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CHAPTER 82 ROSE'S POV I was sitting outside Lily's hospital room, clutching on to the plastic chair's edge until my fingers went numb. The hallway was too quiet, but every little sound still got on my nerves. That damn nurse’s cart kept rolling by, with its squeaky wheels. There was an old man on the far side of the corridor who coughed every few minutes. Behind the glass was the beeping monitor from Lily's room. But the ringing in my own thoughts was worse than all of that. I kept replaying it, again and again. I spotted her in that box right away. She was limp. Bruised. Tossed away like busted furniture. What kind of person does something like that? Who shoves a girl into a box like she’s trash? I blinked the fire from my eyes and gulped hard. A few feet away, Damien had his phone to his ear, voice low and tight. I caught some of what he said, but not enough to piece it all together. "No license plate." "The camera at the back entrance was cut." “Go through every private
CHAPTER 81 DAMIEN'S POV With my heart racing faster every second, as I took the knife from the housekeeper. The box sat dead center in the living room, tall and menacing in the silence. Nausea coiled in my gut. Something felt wrong. I couldn’t name it yet. Rose stayed behind me, arms locked over her chest, letting out ragged breath she was unconsciously holding. I eased the blade through the tape. My hands shook. That hardly ever happened to me. The last strip ripped free, and I lifted the flaps. Then I froze. “What in the world?” I breathed. Rose edged closer. A gasp broke out beside me. She quickly put her hands to her mouth. Before I could stop her, she fell on her knees. "Lily—" I blinked, stunned. There was a girl in the box. Slim...maybe not too slim. Her lips were cracked, and her skin had that sick, washed-out look. She was curled up in a ripped hoodie, barely more than bones in cloth. Arms at her sides were slack, knees drawn to her chest. One eye was swollen shu
CHAPTER 80DAMIEN’S POVEven after staring at the same damn sentence three times, I still couldn’t make sense of what it said.I squeezed the bridge of my nose with my fingers and put my arm on the desk. The room was too damn quiet, and the characters on the screen were blurry. Too still.By now, she should have shown up.The document. I asked her to bring it several hours ago. The document was in the drawer in the study's upper left corner. It wasn't difficult. But nothing. No footsteps. No knock. I haven’t seen or heard from her since. I’m starting to get impatient.I relaxed in my chair and took another glance at my phone, which had a black screen. No messages. No phone calls.I clenched my jaw. Perhaps she missed the text. No. She was not like that.Every time I asked, she came. Even when she was upset, she always seemed to have that calm determination about her. She didn't simply disappear.Something was off.I ran my hand over the back of my neck as I stood and began pacing the r
CHAPTER 79 NARRATOR The quiet environment made it difficult to breathe. Rose twisted the end of her large hoodie, which belonged to Damien, while sitting cross-legged at the side of the bed, lost in her thoughts. Her chest had been constricted all day for no apparent reason, and she hadn't seen him since breakfast. The situation had shifted. Their relationship hadn't been perfect, but it had been better. When no one else was around, they shared a room and exchanged looks full of want. Now he was late. And the change in the air was like a warning to her. The door opened with a squeak. Rose’s head snapped up as Damien entered. He undid his cuff buttons slowly. His expression gave nothing away, just cool indifference painted across a handsome face. She shifted from the bed and said, "Hey." He avoided eye contact. “Don’t wait up. I’m busy,” he spat coldly. Her eyebrows went up a little in surprise. "It’s already late. And you’re still busy?” He loosened his tie and walked to th
CHAPTER 78 NARRATOR The moment Damien walked into his office, he knew something was off. It wasn’t anything obvious. No scattered papers or broken locks. A scent, too something fresh and citrusy that didn’t belong. It clung faintly to the air, barely masking the undertone of leather and aged whiskey that defined his space. His eyes narrowed. “Madison,” he called, not taking his gaze off his desk. She stepped in almost immediately, clipboard in hand. “Yes, Mr. Sterling?” “Was anyone in here before me?” Madison blinked, caught off guard. “Only the cleaning staff. And… one of the new interns came in earlier. He got turned around looking for the breakroom.” Damien’s jaw clenched. “Name.” She glanced down. “Daniel Reeds. Strategic Development track.” Damien didn’t speak for a long beat. Then, without looking at her, he stripped off his jacket and tossed it over the back of his chair. “Bring him in.” Madison hesitated. “Now?” “I said bring him in.” Damien said firmly She nodde
CHAPTER 77NARRATOR POVDonovan Sterling was being wheeled into the boardroom, a commanding aura around him despite how fragile he looked. His once-imposing frame had thinned, his hair grayer, but didn't reduce the sharp and calculating glint in his eyes. Instead everyone those terrifying orbs fell on shivered in response—except his son, Damien. A man who was like his father in every way, but a younger more stunning version. Damien’s stomach tightened. He hadn’t seen his father in months.Why the fuck was he here? He thought as his fingers fisted behind his back but his face didn't reflect the anger brewing within him.The entire boardroom went still, watching the scene unfold."Well," Donovan said, his voice raspier than Damien remembered. "Looks like I came just in time."Damien’s grip on the table tightened. "Who the hell let him in?""Watch your mouth, boy," Donovan shot back. "I may be retired, but my name is still on this company."A muscle in Damien’s jaw twitched, but he didn