The weight of Costa's words lingered in Evelyn's mind long after he had left.
"Men like him don't break. But women like you? They shatter."
She hated how much those words rattled her.
Because for the first time, she wondered-was she losing herself in Damian Voss's world?
Or worse-was she losing herself to him?
---
A Deal with the Devil
The following evening, Evelyn found herself in the back of Damian's car again, the city blurring past in streaks of neon and shadow.
Damian sat beside her, silent, his presence filling the space like an unspoken warning.
She wasn't sure where he was taking her.
She hadn't asked.
Because deep down, she already knew-tonight was different.
"You trust me?" he asked suddenly.
The question caught her off guard.
Evelyn turned to him, searching his face. "Should I?"
Damian exhaled a quiet chuckle, but there was something behind it-something unreadable. "No," he murmured. "You shouldn't."
Before she could reply, the car pulled to a stop.
They had arrived.
---
The Truth She Never Wanted
Evelyn expected another high-stakes business meeting.
What she didn't expect-was a warehouse.
Dark. Abandoned. The kind of place where deals weren't just made-they were finalized.
Damian led her inside, his stride purposeful, his expression unreadable.
And then-she saw him.
A man tied to a chair in the center of the room.
Bloodied. Bruised. Terrified.
Her stomach lurched.
She turned to Damian, but his gaze was locked on the man.
"Mr. Hale," Damian said smoothly, stepping forward. "You've been a very difficult man to track down."
The man-Hale-shook his head, his voice breaking. "Please... I-I didn't mean-"
Damian crouched in front of him, tilting his head slightly. "You stole from me."
Evelyn's pulse pounded in her ears.
Stole? That was it?
Damian had people beaten-or worse-over money?
"This isn't necessary," Evelyn said, stepping forward. "You've already caught him. Just-"
Damian's gaze snapped to her, sharp as a blade. "Don't."
It was just one word.
But it carried warning.
Evelyn swallowed. "You don't have to do this."
Damian turned back to Hale. "I do."
Then-he pulled out a gun.
Her breath stopped.
It wasn't the first time she had seen a weapon. She had covered crime stories, spent years exposing corruption.
But this wasn't a story.
This was real.
And Damian wasn't just a man in a suit.
He was a man who had killed before.
And he was about to do it again.
---
The Line She Couldn't Cross
Evelyn's entire body tensed.
If she let this happen-if she stood here and did nothing-was she any better than him?
"Damian," she whispered, stepping closer. "You don't have to do this."
His jaw clenched.
"Yes," he said, voice quiet. "I do."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Then, she did the only thing she could think of.
She reached for him.
Not in fear.
Not in desperation.
But in something else entirely.
Her hand wrapped around his wrist-the one holding the gun.
Damian stilled.
For the first time-he hesitated.
Evelyn felt it.
A crack in his armor.
A moment of weakness.
A moment where she was his only tether to something other than this life.
She stepped even closer, lowering her voice.
"If you pull that trigger," she whispered, "you prove everyone right about you."
The tension between them was suffocating.
Damian's fingers flexed around the gun.
Evelyn held her breath.
Then-
He lowered it.
The room felt like it had lost all oxygen.
Hale let out a gasping sob of relief.
Damian exhaled, shaking his head slightly before turning to one of his men.
"Take him," he ordered. "Let him leave the city. He's done here."
Evelyn closed her eyes for just a second.
She had won.
But as Damian turned to her, she realized-
She might have just lost something far worse.
Because his gaze wasn't just unreadable anymore.
It was betrayed.
---
A Dangerous Truth
They didn't speak on the way back to the mansion.
The air between them was thick, suffocating.
Evelyn knew she had crossed a line.
But so had he.
When they reached the mansion, she followed him inside, her heart still racing.
"You think you saved me tonight?" Damian finally asked, his voice quiet.
Evelyn swallowed hard. "I think I reminded you that you still have a choice."
Damian's jaw clenched. "You don't get to make that decision for me."
Her breath caught. "I didn't do it for you."
He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Monroe," he murmured.
Evelyn didn't step back.
"Then so are you," she whispered.
The tension between them was electric.
For a split second-just a second-she thought he might kiss her.
But instead, he exhaled sharply and walked away.
Leaving her standing there, wondering if she had just won him over-
Or if she had just made a mistake she could never take back.