Secret FilesDamian’s POVThe city was cold when I pulled onto the road. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I wasn't sure if the shaking was from the adrenaline or the anger that was building up in my chest. In either case, I didn't even notice the bright red light until the car behind me honked, which woke me up.It took me a second too long to hit the brakes. The tires made a lot of noise. The seatbelt hit me across the chest like a hand and jerked my body forward. A taxi swerved by, and the driver yelled something that I couldn't make out through the window.I sat in the car for a long second, staring at the light as it finally turned green. Short and sharp bursts of air came out of my mouth. I didn't even know I was holding back.By the time I got back to the penthouse, the sky had turned a pale gray that made the buildings look like they were made of shadows. It was raining. The rain started in the middle of my drive, so my jacket
Shadows of the PastDamian’s POVI could feel the steering wheel rattling as I pulled into the hospital parking lot. The picture Lila gave me was half-crumpled and sitting on the passenger seat, but I could still see the image clearly because it was like a scar in my brain. I didn't even wait to hear the rest before I stormed out of the penthouse, leaving Lila behind.Aaron and Eliot. Sitting too close and laughing merrily.They have known each other some years back. Long before I met Eliot, and still they both made that kind of a scene at the party as if they just met each other. I should have known better then.My chest felt too tight. Like I was breathing through fabric. I couldn't think of any more ways to explain it. I needed answers. The kind that came from a person’s mouth, not the back of a camera lens.I slammed the car door and walked with long strides across the parking lot, my coat flaring behind me with each step. I didn’t stop at the front desk or smile at anyone. Didn
The Heart of a LieDamian’s POV I heard the knock before I saw her. It wasn't a rush or an urgent knock. It was the exact kind of knock Lila would make—two firm taps and then silence. As I stood in the middle of my living room, there was only the sound of the refrigerator and quietness. I wasn't sure if I wanted company. And I couldn't deny her visit when she called.But when I opened the door and saw her standing there, arms wrapped around herself, eyes red but dry—I stepped aside without saying a word.“Hi,” she said.“Hi.”Her heels squished against the floor as she slowly walked inside. She threw off her coat on the floor as if it were too heavy to carry. She wore a simple gray sweater and jeans, not her normal put-together glam. It was the version of Lila I rarely saw. The one that doesn't need cameras or compliments to exist. “Why did you come all the way here?” I asked, closing the door behind her.She nodded. “I needed to.”I motioned toward the couch. “Sit.”She fell
BrokenDamian’s POVI was no longer comforted by the penthouse's silence.It felt like a noose, tightening and waiting.The space that used to be my getaway was now filled with sounds of things I didn't want to remember. It didn't matter anymore if the floors were clean, the counters were made of marble, or the view of the city. Not when every click of my phone reminded me I was cut off from the life I was born into.I stared at my reflection in the elevator as it went up toward my father’s office floor.My jaw clenched. My hands were stuck in the pockets of my coat. Everyone always told me I looked like him. How sharp my cheekbones were and how dangerous my eyes looked whenever I'm angery. But I've never felt less like his child than I do now.The doors opened with a soft sound.I stepped out, walked past the familiar halls of the Vale estate, and pushed through the heavy doors of his office.Maxwell Vale was sitting behind his large oak desk with an empty whiskey glass in front
The Beginning of WarDamian’s POV The shadow of my dad filled the doorway like a final verdict. He didn't say anything.But the room looked different as soon as he opened the door.The temperature went down, and all of a sudden, the lights felt too bright and expose. It seemed like everything in the room could hear and feel the danger, even Eliot's monitor beeping louder and more sharply.Eliot, still pale and weak beneath the hospital blanket, moved slightly in the bed. His brow furrowed I could feel his body reacting to the presence behind me, even though he wasn't awake yet.Maxwell Vale, stood tall and cool in his navy suit and wool coat. No even a wrinkle in sight. As he moved forward, his shoes made a single sound against the floor. His eyes moved over Eliot as if he was a stain on a clean piece of glass.Then he returned them back to me. And every breath in my lungs turned to stone.With a voice that was strangely calm, I said, "Dad." Even though my whole body was shaking,
A Whispered PromiseDamian’s POV It felt like his voice was coming from across the ocean. Soft. Broken. Barely audible, but it was his. "Damian..." I broke down immediately. Tears streaming out without warning. Sharp, hot, and relentless.I held on to the bed rail like I was going to drown, and the pressure made my knuckles turned white. Even though his name was still in the air and shaking between us, I couldn't stop the wave that hit me. My legs almost gave out. As I tried to catch my breath between tears, I pressed my face against the edge of the bed.It didn't matter to me how I looked. It didn't matter who saw. All I cared about was that he was living and could still remember my name.When I looked up, Eliot was blinking slowly, his eyes glassy and dull from the drugs, but they were open. He moved his lips again, and they were dry and cracked. He barely spoke above a whisper when he said, "You're...too loud."That simple word made me laugh, even as I cried harder.I s