The night had stretched long after the underground casino, but Evelyn Monroe's mind refused to quiet. Sleep felt like a luxury she could no longer afford-not when she was living inside Damian Voss's world, a world where power ruled and weakness was devoured.
She wasn't afraid of him.
No, the fear came from something far more dangerous.
She was beginning to understand him.
She had spent years painting him as a ruthless villain, a soulless tyrant who crushed anyone in his way. And yet, here she was, standing beside him, watching how effortlessly he commanded everything and everyone.
And she couldn't shake the question clawing at her mind-was he born a monster, or did this world make him one?
---
A Lesson in Control
Damian had given her no instructions for the morning, but Evelyn wasn't naive enough to believe she had any real freedom. This mansion might have been luxurious, but it was still a cage-and she was inside it with the devil himself.
She wandered downstairs, expecting to find breakfast or at least a quiet space to think.
Instead, she walked into a war zone.
The living room had been transformed into something out of a crime thriller-men in sharp suits, low conversations, thick tension hanging in the air. A business deal.
At the center of it all stood Damian and that one boy.
They were calm, composed-dangerously still. They were speaking to a man Evelyn didn't recognize, but the moment she saw him, she knew this wasn't a friendly meeting.
The man was nervous. His hand trembled slightly as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I just need more time," he pleaded. "I swear, I can fix this."
Damian took a slow sip of his coffee before setting it down, his expression unreadable.
"You had time," he said, his voice so controlled it was terrifying. "Now, you have consequences."
Evelyn stiffened.
The man's breathing grew rapid. "Please-"
Damian turned his gaze towards the boy, and in an instant, the man was yanked to his feet.
Evelyn's stomach twisted. She should have left. She should have turned away.
But she didn't.
She couldn't.
Instead, she stepped forward.
"That's enough," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos in her chest.
The room fell into silence.
Every head turned toward her-including his.
Damian's gaze locked onto hers, unreadable, unflinching.
Evelyn took another step. "If you want to prove something to me, this isn't the way."
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, Damian tilted his head slightly, studying her as if she were a puzzle he couldn't quite solve.
Finally, he let out a slow breath and lifted a hand.
The boy immediately released the trembling man.
The air in the room shifted.
Evelyn had just challenged Damian Voss in his own kingdom.
And instead of retaliating... he had listened.
The realization sent a shiver through her.
---
The Fallout
An hour later, Evelyn stood by the large windows in Damian's private study, staring out at the city.
She heard him enter before she saw him.
"You overstepped," he said, his voice low.
She turned, meeting his gaze. "Did I?"
Damian leaned against his desk, arms crossed. "If you were anyone else, you wouldn't be standing here right now."
Evelyn swallowed hard, but she didn't look away. "If I were anyone else, you wouldn't have stopped."
His eyes darkened, but there was something else there-something that made her pulse race.
"Do you even know who that man is, Evelyn?" he murmured.
She took a step forward, closing the space between them. "I does not matter, you don't just hurt people before you feel like it. "
A charged silence filled the air.
Then-Damian moved.
Fast. Smooth. A predator closing in.
"Before she could react, he was right there, his hands braced on either side of her against the window, trapping her in. His scent — whiskey, power, danger — wrapped around her."
For a heartbeat, the world went silent.
"That man's a corrupt cop," he whispered…
Evelyn swallowed. "Why not just hand him over the police?"
He pulled back, straightening his tie. "We still need to know where the people are kept."
She exhaled, trying to steady her racing heart. "Then find out and save the kids?"