Novel-novel oleh FICTION WARLORD

Damien looked up the moment he heard the sound of his name. His eyes met Natalia’s, and for a moment, time seemed to stop.Camila didn’t notice the tension. She cheerfully licked the spoon and offered a playful grin. “Mami! Look! He says he used to be bad at eating arroz con pollo too!” she giggled, her curls bouncing as she turned toward Damien. “But he’s not anymore.”Natalia’s jaw clenched. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as her eyes locked onto Damien’s—gray against gray, familiar, and yet completely foreign in this setting. He’s in my home. With my daughter. Laughing.“What… are you doing here?” she asked, voice tighter now, her fingers tightening around her briefcase.Damien set the spoon down slowly. He rose from his seat with measured calm, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from his sleeves as he straightened to full height.“I came to see her,” he said quietly. His tone wasn’t defiant—but it wasn’t apologetic either. “I needed to know. To see for myself.”“You had no right,”

Later That Afternoon — Astoria, Queens The sun dipped lower over Queens, casting warm amber light across rows of modest brownstones and flowering stoops. The air was quiet on this particular block, the kind of silence that only came in the lull between school let-out and dinner. A sleek black Mercedes eased to a stop at the curb. The engine cut off, and a suited figure stepped out, commanding in both presence and posture. Damien Carrington didn’t look like he belonged here—his tailored charcoal suit and polished shoes too crisp, his aura too sharpened by skyscrapers and power rooms. But none of that mattered. He hadn’t come to fit in. He had come to see her. His fingers clenched and unclenched at his sides as he crossed the sidewalk. For a moment, he paused, staring up at the brownstone with the chipped blue door and a ceramic wind chime swaying in the breeze. This was where she lived. Not Natalia. Not the legal shark. But Camila. His daughter. He ran a hand down his tie,

Late Night, Carrington PenthouseThe city skyline stretched endlessly before Damien’s floor-to-ceiling windows. He sat at a massive mahogany desk, the soft hum of a late-night jazz record playing in the background. Across the polished surface lay the folder he’d quietly compiled over the past days—news clippings, photos, social media profiles—all pointing toward the little girl Natalia never mentioned.His daughter.The irony wasn’t lost on him. Here he was, a man who built an empire brick by brick, and the one thing he never saw coming was a secret growing inside someone else.He tapped a pen against the desk, his mind racing. Should he confront Natalia now? Demand answers? Or should he dig deeper, protect himself until he knew more?“Damn it, Natalia,” he muttered, rising and pacing the room. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you hide this?”His voice was rough with regret, but beneath it simmered a harder emotion—betrayal. Not just from Natalia, but from the child who represented ev

Ten Years Later – Manhattan, New YorkHer heels made a steady, repeating sound on the marble floor, like a ticking clock. Natalia Cruz didn’t stop or hesitate, even when the security guard at Carrington Global looked up with surprise. Of course, he recognized her name on the visitor list—after all, she was a well-known lawyer this year. But what he didn’t know, what no one here knew, was that she wasn’t just here for justice. She had unfinished business. And a secret she’d kept hidden for ten years.She adjusted her navy blazer as the elevator doors opened with a soft ding, and then she stepped inside. Her reflection in the mirrored walls stared back at her as she exhaled sharply.Twelve years ago, she came into this building as a young intern. Ten years ago, she left Damien Carrington’s life and never looked back.And now… she was coming back to take down his company.The elevator was quiet as it went up, and she felt her chest tighten. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t regret. It was someth