The morning after the gala smelled like espresso and silence.
Damian stood in the penthouse kitchen, a crisp white shirt rolled up to his elbows, black coffee in hand. The city skyline bled gold through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He didn't turn when Ava walked in.
But he knew she was there.
Barefoot, hair messy, dressed in his oversized hoodie—the one she must've stolen from the guest room closet. And yet somehow, she looked more powerful than she had in her gala gown.
"You kissed me," she said, no preamble.
He sipped his coffee.
"You kissed back."
Ava moved slowly to the island counter, eyes unreadable. "Was that part of the contract too?"
Damian finally looked at her. "No."
"Then why?"
He paused. "Because he needed to know you weren't his anymore."
She stared at him.
And that's when he saw it—a flicker of something real in her eyes. Not sadness. Not longing. Just… pain, expertly buried.
"Don't play games with me, Damian," she said softly. "I'm not one of your boardroom opponents."
"I don't play," he said. "I win."
Her jaw tightened. "Good. Then win your little revenge war. But leave my personal life out of it."
"Too late for that," he murmured.
A long silence stretched.
Finally, she said, "There's someone I need to protect. That's why I agreed to this marriage. It's not about Ethan. Not anymore."
Damian frowned slightly. "Who?"
Ava looked away. "Doesn't matter. You don't need to know."
But now he did.
Because the way she said it—with raw edges around her voice—made him realize this wasn't just about a broken engagement or public image. Ava Harper was guarding something. Someone.
And for the first time, Damian Blackwood didn't have the full picture.
He hated that.
"You don't trust me," he said quietly.
Ava met his gaze. "Would you, if you were me?"
He didn't answer.
Because the truth was—he wouldn't.
And maybe that's why he respected her more than he should have.
She turned to leave, but paused in the doorway.
"By the way," she said, not turning around, "your tie doesn't match your cufflinks."
He looked down.
She was right.
That annoyed him more than it should have.