Chapter 15

       Damon POV 

I was sitting quietly in my office, staring at the papers scattered across my desk. I had been trying to concentrate on my work, but my mind was somewhere else. After everything that had happened, focusing on anything felt almost impossible.

The room was quiet, except for the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. I leaned back in my chair and let out a tired breath.

I knew my uncle was angry.

I didn't need anyone to tell me.

The moment the door opened and he walked into the room, I could already see the disappointment on his face. His eyes were fixed on me, and his expression was serious.

He slowly walked toward my desk.

“Uncle, I can explain,” I said before he could even speak.

He stopped in front of me and crossed his arms.

“Explain what, Damon?” he asked. “Explain why you thought it was a good idea to put your life at such a great risk?”

I stayed quiet.

He continued.

“What if those people were still inside the building when that bomb went off? What were you thinking?”

I lowered my head for a moment.

“I know I made a mistake,” I admitted. “I'm sorry, Uncle. I should have told you before I went there.”

I slowly folded my hands together. The bruises on my palms were still visible, reminding me of everything that had happened.

My uncle noticed them.

His angry expression softened slightly.

He stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“How I wish you were still fifteen,” he said. “If you were, I would have grounded you for an entire month.”

A small smile appeared on my face.

“Well, I'm glad I'm not fifteen anymore,” I replied. “Being grounded is worse than hell.”

My uncle tried to hide his smile, but he couldn't.

He laughed quietly and shook his head.

“You never take anything seriously.”

“I do,” I said. “I just don't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about everything.”

He looked at me again.

“Damon, this isn't something you can simply laugh about. The Syndicate needs a leader like you. You have responsibilities, and people are depending on you. You can't throw your life away while chasing Elias.”

I became silent.

His words were serious.

“You are more important to me than catching that boy,” he continued. “I don't want you getting yourself killed because you are too determined to finish this.”

I looked at him.

“I understand.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

He sighed.

“Good.”

He turned around and started walking toward the door. Just before he left, he stopped and looked back at me.

“Keep me updated whenever Elias moves. Anywhere he goes, I want to know about it.”

I nodded.

“Okay.”

“And Damon?”

“Yeah?”

“If you decide to ignore me, I'll ground both you and Marco.”

I laughed.

“You can't ground me anymore.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want to test me?”

I immediately shook my head.

“No, Uncle.”

He smiled before leaving the room.

The door closed behind him.

For a moment, silence filled the office again.

Then I heard Marco laugh.

I turned toward him.

“So, Marco is officially my babysitter now?”

Marco folded his arms and smiled.

“Apparently.”

I shook my head.

“This is ridiculous.”

“You should be grateful,” he said. “At least someone will be around to stop you from doing something reckless.”

I laughed.

“You really think you can stop me?”

“I know I can.”

“That's a lot of confidence.”

“Someone has to have confidence when you're around.”

We both laughed.

For a few moments, the tension that had filled the room disappeared. It felt good to laugh after everything that had happened.

But then Marco's expression suddenly changed.

The smile disappeared from his face.

He looked at me carefully.

“Damon, can I ask you something?”

I looked at him.

“Sure.”

“Are you still after Elias?”

The question immediately changed the mood.

I didn't answer.

Marco continued.

“Or are you finally going to let him go?”

I looked down at the desk.

I knew that question would eventually come.

I slowly leaned back in my chair.

“I'm still after him.”

Marco sighed.

“I knew you were going to say that but why did U help stop his bleeding?.”

“Why?”

I looked at him.

“Because this isn't finished yet, he can't die yet.”

Marco walked closer to the desk.

“Damon, you've already put yourself in danger more times than I can count.”

“I know.”

“You almost got yourself killed.”

“I know.”

“And yet you're still planning to chase him?”

I remained silent for a moment.

Then I nodded.

“Yes.”

Marco shook his head.

“You're stubborn.”

“Maybe.”

“No. Definitely.”

I smiled slightly.

But the smile quickly disappeared.

I looked down at my hands again.

The truth was that I didn't know how to explain what I was feeling.

My anger had been with me for so long that it had almost become part of who I was. Every time I tried to forget about what had happened, something reminded me of it.

Elias.

His family.

The things they had done.

The pain they had caused.

All of it was still inside my mind.

“I want answers, I want to understand why everything happened the way it did. And until I get those answers, I don't think I can simply walk away.”

Marco stared at me.

“Damon, sometimes you don't get the answers you want.”

“Then I'll find them myself.”

He sighed.

“This is exactly what I'm talking about.”

“What?”

“You're allowing your anger to control you.”

I looked away.

Maybe he was right.

But I wasn't ready to admit it.

Marco stepped closer.

“I'm not saying you should forget what happened. I'm saying you need to think carefully before making another decision. You can't keep putting yourself in danger just because you want revenge.”

I looked at him.

“It's not only about revenge.”

“Then what is it about?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

I didn't know.

That was the problem.

For so long, I had convinced myself that I knew exactly what I wanted. But now that everything was becoming more complicated, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Maybe I wanted revenge.

Maybe I wanted justice.

Maybe I wanted answers.

Or maybe I simply wanted the pain to disappear.

I looked down at my phone on the desk.

A picture was displayed on the screen.

I stared at it for several seconds.

Memories began rushing through my mind.

I quickly locked the phone and placed it face down.

Marco noticed.

He didn't say anything.

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

“Whatever you're planning, don't do it alone.”

I looked at him.

“I can handle myself.”

“You said that before.”

“And I'm still here.”

“Barely.”

I laughed quietly.

Marco shook his head.

“You really don't know when to stop, do you?”

“No.”

“That is exactly why I'm staying with you.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“You're serious?”

“Very serious.”

“So you're really going to babysit me?”

“Call it whatever you want.”

Marco turned toward the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To make sure you don't do anything stupid.”

I laughed.

“You're going to have a very difficult time doing that.”

He stopped at the doorway and looked back at me.

“I know.”

Then he walked away.

I remained alone in the office.

The room suddenly felt much quieter.

I stared at the closed door for a moment before turning back toward my desk.

My uncle's words were still in my mind.

The Syndicate needed me.

Marco was worried about me.

And yet, despite everything they had said, one thought continued to remain in my mind.

Elias.

I picked up my phone again.

For a long time, I stared at the picture on the screen.

My heart felt heavy.

I had spent so much time chasing Elias that I had almost forgotten what my life looked like but each time I get closer to Elias I feel this kind of spark ignited.

Maybe Marco was right.

Maybe my anger was controlling me.

But I couldn't simply pretend that nothing had happened.

I placed the phone back on the desk and slowly stood up.

“I'll be careful,” I whispered to myself.

I walked toward the window and looked outside.

The city was beginning to grow darker as evening approached. People moved along the streets, completely unaware of the problems that were happening behind the scenes.

Somewhere out there, Elias was still moving.

And I knew I couldn't stop looking for him.

But this time, I wouldn't be careless.

I had learned my lesson.

I would think before acting.

I would protect myself.

And most importantly, I would make sure I didn't put the people around me in danger.

I took one last look outside before turning away from the window.

“Elias,” I whispered.

My expression became serious.

“This isn't over.”

I walked

out of the office, ready to face whatever came next.

I didn't know what secrets I would uncover.

But one thing was certain, I was not giving up yet.

Elias Vance has to pay for what his father did.