Damien leaned back in his office chair, the city sprawling like a glittering battlefield beyond the floor to ceiling windows
His gaze, however, was not on the skyline or the illuminated towers of Ravello City.
It was on her Helen Carter. The girl he had never intended to notice. The girl who now occupied every thought he didn't want to admit existed.
He replayed their brief collision at the gala
The way her green eyes widened when she realized he was near
The delicate tremor in her hands as she carried the tray.
The curve of her lips when she smiled politely, oblivious to him. Every detail was etched into his mind with precision.
Alessandro had warned him: Stay away. She's too fragile. Too… human.
But Damien wasn't one to heed warnings he didn't choose to follow
He had seen the world in all its darkness, its ruthlessness, its cold calculations Yet Helen's presence so fragile, so alive struck a chord he had thought buried long ago. And now, he couldn't simply ignore her
He tapped a finger against the mahogany desk. Plans began forming, subtle and deliberate.
Not control not yet but observation. Protection. Ensuring that nothing in his dangerous world could touch her without his knowledge.
He couldn't risk frightening her, couldn't risk making her feel like a pawn in his life. Not yet.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smirk
She was unaware, blissfully unaware, of the shadows that lurked in his empire. He would keep it that way. For now.
His phone buzzed on the desk.
A quick glance told him it was an update from one of his security teams
. Nothing unusual. But he made a note tomorrow, someone would discreetly monitor Helen's route to work Just precautionary
Damien's brown eyes darkened with thought.
She was clever, resourceful, brave even in her exhaustion.
The way she carried herself, refusing to falter despite the weight of her life pressing down… it fascinated him.
He wanted to know her, not just in fleeting glances, not just as an object of obsession, but as someone he could truly understand.
He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining her at home, alone, tired, yet determined
A flicker of something dangerous stirred in his chest care, protectiveness, desire.
He had never been gentle or care with anyone, never allowed himself to feel the softness that came with attachment.
And yet, for Helen Carter, he was already bending rules, ignoring warnings, and crafting a path that would inevitably collide with hers again.
Damien opened his eyes, the city lights reflecting in them.
Tomorrow, he would see her again.
And the day after that. And the day after that. Every step would be calculated, every interaction deliberate.
even the briefest brush of her hand on a tray, the way her eyes lingered on him for a fraction of a second, every small smile she offered without realizing he noticed.
Each tiny gesture was a thread he would follow, weaving a connection that neither of them fully understood yet.
He leaned back in his chair, letting his gaze drift to the skyline one more time.
A low, almost imperceptible hum of anticipation stirred in his chest.
She doesn't know it yet, he thought, but she's already changed the rhythm of my world.
A flicker of a smile tugged at his lips as he imagined her walking through the hotel tomorrow, oblivious to him, yet somehow closer than ever.
He wanted to reach out, to step into her life fully—but that wasn't how he worked.
He never moved recklessly. Not in business. Not in love. Not with someone he wanted to protect as fiercely as he wanted to claim her.
And yet, even as he reminded himself to remain careful, a single thought echoed through his mind, dark and thrilling: She will be mine. One way or another.