Chapter 9

Damage Control

The message sat on my phone like a threat.

Unknown: We need to talk. Alone.

I read it three times before I answered. My fingers felt cold.

Aria: Who is this?

The reply came almost immediately.

Unknown: Don’t play dumb. Coffee. Tomorrow. 11am.

The place on 8th with the blue awning. Come alone or

I talk to Nathan.

My stomach dropped.

Xavier was watching me from the kitchen counter.

“Who is it?”

“The woman from last night.” I turned the phone so he could see. “She wants to meet.”

He read the messages once. His expression didn’t change, but something colder settled in his eyes.

“You’re going.”

It wasn’t a question.

“I don’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” he said. “But yes. You’re going. And you’re going to listen more than you speak.”

I hated how calm he sounded. My nerves were scraped raw. Sleep didn’t come easy that night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the woman’s face across the restaurant, the way her gaze had moved from my neck to Xavier’s hand on my leg.

Morning felt heavy.

I dressed carefully. Nothing flashy. Nothing that looked like I was trying too hard. Just dark jeans, a soft sweater that covered the worst of the marks, and sunglasses I could hide behind if I needed them. Xavier kissed me once at the door. Hard. Brief.

“Text me when you’re done,” he said. “And Aria… don’t let her smell fear.”

Easier said than done.

The café on 8th was half full when I arrived. I spotted her immediately. Same green dress energy, even though today she wore cream. She sat at a corner table with a clear view of the door, legs crossed, coffee already in front of her. She looked like she had all the time in the world.

I walked over and sat down without waiting for an invitation.

“You came,” she said.

“You didn’t leave me much choice.”

She smiled, small and sharp. “My name is Diana. I believe we met once at the Winter Benefit. You were with Nathan. I was with a bottle of champagne and a headache.”

I remembered her then. Not well. Just another polished face in a sea of polished faces.

“What do you want?” I asked.

Diana lifted her cup and took a slow sip. “Direct. I like that. Most women in your position start with excuses.”

“I’m not most women.”

“No. You’re the one sitting in a private restaurant last night with Xavier Kane’s hand on your thigh and his marks on your neck while your husband believes you’re still the devoted wife.” She set the cup down. “That’s a dangerous game.”

My pulse thudded in my ears. I forced my face to stay blank.

“What exactly do you think you saw?”

“Enough.” Her eyes were steady. “Enough to ruin two marriages and create a very ugly scandal if I felt like talking. The question is whether I feel like talking.”

There it was. The real reason for this meeting.

“So this is blackmail.”

“This is a conversation,” she corrected. “Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer leverage.”

I leaned back in my chair. My hands wanted to shake. I kept them in my lap. “What do you want from me?”

Diana studied me for a long moment. “Information. Access. Maybe a favor later. I haven’t decided yet. What I do know is that Xavier Kane is not a man who does anything without a reason. And you… you look like a woman who’s in deeper than she planned.”

The accuracy of that statement made my chest ache.

“You don’t know anything about me,” I said.

“I know enough. I know Nathan has been distracted for months. I know Lila has been quieter than usual. And now I know their spouses are fucking each other.” She tilted her head. “That kind of secret is worth something. I’m simply deciding what.”

Anger flared hot under the fear. “If you tell them, you destroy more than just us. You destroy yourself too. People who spread this kind of thing don’t stay welcome in certain circles.”

Diana laughed softly. “Oh, sweetheart. I don’t spread things. I trade them. Quietly. Carefully. And only when it benefits me.”

The waiter approached. I ordered a coffee I wouldn’t drink just to have something to do with my hands. When he left, the silence between us felt sharp.

“I’m not going to beg,” I said.

“Good. Begging is boring.” Diana leaned forward slightly. “Here’s what’s going to happen. For now, I stay quiet. In return, you don’t disappear. You don’t run to Xavier and hide. You keep living your life like nothing is wrong. And when I contact you again, you answer.”

“That’s it?”

“For now.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “But understand this, Aria. I own this secret as much as you do now. One wrong move, one sudden change, and Nathan finds out everything. Clear?”

My throat felt tight. “Clear.”

“Good.” She stood, smoothed her dress, and looked down at me. “You’re braver than you look. Or dumber. I haven’t decided which yet.”

She walked out without looking back.

I sat there until my coffee went cold. My hands were finally shaking. The café noise felt too loud. Every person who glanced my way felt like a threat. I forced myself to stand, left money on the table, and walked out into the daylight like nothing in my life had just shifted again.

I didn’t go home.

I went straight to Xavier’s.

He opened the door before I could knock. One look at my face and he stepped aside.

“Tell me.”

I walked in, dropped my bag, and turned to face him.

“Her name is Diana. She knows. She saw enough. She’s not telling anyone yet… but she made it very clear she could. She wants me available. She wants leverage.”

Xavier listened without interrupting. His expression stayed unreadable until I finished. Then something dark and cold settled over his features. Not fear. Not worry.

Calculation.

He walked closer, cupped the side of my neck, and brushed his thumb over my pulse.

“Then we stop hiding,” he said.

I stared at him. “What?”

“You heard me.” His eyes locked on mine. “If people like her already know, then secrecy is a losing game. We change the rules. We stop sneaking around. We stop giving people like Diana power over us.”

My heart slammed.

“Xavier… that means Nathan finds out. Lila finds out. Everything blows up.”

“I know.” His voice was calm. Absolute. “I’m ready. The question is whether you are.”

The weight of his words settled over me like a storm about to break.

I had walked into that café thinking I could contain the damage.

I was starting to realize the damage had already chosen its own size.