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Chapter 23 - Before the Fall

Author: Recheal writes
last update Last Updated: 2025-11-01 15:30:27

Aria's POV

I arrive at his office on Tuesday morning, expecting a cold dismissal, but instead I find something that looks almost like vulnerability.

The executive floor is empty at 6:55 AM. My heels echo on the polished floor as I approach Damien's office, each step feeling like walking toward either salvation or destruction.

The door is already open.

Damien stands by the window, backlit by early morning sun. He's dressed impeccably as always—charcoal suit, crisp white shirt—but there's something different about his posture. Less controlled. Almost uncertain.

"You came," he says without turning around.

"You asked me to."

"I thought you might ignore it. Would have been the smart thing to do."

I close the door behind me. "When have I ever done the smart thing where you're concerned?"

That makes him turn. His eyes find mine, and I see it immediately—the same conflict I've been wrestling with all weekend. Want and guilt and desperate confusion all tangled together.

"I didn't sleep much du
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  • HIRED BY THE RUTHLESS CEO    Chapter 53 - What Henry Sees

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