every word, every action seemed to carry weight now, as if we were both testing each other in some silent game neither of us had fully understood when i

ngs, leaving me to wait in the car as he handled business. It wasn't unusual. His life was a whirlwind of meetings, calls, and deals, but it left me with too

sion. Damien's silence beside me wasn't comforting-it was oppressive. I could feel h

atched, like every breath I took was calculated, measured.

" I asked, breaking the silenc

on, his jaw tight, his eyes fixed ahead. But eventually, he spoke, his v

said, his tone clipped. "You

or a moment, I could almost see the cracks in his icy exte

harper now. "You've built this empire, but at what cost? You've dragged me into this, and you

had ever seen them. There was a flicker of something-anger,

pped here, Sienna? You think you're the only one who didn't have a choice? I didn't want this either

lling the strings. But for a moment, just a fleeting moment, I saw the vulnerability behind his

ss of the moment pressing on my chest. "What if I can't

his voice quiet but resolute. "You don't get to

words. There was no escap

Damien didn't wait for me. He stepped out of the car and headed inside, his back strai

nditioning was the only sound as I made my way to the living room. Da

seem like the man I had once imagined-a powerful, untouchab

hisper. I didn't know why I said it. Maybe it was the way his tension had cracked earli

e let the liquor trickle slowly into his glass before sett

na," he said softly. "You're

weight of his words

ntensity that made my heart race. "But we both know that pretendin

t want to live like this. I don't wa

led the space between us, but it wasn't comforting. It was suffocati

gh there was a coldness to his voice. "You're

e sting of his words. "Partner

s flickering with something unreadable. Then, with a soft sig

voice almost too calm. "But we've made our choices. We'

him. But I knew it wouldn't matter. The truth was as tw

of it all pressing down on me. The fragile allian

as far from over. We were still playing, both o