The penthouse was silent.
But Brooklyn couldn't sleep.
Not after everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.
The press conference had gone viral. Her face was on every tabloid cover, her name trending for the first time in her life — not as someone's girlfriend, or someone's secret, but as someone who had taken control.
But tonight, as she lay in bed, something else kept her awake.
Damien had been distant all evening. Quiet. Like he was thinking too hard, carrying something he hadn't shared.
And Brooklyn had learned by now — when Damien Carter went quiet, it meant trouble was brewing.
---
Morning – Damien's Study
She found him where he always was when he wanted to hide: in his study, seated at the desk in a crisp black shirt, eyes on his computer screen.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked softly, stepping inside.
He looked up but didn't smile.
"Neither could you."
She came closer. "Want to talk about it?"
Damien closed the laptop slowly. "You remember when we agreed to no emotional complications?"
Brooklyn gave a small, knowing smile. "We're way past that now."
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then stood up, walked over to a locked cabinet near the far wall, and pulled out a slim folder.
"This is about my past. One you'll eventually get dragged into whether you like it or not."
He handed her the folder.
Brooklyn opened it slowly.
Inside were photographs. Newspaper clippings. Legal documents.
And at the center of it all — a name she'd never heard before.
"Elias Carter."
"Your brother?" she guessed.
Damien nodded.
Brooklyn skimmed through the first few pages.
It was all there: a scandal involving insider trading, stolen money from Carter Enterprises, and a mysterious disappearance eight years ago.
"He vanished before the trial," Damien said, voice flat. "Left me with the fallout. The company almost collapsed. I rebuilt it from scratch."
Brooklyn looked up at him. "And now?"
"He's back in the country."
Her heart stopped.
"Back? What does he want?"
Damien's eyes darkened. "Revenge. He thinks I turned him in. That I destroyed his life."
"Did you?"
"I did what I had to do," Damien said quietly. "He was stealing from our father. Endangering everyone. I gave the evidence to the board. I didn't know it would spark an investigation."
Brooklyn sat down slowly, heart racing.
"And now that the press is watching you," Damien added, "he knows exactly how to hurt me."
Brooklyn's stomach twisted.
Her face. Her baby. Her whole story — now painted on a target.
---
Later – Rooftop Garden
Brooklyn needed air.
She sat on the rooftop bench, surrounded by the scent of white roses and silence.
She didn't know what to think.
She had believed Damien was the dangerous one — cold, calculating, powerful.
But now she saw the truth.
He wasn't just building walls to shut her out.
He was protecting her from what lived on the other side.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the door open behind her.
Until a voice broke the silence.
"Well, well. So you're the reason Damien finally got soft."
Brooklyn turned — and froze.
A man stood at the edge of the rooftop.
Tall. Striking. Charcoal-gray coat. Hands in his pockets. A cruel smile on his lips.
He looked like Damien… only darker.
"I'm sorry," Brooklyn said cautiously. "Do I know you?"
The man tilted his head. "I'm Elias."
Her breath caught.
Oh God.
Damien's brother.
---
Rooftop – Tension Builds
"What are you doing here?" she asked, standing slowly.
Elias stepped forward, every movement deliberate. "I just wanted to meet the woman causing such a stir. You're everywhere, you know. Pregnant. Beautiful. Brave."
Brooklyn stiffened. "If you came here to hurt Damien, don't use me."
"Oh, sweetheart," he laughed softly. "I'm not here to hurt him physically. That's far too easy. I want to ruin his image. His empire. And now, thanks to your press conference, I've got all the ammunition I need."
Brooklyn's heart thundered.
"Don't touch me. Don't talk to me," she said, voice shaking. "Leave."
Elias stepped closer — and suddenly Damien appeared in the doorway.
"Step away from her," Damien said coldly.
Elias smirked. "There he is. The knight in cold armor."
"Get out."
"Just came to say hi," Elias said, backing up. "You really should keep your wife safer, Damien. She's much too trusting."
With that, he turned and disappeared down the rooftop stairs.
Brooklyn turned to Damien, face pale. "How did he get up here?"
"He has access I haven't revoked," Damien said bitterly. "I will now."
She shook her head. "He's dangerous."
"I know."
"He threatened to ruin you."
Damien met her eyes.
"And now you understand why I didn't want feelings involved."
Brooklyn didn't reply.
Because she was feeling everything.
---
Evening – The Truth Between Them
The sun was low, casting amber light across the living room.
Brooklyn sat by the window, Damien beside her. Both had barely spoken since Elias left.
Finally, she broke the silence.
"I used to think you were cold because you didn't care. Now I think you're cold because you care too much."
Damien looked at her, the emotion in his eyes raw. "You're not wrong."
"I want to help you."
He frowned. "You already have. More than you know."
She took a breath. "Then tell me something real. Not business. Not strategy. Just something real."
Damien looked down at his hands.
Then said quietly, "I was fifteen when our mother died. Elias never forgave me for being the favorite. And when our father named me the successor, he snapped. He started siphoning money. Lying. Blaming me."
Brooklyn's heart twisted. "That's a lot for a teenager."
Damien's jaw clenched. "That's when I stopped trusting people."
She reached for his hand, surprised when he let her take it.
"You don't have to do this alone anymore," she whispered.
Damien looked at her — really looked.
And in that moment, something between them shifted.
The wall cracked.
The space between them narrowed.
And then, finally…
He kissed her.
Not fiercely.
Not possessively.
But deeply.
Like he'd been waiting years to taste something real again.