CHAPTER 8

Secrets and Surveillance

Damian’s POV

As I sat there, I thought panic might go away.

The screen on my phone lit up the dark room as I opened the message again. The words were easy to understand, but they hit me hard.

"Nice kiss on the roof. Do you want to keep it a secret?"

My heart beat fast. I read the text again and again like a crazy being. As if reading it over countless times would change it. For a second, I wished I got a second message with something like an explanation, a joke, or a prank. Anything. But there was nothing else. Nothing but silence. And that message is making a huge hole in my mind.

I couldn't move for a while.

When I finally did, I felt like I was underwater as I moved. Slow and heavy. It seemed like my body didn't belong to me; it felt far away. I sat on the edge of the bed, and dropped the phone on the floor, my face in my hands.

This wasn't about Maria anymore. Now I had a big mess to deal with. Someone who didn’t just stumble into a moment—they captured it. And now they had proof of everything.

My secret.

I had to force myself to breathe. Deep and steady. In and out. Just like what the doctor taught me after my first panic attack in college. Even though that was a long time ago, some lessons stuck.

I took out my phone again.

There was only one person I could call.

Leo.

I met Leo when I was in my second year of college. He wasn't a rich man's son. He was on scholarship. He didn't smile or wear clothes to make people like him. He didn't care what other people thought about him and could read code like it was English.

We were paired up for a group project. Everyone else quit. Like I always did when I didn't have time, I offered to pay him to do the work himself.

But he said No

“Either we both fail or we both pass,” he’d said, arms crossed like a challenge.

At first, I hated him. But he became the only real friend I had.

He taught me how to breathe when I thought I was going to choke. The only person that knew about the panic attacks and how hard it was to be Maxwell Vale's son. The one who could see through all the glitz and glamour and only wanted the truth.

I tapped his name with shaking hands. Before he picked up, the phone rang three times.

“Hey, Damian,” he answered groggily. "You do realize it's six o'clock in the morning right?"

“I need your help,” I said. My voice didn’t sound like mine. “It’s urgent.”

Silence. But I could hear sheets moving on his end. Then a tired sigh.

.

"What did you do?"

I hesitated. Then said, “Can I send you something?”

I forwarded the message before he could respond.

Only the message. No details. No names.

Leo didn't need to know the whole story. He never asked for too much from me. He had always been like that.

After a few seconds, he whistled.

"Well...f**k."

"Can you trace it?" I asked. "Can you figure out who sent it?"

"I'll try,” he said. His voice was more stern now.

Without taking much time, he said "I think it's a burner. But I might be able to find a place to bounce. Do you want to be sneaky?"

"No alerts. They shouldn't know I'm into them.

“Alright,” he said. “Give me a few hours.” ---

I hung up the phone and threw it away.

It was dry in my throat. Again, my body was shaking.

I sat in the dark with a blanket around my shoulders like a child. Through the window, the city lights could be seen. Cars passed outside. Somewhere, someone was just waking up. Drinking coffee. Laughing.

And here I was.

Terrified.

I didn't notice when the sun came up.

I didn't even notice how warm it was or how softly the light hit the floor. I just sat there.

Until my phone rang again.

Eliot.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now,” he said immediately I picked the call.

I could picture him leaning against his kitchen counter with one eyebrow raised, naked, and barefoot like he didn't care about anything in this world.

"I had trouble sleeping,” I replied.

He took a break. "Still thinking about the rooftop incident?"

“Wouldn’t you be?” I snapped.

Another pause.

“Maybe it’s just some bored paparazzi,” he said. “You know how they are. Always looking for the next controversy all the time.”

"It's not a joke."

His response came immediately. “I didn’t say it was.”

"You say it like it is."

“I’m trying not to spiral, Damian,” he snapped. "Someone needs to calm down."

I looked out the window with my lips pressed together.

“You don’t get it,” I said quietly. “You don’t know what it’s like… carrying all of this.”

“Enlighten me,” he said. But his voice had softened.

"I don't want to fight,” I said in a low voice. "Give me some time. Before everything goes crazy, I need to figure out who this is.

“Okay,” he said. “But don’t push me away.”

I didn’t answer right away. I wanted to promise I wouldn’t.

But I knew I already was.

~~~~

My dad didn't look up right away when I walked into his office.

But when he did, he looked straight through me.

He folded his paper and said, "You didn't come down for breakfast."

"I wasn't hungry."

"You look awful,” he remarked.

"I didn't sleep." I replied

His question came almost immediately "Because of work?”

I hesitated. “Yeah.”

He made his eyes narrow. "Is there anything I should know?"

"No,” I responded, my voice firm.

He studied me in silence. "Recently you've been... distracted."

"I'm fine,” I said defensively.

His fingers were curled up as he sat up straight.

"Damian, you are my son. In other words, every mistake you make is mine. Every slip turns into a story. Every weakness is a risk.”

"I know."

"Then act like it,” he bellowed.

I walked out of his office and felt like I’d just held my breath for ten minutes.

I let out a big breath outside. Even though the pain in my chest didn't go away, I could at least move.

I looked at my phone.

Leo hasn't said anything.

I sent him a follow-up message asking, "Any progress?"

My phone buzzed almost right away.

"Almost. I need an extra hour.”

Damn it

I walked around in circles for an hour.

I couldn't eat or focus on anything. I couldn't stay still.

I sat in the garden, acting like I was reading. The wind shifted the pages for me. Twenty minutes went by while I looked at the same page.

Then my phone finally rang again.

Leo.

“Okay,” he said. “I got a hit.”

My heart jumped.

“It’s a burner phone,” he explained. “No registration. But the signal bounced off a tower near Westgate.”

“Westgate?”

"Yeah, among those high-rise apartments.Same place the mayor’s mistress lives. You’ve probably been to parties there.”

Of course I had. And I didn't like any of them.

"It pinged twice," Leo added. “Once right before they sent you the first message. And again… right before you called me.”

I took a deep breath.

“I guess they are watching me.”

“Maybe. Either way it's not good,” Leo concluded.

"What should I do?"

“Wait,” Leo said. “They’ll make another move. You’ll want to be ready.”

I hate having to wait.

"You've always had. But you have to this time around,” Leo remarked before ending the call.

~~~~~

The day went by quickly. I didn't answer Eliot's calls or messages. stayed out of Maria's sight. I didn't say much at dinner. My dad asked me if I was sick. I said No.

I lay in bed that night, fully clothed, and stared at the ceiling.

Until my phone buzzed again. My body froze as I reached for it.

Unknown number.

I clicked it open, my mind racing with possibilities.

This time there is no message. But a picture of me and Eliot on the rooftop. Clear. Focused. Intimate.

Everything was clear. The way he held my jaw. How I close my eyes. The city behind us was bright like stars. There was no doubt about it.

Then another message came in.

"Meet me tomorrow at 10 PM. Level 3 of the parking garage. Come by yourself."

I sat there, out of breath.

This wasn't a threat anymore.

It was a trap.

I had no choice but to walk right into it.