Anger

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CHAPTER 18

~Arianna’s POV~

The elevator doors opened with a soft chime, but the silence between Damon and me was anything but gentle. 

The weight of everything that had happened pressed against my chest like a vice. Once I came over the fear, my thoughts raced, replaying the events that had unfolded—how close I’d come to dying. Twice today.

One by my own risk and the other, I was tossed in the playing field like a worthless piece of tennis.

Without waiting for Damon, I barged through the living room, my heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. My mind screamed at me to get as far away from him as possible. 

My room wasn’t sanctuary, but it was the only place I could escape him.

Just as I reached the edge of the room, a firm hand closed around my wrist, stopping me dead in my tracks. His grip wasn’t harsh, but it left no room for argument.

“Wait,” Damon’s voice was calm, too calm, but I could feel the underlying steel beneath it.

Something inside me snapped.

I spun around and slapped him, the sharp crack echoing in the room. He hadn't expected it. The same man who’d fought against violent men with guns and came out unscathed wasn’t prepared for my outburst.

His head barely moved, but his jaw clenched as he slowly turned to look at me, his icy eyes deadly.

“You bastard!” The words tore out of me before I could stop them. My hand stung from the impact, but the rush of anger bubbling inside made the pain irrelevant. “You had no right to risk my life like that! No right to drag me into—whatever the hell this is!”

His face remained impassive, though his eyes flickered with something I couldn’t place. Amusement? No. Calculation.

He didn’t say a word, and his silence only made my fury grow.

“Do you even care that I could’ve died?!” I shouted, my voice cracking as the emotions I’d kept buried all through the ride surged to the surface. 

“But you didn’t die, did you?” 

He was right but that didn’t change anything. I was left to chance for a second. 

My anger flared. “Twice, Damon! Twice in one day! Do you have any idea how that feels? To have a gun to your head and know that someone could pull the trigger without a second thought.”

I yanked my wrist from his grip, ignoring the twinge of heat his touch left behind.

“And you—you just stood there. Laughing. Like my life doesn’t matter. Like I’m just some—some pawn in whatever sick game you’re playing.”

Finally, Damon’s lips twitched, the corner lifting into a humourless smirk. “Are you done?”

His calm, dismissive tone was the final spark that ignited the wildfire of my rage.

“You think this is funny?” I snapped, stepping closer, glaring up at him even though he towered over me. “You think you can just toy with people’s lives and walk away unscathed?”

He chuckled softly yet darkly. “If you’re alive and standing here, Arianna, then I did my job.”

I stared at him, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “Your job? Your job?! Your job was to make sure I was safe, not to use me as bait!”

“And yet,” Damon said, tilting his head, his smirk growing, “here you are, alive and unharmed. That should tell you something about me, shouldn’t it?”

The arrogance in his voice made me want to scream.

“You’re unbelievable,” I muttered, turning away from him, needing to put as much distance as I could between us.

But before I could take another step, his voice cut through the air, firmly. “Enough.”

I froze, the authority in his tone sending a shiver down my spine.

“Go to sleep, Arianna.” His voice softened slightly, but there was no mistaking it for kindness. It was an order, plain and simple. “Tomorrow, you’ll have work to do.”

I spun back toward him, disbelief written all over my face. “Work? Work?! Damon, I almost died—”

“You didn’t,” he interrupted his voice like steel. “You’ll sleep. You’ll wake up. And you’ll be ready for what comes next. That’s the life you’ll be living henceforth. No argument.”

My eyes glinted with pure unmistakable rage. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Oh, so you'll prefer being out there with men like Luca on the hunt for your disobedience?” I froze. “You should thank your stars you have me.”

With that, he turned and walked away, his broad shoulders disappearing into the shadows of the penthouse.

I stood there, shaking with anger and disbelief, my thoughts spinning like a whirlwind. My hands trembled at my sides as I stared at the spot where he’d been, his words echoing in my mind.

Work. Like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t dragged me into the middle of whatever deadly world he was part of.

My chest heaved with shallow breaths as I stormed to my room, slamming the door behind me. My reflection in the mirror caught my eye—wide, terrified eyes that had seen too much.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my head in my hands, the weight of the day finally crashing down on me.

What had I gotten myself into? And how the hell was I going to survive this?

************

As usual, we had breakfast together but it was awfully more quiet than before. I barely ate my food as the memories of the previous day kept replaying in my head. 

Just then I recalled something. My friend and boyfriend. I haven’t been able to reach them. Perhaps he’d let me borrow a phone to call them and let them know I am alright. 

“Huh…” I began but his voice cut in. 

“Get dressed if you are done eating. You begin your new work with me today.”

My jaw slacked. What did he say? A new work? Did it involve killing or…?

“As my P.A.,” Damon finished before I could ask as if reading my thoughts. 

“But…”

“I wasn’t asking,” came his cold voice and I swallowed when my eyes locked on his. My heart skipped a beat. The eyes staring at me were those of the man who killed without flinching yesterday. 

There was no use fighting it. Without saying a word, I dropped my cutlery and faced him. “Now, get dressed in ten and make it snappy.”