She moved away from him back there, when he was reaching for the bottle. Imperceptibly, but he caught it. It was clear that she was uncomfortable because of how close they were, which makes Damien wonder if what she said the previous day had any truth in it. She never seems to make an effort to be closer to him, to touch him in any way. In fact, she looked scared. He's had countless women in the past, and all of them that were attracted to him acted that way.He wonders if Yara Huxley is a liar for the hundredth time today.He's torn between believing and not believing her. She's a walking contradiction. She's outspoken, yet she's shy. She seems confident, but she has her moments of self-doubt that are quite evident. She appears weak minded, but has endured a handful of awful experiences in a matter of weeks. Not everyone reacts well to having a gun pointed at them. Yet, she's oddly fearless. He saw it in her eyes when he had his gun pointed at her. There was no fear there, but there
Turquoise.It's all I see at first when I first open my eyes. My heart's beating uncontrollably. I climb out of bed and rush to the bathroom. I think of splashing water in my face, but I change my mind and take a cold shower instead. Last night's events affected me more than I expected. Damien truly wasn't himself. Almost as if someone—or something—took over his body. The alcohol played a role, of course. I can't stop thinking about what happened. I turned and twisted in bed before I fell asleep just processing everything, hence the dream. I haven't had a dream like that in a long time, since high school I think. When I close my eyes, I can still feel his lips on mine. The fact that my entire being is up in flames is the most degrading part for me. I'm too old for this. I can't believe that my subconscious would trick me like this. The cold shower helped.I turn the tap off and pad into the bedroom. I wrap my towel around my body and dry myself quickly. It's still early, but I want
Damien walks past her table at 8 a.m. sharp.She isn't in, which he finds strange. He woke up late this morning; a rare occasion. The woman he slept with last night was still lying on top of him. For a second, he didn't know where he was, but slowly, last night's events returned to him.What was he thinking?He rarely regrets a decision but he allowed himself to act recklessly. To go to a known place like Ned's with his secretary is asking for trouble. In his inebriated state, he didn't mind. He thought it would be good for Elizabeth to find out.The only problem is that Elizabeth shouldn't know about any of this. Not now, when she believes that everything is perfect between them. She has no idea that he knows, and neither does Ethan. Yesterday, when they were both in his office, he tried his best to remain calm and act naturally. Elizabeth didn't suspect a thing, and he's hoping that Ethan didn't either. Because if he did, Damien won't be able to keep this hidden for long.And that i
I walk past the security guard and murmur a greeting. Is it weird that every time I walk past him, I expect him to grab me? Once I'm in the lobby, I hold my breath.Now that I'm here, my courage is trickling out of me. I don't know if I'll be able to ask him up-front why he defied Eduardo Pascual for me, but I'll see when I get there.I knock on the door, but there's only silence on the other side of the door. Is he not in yet? That's impossible. He's the first person arriving and last person leaving. I have no idea of what I'm going to say to him, if I should apologize for being late or getting straight to the point. The situation is slipping from my hands; I've lost complete control. I don't have much time left to figure this out, but I couldn't be farther away from discovering the name. I never thought it would get so complicated. Devon admitted to sugarcoating, but I have faith that before time runs out, I'll give him what he wants.Ethan opens the door, and I'm surprised to see h
I can't wait for five.The energy surrounding this place today is unbearable. Every time I come across Ethan, he looks like he wants to shoot me. It's upsetting. I've wasted so much time and energy on this, and it didn't work out. All that happened was Elizabeth was dumped in the worst possible way and from what I can tell, Ethan and Damien's relationship is normal. I thought this would destabilize them. That's the only reason why I decided to go with this in the first place. But nothing productive happened and I nearly got caught.I'm running out of ideas, and without Devon's help, this will get even more complicated. One thing I'm absolutely certain of now is that I can't target their relationship with each other. It's weird, there's no other word to describe it. They stick together no matter what. If I plan on taking advantage of their weakness to get ahead, I'll have to find something else. Sneaking in his office is impossible, because he always has his key. But what if I manage t
Once they're gone, all of them, Nate asks, "That was her, right?"Malcolm nods. "That's her. I have her picture right here." He takes the folded photograph from his pocket and passes it around. The men nod. Sebastian is the last to take the photo. There's no denying it. It's her. She'd been standing right in front of him just now."I was optimistic," Nate says. "I was hoping it wouldn't be her.""There's got to be a rational explanation," Danny interjects. "We all know Crooks. He wouldn't do this to us. He's never betrayed us.""This is fucked up. Something doesn't fit. We talked to Crooks just yesterday. He'll be here in a week's time. Do you think he'd be this cynical? Come on, Sebastian. You knew him better than we did.""I met him a long time ago," Sebastian says. "People change.""I have to say this" Malcolm begins. "It's pretty clear that she's fucking the big guy, no doubt about it. I was outside just before they left. He started fucking kissing her in the car. Right in front o
Aaron William George, also known as Crooks, slams the phone down on the receiver. He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a calming breath that doesn't calm him for shit. It's like his ears are betraying him. Did he hear that shit right? Did he?"Hey," the inmate behind him taps him on the shoulder. "Are you alright there, Crooks?"No, he's not alright. He isn't out yet and there's already trouble knocking on his door. Amelia, what the fuck are you doing? "Just fine, man."He's escorted back to his cell. All the while, he's thinking of how he wants to kill something. He wants to use his hands to wreak havoc and tear whole lives apart. This is bad. He hasn't felt this way in a long time.His cell mate looks up as he approaches. They're good pals, but he knows not to mess with him and especially not to ask questions. Not on days like this, when he feels powerless. It's like his life is spiraling out of control. He pinches the bridge of his nose again, feels the reassuring bump there
I rush up the flight of stairs to Jason's apartment.My fingers tremble as I unlock the door. My heart's in my throat. Why do I have the feeling that he will follow me up here? In fact, I can feel his hands on me now. They're on my shoulders, then slowly moving down my body until they settle on my ass.I throw the door open.I walk around in circles. I want to hide, but there's nowhere I can go. Unless I heed Devon's advice, abandon this mission and go home. I'm seriously contemplating it after what happened today in the backseat of his car. I never expected things to go this far. And it did, undeniably. Irreversibly. Irreparably.If Ethan hadn't interrupted us, how far would he have gone? He already had his hand up my thigh. Five more minutes and he would've had me naked on his lap. We sprung apart as soon as we heard the gravel crunch beneath his shoes. He entered the car, cursing about what a pigsty the bathroom was. He didn't seem to notice a thing. Damien and I shared a heated lo
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