, too.I want to talk to him, to hold him. My hands are itching to reach out to him, but he hasn't said a word since we walked inside this room and I don't know what to say to make him feel better. Maybe I'm being too needy.I shift and my wrist throbs. I can't change positions. Whe
Damien knows that he shouldn't have come alone.He has Howie with him, and Roger. A few others. They're outnumbered, though. What will he do if there's trouble? Every man he brought here with him will die and everything he fought for will go right down the drain. He glances at Howie, who gulps audibly. Why's he so fucking nervous? He's hiding something. There's something he isn't saying, and Damien realizes now that everything he said doesn't add up.He showed up earlier at the apartment with a message from one of his associates. Am urgent meeting concerning Juan Consuelos. Apparently, he did something and they needed to get together and discuss it. Sweat was trickling down the side of his face as he relayed the message, but Damien didn't make much of it. He didn't even think to question him. Why wasn't he called personally? Where was the messenger? Why were they meeting at the Den? No one ever goes there anymore. He never bothered to ask what Juan did.He should've asked. He really s
Damien watches a group of men gather around Sebastian.Once again, he's outnumbered. When Sebastian called him earlier offering to help him kill Juan, he was surprised. He never thought he'd receive that kind of call from a Brown. Despite their conflicts, he accepted the offer. Sebastian had a plan in mind and together they'd get rid of him, but that all went down the drain when Howie led them to this place. Now that he thinks of it, perhaps he overestimated Juan's capabilities. He shouldn't have sent that text to Sebastian giving him their location. He would have been able to deal with the matter himself.Now, Sebastian is here with all these men. He could easily overpower them. Juan's dead—Sebastian killed him—so their deal is sealed. He did his part, so there's nothing stopping him from killing Damien now.Sebastian looks up with a knowing smile. "You're a little pale, Damien. You look scared.""Do I?"He chuckles, but the sound lacks mirth. "You think I'm going to kill you, don't
Sebastian Brown killed Elizabeth's brother.I would never have guessed that, not in a million years. That he'd call Damien and offer his help, that he'd show up when Damien sent him that text. It's surreal. This whole thing started because of the animosity towards each other and in the end, they put their differences aside and worked together to get rid of Juan Consuelos.Even Ethan is speechless and he always has something to say."Well," Theo begins. "I'm glad that all worked out."There's more. He received news that Elizabeth's family are leaving Los Angeles. They've given up on their mission to kill Damien. Juan was the head of the entire operation and without him, nothing is the same.He's different. I couldn't help but notice that something happened to him. It's like killing Juan lifted his spirits. I'm not sure of how I can explain it. It's a good change. I've never seen this side of him, but I hope I'll see more of it. He kissed me before he left and my lips are still tingling
Damn.Devon wasn't expecting her to act like that. He knows he fucked up; he's the reason why she lost her baby, the reason she almost died. However, he tried to fix his mess, make everything right. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? If he's being honest, she wasn't being fair. She wasn't willing to listen to what he had to say. He couldn't even explain himself. He went through so much to get that address and she shunned him.She'll need him someday, he knows that. She's alone in this city and no one here is trustworthy. She'll regret her words. The sad part? He'll always be there for her. He won't ever abandon her. Despite everything she's done, he can't bring himself to act like she doesn't exist, like he doesn't care.He cares way too fucking much.That's his problem. It was so much easier not loving anyone. He wishes vehemently that he could go back to being a cold-hearted motherfucker. She thinks her life went downhill after she arrived? No, his life went to shit the minut
It's over.Damien couldn't quite believe his eyes when he received the encrypted letter from Herbert telling him that everyone wanted to get together and resolve this once and for all. He anticipated this, but he wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.Everything will go back to normal, he can't wait for that to happen. He can go back to managing his businesses, in fact he plans on moving back to The Lounge as soon as possible. He preferred it there, the only problem is he'll have to find a secretary to resume the normal duties. He might ask Penelope. All he knows is he isn't going to risk Amelia's life ever again. He put her in harm's way many times before.That can all be taken care of later.He agreed to meet them, he's anxious to put this behind him. These past months haven't been lucrative, but at least he got something valuable out of this fucked up mess."What's going on?" Ethan asks as he closes the door. "You're smiling like a creep."He slides the letter towards him. They've
Ethan can't believe that he's finally doing this.He checks the rear-view mirror for the tenth time in thirty minutes. He wants to make sure that he isn't being followed. He knows how Damien can be, especially when it concerns their safety. He didn't give any specifics and he's certain that his brother's trying to figure out what the hell is going on.He'll never guess, though.He grips the steering wheel and keeps his eyes in the road ahead. It's a long drive, but worth it. He needs to get everything off his chest in order to move on, there's no going around it. He's been living with this shit his entire life. He never felt wanted and that's something everyone around him—including Damien—takes for granted. Of course he wouldn't relate, he wasn't the one who grew up with Jasper for a fucking brother and those assholes for parents. He didn't know what it was like living with them, sensing how much they despised him but not knowing why.The truth is he'd always been comfortable at his u
"I already told you," Theo says once again. "I really have no idea where he is. He didn't tell me anything about leaving, I'm as surprised as you are."Damien runs his fingers through his hair. "Why would he leave without warning? No one has any idea of where he could've gone?""Why didn't you question him?" Theo asks."All he said was that he'd be back in a couple of days, he didn't say anything else. You know how he is."I watch them with my lips sealed shut. If they don't know about Ethan's whereabouts, I have no clue. I'm the last person in the world who'd know. It is strange, though. It's strange to me that he'd leave without telling anyone a thing, especially after everything they went through the last few weeks. He's unaccompanied too."His phone isn't off," Theo comments. "That's a good thing, right? He's just ignoring our calls. He spoke to Penelope and he told her he's fine. He didn't tell her anything, but he promised to explain later. Maybe we're just exaggerating."Damien
Six months have passed.They've been peaceful and for the most part, quiet. Tremendously busy, but I'm used to that part now. Working alongside Damien is the best part about it. I get to be with him all day and make sure that he isn't exerting himself. He has a lot more work now; he had to take over Ethan's duties. Theo helps, but there are certain things only Damien can handle. When Ethan was here, he took care of it, but he's been gone for half a year and there's no one capable enough to replace him. I think that deep down, Damien doesn't want anyone to take over Ethan's job, but he'll never admit it out loud. I help him whenever I can. There's a lot I still don't understand, but I'll get there.It's only a matter of time.He doesn't ever ask me to go home when there are people coming over to meet with him. We never talked about what happened with Ash, but it changed a lot of things. I gained some respect after I killed him. I see it in the way people look at me whenever we're at so
I help him peel his blazer off.This day has been mentally exhausting for him. He rarely leaves the office early, but I'm glad he did today. I'm glad, because at least we have the whole day ahead of us. It's going to be just the two of us. Theo rarely comes here, she prefers to stay in the city. It's closer to everything else. I love it here, because it feels like we're all alone in the world. I stare out the window and all I see is the vast sky, green hills, nature. I don't even see the guards surrounding the house. They're invisible to me.It's peaceful here, and breathtakingly beautiful. It's home. I understand why Damien is so attached to this place. It's not simply because he grew up here. I feel safe, here, untouchable. The first time I was here, I felt like an intruder. Our relationship was so different back then, I can't help but marvel at how everything is so different now. I never would have guessed that we'd end up here, closer than ever, madly in love. We've come a long wa
Today's an important day.I've been on edge all morning. Damien has called for a Keller family meeting. We're all going to be there, including Ethan and Penelope.He announced that there'd be a meeting only last night during dinner, and he asked Theo to give Ethan a call. I was startled by the news and so was she. He didn't tell me what he'll say to Ethan, but we can guess what it is. He wants closure. Ethan owns a third of everything, and that matter needs to be resolved. I doubt that Damien will allow him to return to the company. I just don't see it happening. Ethan himself never mentioned it to Theo, not that he'd dare to.Theo told me that he's out of the hospital. She said he hasn't left the country yet because he wants to see Damien first. Damien, however, wanted nothing to do with him until yesterday. He's asked after him, but he didn't want to see him. He's still hurt by what Ethan did to us, his betrayal is a wound that will never quite heal for him. And if it ever does, it'
I'm afraid of opening the door.I've been standing here for a full minute with my heart in my throat. My hand is on the knob, ready. I can't bring myself to turn it, though, simply because I know that Damien's on the other side. There's a lot we need to talk about, so much in fact that I wouldn't know where to start.I hold my breath and close my eyes. I've been standing out here for too long. I remind myself that he's my husband, he's the man I love, and we'll get through this. We'd get through anything together. I've been in a far worse position before. This time, I was actually focusing on the well-being of our family.I open the door slowly.Only the bedside lamp is on. I see him right away; he's seated on the couch across his bed. He's staring out the window with a distant look in his eyes. I take a few steps towards him, my eyes on his handsome face. My heart's thumping against my chest. I'm overcome with emotion, but I put a hamper on them for now. He's a little pale, I notice
Amelia's going to hate him for this, but that's okay, because he doesn't plan on ever seeing her again.He means it this time. He's done with this shit. He had his chance, he fucked it up a hundred years ago. It's time to get over it. If there was ever a part of him that thought he'd get a chance with her, that part of him died a while back. She loves Damien Keller. He lost her a long time ago. That doesn't necessarily mean that he's content with the outcome, but he'll admit defeat. Staying here is slowly killing him.She's going to be alright. Leaving her back there was a dick move, sure, but he stands by what he said to her; when everyone finds out that she did it, there will be no revenge. He helped her along the way, but no one needs to know that. The Huntingtons won't dream of touching her, especially when the truth about Damien comes out. It would be an entirely different story with him.He glances at his watch. Five more minutes in there and he'd miss his flight. He can't miss
I've never been so glad to see him in all my life."Devon," I say, the word a gasp. "How did you—"He doesn't let me finish. "Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?"I shake my head. "No, but how did you—""I'll explain later," he assures me. "Right now, we've got to get this asshole tied to that chair. Quickly, before he wakes up. Bring that chair over there. I have rope under the bed."I grab it and Devon grabs a duffel bag from under the bed. He opens it and fishes out rope and a couple of knives. He's been lying under the bed the entire time. It's clear that he planned this thoroughly.He didn't abandon me. He said he'd help me kill Ash and here he is. I tell him, "I thought you weren't going to show up. I thought you tricked me.""I don't blame you for assuming the worst," he says, looking up at me. His eyes are glinting with mischief and something else, something I won't dare name. He points at my gun. "You know how to use that thing?"I stare at it. "Yes."He's watching me intently. "A
It's quarter to midnight.The clock is ticking and my heart is racing. I'm ready, my small gun is hidden in my underwear. I've made sure to wear an extra tight pair just for the occasion. The dress is scarlet and flowy, perfect for tonight.I'm waiting for him in the lobby. This time, I'm early. It makes me feel more in control of the situation even though that's far from the truth. I take a small sip of champagne and look back at the entrance. My heart's in my throat, making it hard for me to breathe. I have to remain cool, though. There's a lot at stake.Everything depends on this."Anything else?" the bartender asks me while pouring someone else a drink. I shake my head, I can't even speak at a time like this.I'm taking another sip of champagne when I finally spot him. There are two men walking behind him. He's saying something to them as he looks around. For me, no doubt. I fix my gaze on him and hold my breath as I wait for him to see me. He doesn't, which is fairly disappointin
"Leave," Damien says to the nurse. She scurries out of the room as soon as he mutters the word.He's in a terrible mood and he doesn't want anyone around him. He has finally moved from that awful, desolate place and he's home. He made sure that they didn't change any decorations. They lost a lot of antiques and furniture that was in their family for decades, but he's made sure that everything else remained the same. He's sure that he'll recover in no time here, he already feels better. He's not in bed, he's sitting on the sofa beside his bed. He's supposed to be resting, but he's done enough of that.He can't sleep when he's worried sick about Amelia.The fact that no one gives him any news is a bad sign as it is. They're hiding something from him, he can feel it. The last time he spoke to her, she told him that she wasn't going to turn back, that she'd go ahead with the plan. He has no idea of what her plan might be, but he knows it won't be anything he'll agree with. He wonders if p
I can't stop chewing my thumbnail.I force myself to put my hand down. I'm in agony; I don't know what to do and I'm running out of time. I'm supposed to be meeting Ash tonight. This was supposed to end it all, according to Devon, but he let Ethan go so what happens now? The only reason why I'm agreeing to everything is because of him. It isn't, but that's what Ash thinks. Am I still expected to show up? Why would he do this?I can't figure it out.I wish I had a way of contacting Devon to let him know that everything went to shit, but I don't have his number. I don't know where he's currently residing. I don't think I'll be seeing him anytime soon; tonight, maybe but not earlier. In the meantime, what do I do? I can't ask anyone's advice. My family is against me entirely. Theo probably thinks that our negotiations with Ash have come to an abrupt end, but she doesn't know half of it. I'm planning on killing him once and for all, I made a promise to myself that I would.For Damien.I h