Serena's POV“Well,” she began, pulling her phone from her back pocket, “I was thinking… why not throw the party at my new place? I mean, it’s empty, huge, and it could be our chance to really break it in. Properly.”That actually made sense.“A housewarming slash birthday party,” I murmured.She snapped her fingers. “Exactly.”Damien leaned back against the arm of the chair. “It’s practical. And safer I guess. So why not.”I gave him a sharp look. “Thank you.”He just shrugged.Sophia clapped her hands. “Perfect! Then we’ll do it. I’ll order some catering, decorations, music. It’ll be small and private. Just the right people.”I eyed her suspiciously. “Define the right people.”She smirked. “Don’t worry. I won’t invite your enemies. Just the ones you're pretending to hate.”I laughed despite myself, the tension in my shoulders easing.The idea of celebrating her win, even in the midst of the mess around me, felt right. Damien leaned forward, arms resting lazily on the armrests as he
Serena's POV“There’s plenty of wrong ways,” he said. “Manipulation, betrayal, power plays without purpose. But playing smart, protecting your image, choosing your battles, that’s not dirty. That’s necessary.”I looked back at him, eyes narrowed. “Is that what Pristine is doing?” I asked. “Playing politics?”Damien leaned sideways, considering the question. "Her father's a politician. It's only natural she learned how to play the game. And she plays well.""So she's what, playing me?"He nodded his head. "Pristine doesn't hate you, Serena. She's just ruthless when she wants something."That made me take note. I sat back up. "And what does she want?"Damien hesitated.Then he shrugged. "I'm not really sure."I browed at him. "You've just met her, a week? Two weeks? And you already know that she's ruthless and politically calculating?"He raised an eyebrow. "I observe well."I leaned back. "So you've been spending time with her a lot, then?"His expression didn't shift. "I wouldn't say
Serena's POVHe wore a navy-blue shirt, sleeves rolled up, with a look that screamed casual arrogance. His eyes scanned the room and landed straight on me.I stiffened.Sophia, sensing the tension, turned and saw him too.The agent was still talking to her, unaware of the shift in the room. The buyer had stood and extended a hand toward Damien, who had now come into the room as well. But none of that mattered.My focus was glued to Kyle.He looked at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve, and it irritated the hell out of me.“Serena,” he said, walking toward me with an easy smile like he hadn’t caused chaos just days ago. "Good to see you."I didn’t reply.I crossed my arms and stared at him with a neutral expression, keeping all the bitterness bottled inside.“I came with the agent,” he said, gesturing toward the man who was now gathering his things. “Thought I’d help make sure everything went smoothly.”“Everything went fine,” Sophia said before I could respond. Her voice was cal
Serena's POVSophia opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off immediately. “Please don’t talk about Alexander.”She blinked. “I wasn’t going to. I was actually going to ask if we’re going to throw a party for our birthday.”I paused. “Oh. Right. Our birthday is coming up.”She smiled. “Exactly. Why not do something fun for once? No drama. No exes. Just music, cake, and a bunch of people pretending we’re normal.”I turned to Damien. “Can we throw a party?”He finally looked up from his plate. “Of course. We should.”“Where, though?” I asked. “This place kind of feels quiet.”He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I have another apartment in the city. More open space, a rooftop, great view. We could use it.”Sophia grinned. “That sounds perfect.”Before I could reply, there was a knock on the front door.Damien stood. “I’ll check it out.”As he walked out, my heart jumped a little. I bit my lower lip, suddenly nervous. What if it was Kyle?I turned to Sophia. “Do you think it’s him?”She
Serena's POVDamien’s phone started ringing. He stood up and glanced at the screen.“Excuse me,” he said quickly, stepping out of the room to take the call.As soon as he closed the door, Sophia approached me. Her voice was cheerful, but sarcastic. "You know, in spite of all the drama, Kyle still went out and bought that house for me."I rolled my eyes. "Of course he did. The man is stubborn. I'm starting to think that eliminating Kyle might be harder than I thought."Sophia leaned back on the couch, her head on the armrest. "He's obsessed with you.""I know," I growled, shaking my head. "But I can just wait and get a face to be answered with when he hears that voice note Alexander sent me."Sophia jumped up, eyes wide. "You're really going to play that for him?"I nodded. "Yeah. Let him hear what he really sounds like."Sophia was about to reply when the door opened again. Damien walked back in, looking calm but focused.“That was the PA to the mafia don,” he said, sitting down besid
Serena's POVDamien set his mug down on the table beside him, then looked straight at me. “Oh, by the way,” he said casually, “Kyle called me. About five minutes ago.”I blinked. “Really? What did he want?” I had thought Kyle would just stay off my shadow till I was ready to face him, but the dude wouldn't back down.“He asked if I knew where you were," Damien said, calmly.“And you told him?” I asked, raising a brow, wishing Damien would say he didn't tell him anything, but I was disappointed.He nodded. “Yeah. I said you and Sophia were here with me.”I shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Well, it’s better he heard it from you than from me. He probably would’ve taken it personally if I said it.”“He already took it personally,” Damien said, half-smiling. “But he didn’t argue. Just said ‘okay’ and moved on.”I scoffed. “Sounds like him. I just hope he doesn't come running here this morning. I'm not in the mood to talk to him."Damien wasn’t done, though. “He also mentioned he needs