All Chapters of Beneath The Steel And Silk: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Sage Whitmore tightened her grip on the rusted doorknob of Bluebird Café and took a deep breath before stepping outside. The August sun was relentless, beating down on the cracked asphalt and glaring off the peeling sign above the café. The place had seen better days—so had Sage—but it was hers. Or at least, it had felt that way until this morning.She’d read the notice three times before her brain had truly absorbed the words. “Property auction: foreclosure effective immediately. Bidding to begin Monday, 11:00 AM.” Just like that, the place where she'd poured every ounce of her pride, sweat, and stubbornness was going to be sold off to the highest bidder.Now, Sage stood in the shadow of her small dream, watching as black SUVs rolled into the parking lot. Her heart sank as she saw the men in tailored suits and sharp dresses emerge, talking into their phones, clutching leather portfolios as though they were weapons. These weren’t people who cared about the smell of fresh-baked cinnamo

The towering glass skyscraper loomed in front of Sage like a monument to everything she despised about men like Damian Cross—cold, unyielding, and polished to perfection. The words Cross Global Enterprises gleamed in silver letters above the pristine entrance, and for a brief moment, Sage considered turning around. She could go home, pack up what little pride she had left, and find another way to survive.But the image of Bluebird Café—her café—flashed in her mind like a beacon, and her feet refused to move backward. With a deep breath, Sage adjusted her worn messenger bag on her shoulder and marched through the automatic glass doors into the belly of the beast.The lobby was all marble and glass, accented with dark steel that somehow made the space feel colder than it already was. Men and women in tailored suits hurried past her, their heels and shoes clicking against the floor in a rhythmic beat that made Sage feel wildly out of place. She was painfully aware of her faded jeans, scu

The city hummed beneath the cold gray sky, its cacophony of sounds muted by the sleek glass windows of Damian Cross’s office. Sage Whitmore stood by the window, arms crossed, staring out at the sprawling skyline below. The office was empty, save for her and Damian, who had been eerily quiet for the past half hour. His towering presence behind her made it impossible to ignore his gaze, though she wasn’t about to turn around and meet it.It had been three days since the tense conference room encounter. The initial relief of having secured Bluebird Café’s future, at least temporarily, had faded into frustration. What she had once hoped would be a straightforward year-long assignment had become more like a test she couldn’t pass, a game she couldn’t quite figure out.Damian hadn’t given her any more instructions after that meeting. Every task since had been mundane, small details about reports and documents that she was certain could be handled by anyone. But his presence—his shadow—loome

The sun was setting, casting a fiery glow across the skyline, but Sage couldn’t enjoy the view. She sat at her small apartment table, documents spread around her like the aftermath of a storm. Charts, projections, emails—all of it was alien to her, yet somehow it had become her life. Damian’s world was demanding, overwhelming, and all-consuming. And though she hated to admit it, a part of her couldn’t look away.Her phone buzzed next to her, startling her out of her focus. A message flashed on the screen:Damian: Be ready at 7 tomorrow. There’s somewhere we need to be.She rolled her eyes. Typical Damian—cryptic and commanding, as though the world revolved around his whims. She wanted to push back, to tell him that her life didn’t belong to him. But deep down, she knew she wouldn’t. Not when the stakes were so high. Not when Bluebird Café was still on the line.Sage sighed, closing her laptop and leaning back in her chair. The man was infuriating, yes, but there was something else—som

Sage had no idea how she got through the rest of the day. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, each more troubling than the last. Damian’s world was starting to feel less like an opportunity and more like a trap. The archive had opened her eyes to the sheer scope of his power—and the weight of the consequences for anyone caught in his crosshairs.Back at her apartment, she tried to shake the heaviness clinging to her like a second skin. A warm shower, a quick meal, a desperate attempt to lose herself in a book—none of it worked. Damian’s words kept replaying in her head: “If you want to save Bluebird, learn to navigate this world.”But how?She was still pacing her tiny living room when her phone buzzed. Her stomach twisted when she saw Damian’s name.Damian: Be at my penthouse tomorrow night. 8 PM. It’s important.No explanation. No context. Just another command disguised as an invitation.She stared at the message, her thumb hovering over the reply button. Part of her wanted to ign