LOGINArianaThe dining table looked like someone had prepared breakfast for a small army.There were eggs, pancakes, toast, sausages, fresh fruits, potatoes, pastries, and several dishes I couldn't even name. I didn't know if this was normal in the household or if Damien had decided that because Lily was his blood, we needed to be fed like royalty.Judging by the way Lily was attacking the food, she certainly didn't seem to mind. She had already tried almost everything on the table.I still hadn't gotten used to the fact that there was no string of lies between us. My daughter. His daughter. There was something almost surreal about it.I didn't know whether Lily was simply excited because there was so much food in front of her or if somehow, children could sense when something had changed.Maybe it was the atmosphere of the house. Everything here seemed different from what she was used to.The enormous dining room. The staff constantly appearing whenever someone needed something. The bea
Ariana I picked up the journal from the floor and quickly closed it. "Um..." I held it up slightly. "I was just—"The library door suddenly swung open. Theo walked in, a look on his face that immediately wiped the words from my mouth."Have you seen the news?"Damien's brows furrowed. "What news?"Theo walked straight toward us and held out his phone.Damien took it. I watched his eyes move across the screen. Then his entire expression changed. "What the hell...?"I stepped closer, trying to see the screen.My heart stopped. Pictures of Damien and me. In Italy.Someone had put them together into an article.SECRET ROMANCE REVEALED? DAMIEN REED'S HIDDEN AFFAIRS WITH HIS SECRETARY.My heart hammered painfully against my ribs. But that wasn't what terrified me. It was the picture of Lily that was attached alongside ours.WHO IS THE CHILD? BILLIONAIRE CEO'S ALLEGED HIDDEN DAUGHTER EXPOSED.My blood ran cold."No..."The word barely escaped my lips. Damien's eyes remained fixed on the sc
Ariana"How long do you think we'll stay here?" Tessa's voice broke the silence.We were both lying on our backs, staring at the ceiling of the guest room.The house was unusually quiet at this hour, with most of the lights dimmed and the entire residence almost completely still.Lily was asleep in the guest room next door. She had managed to fall asleep while hugging the ridiculously huge teddy bear Damien had bought for her. She hadn't let go of that thing since I got it out. It was probably bigger than she was. The truth was, I didn't know how long we'd be here.I glanced around the room again. Everything about this place was overwhelming. The service alone had left me speechless. From the moment we'd arrived, everyone had treated us like we actually belonged here.They had brought food. They had asked if we needed anything. Even the housekeeper had come by earlier to check if we needed fresh towels.Theo hadn't left us out too. I had always known Theo was Damien's brother, but I'
DamienI loosened my tie as I walked out of the conference room, Dan trailing behind me. I was fucking frustrated.The emergency meeting had been called because one of our projects had run into a serious problem, and what should have been a simple discussion had turned into hours of people talking over one another and throwing solutions at me.Dan was still explaining something about the project.I barely heard him. My mind had already drifted to Ariana. I pulled out my phone, intending to call her when I stopped dead.Missed calls. Messages. From her.Dan stopped behind me, watching my expression change."Fuck."I immediately dialled her number. It rang. No answer.My jaw tightened."Boss?""We'll talk later."I darted towards the elevator leaving Dan in a confused state. The moment I reached the parking garage, I got into my car and checked her messages.Ariana: Please call me back.Ariana: Damien, it's an emergency.My chest tightened. What the fuck had happened?I called her agai
ArianaWhy did Damien kept staring at me like that?I adjusted the strap of my bag on my lap and stared out the passenger-side window, pretending the city outside was suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world.Ever since the stunt Vanessa had pulled, Damien had been unusually quiet.Not angry. Not irritated. Just... quiet.Maybe he was wondering why I had interfered. Why I had suddenly found the courage to tell his supposed fiancée to get out of his house.God, I didn't even know where that boldness had come from.It wasn't the first time Vanessa had spoken badly to me. But telling her to leave Damien's house?His house. Not mine. I had practically stood there and ordered her out as if I owned the place.The memory made me want to hide my face.What had possessed me?"You know," Damien finally said, breaking the silence, "I'm still trying to decide whether I should be surprised or impressed."I slowly turned my head toward him. He was watching me with an amused expression."Abo
DamienIt had been a long time since I'd slept that peacefully. The kind of sleep where my mind didn't drag me through every fucking problem waiting for me when I opened my eyes.Maybe it was because of the woman sleeping in my arms.Ariana.She was curled against my chest. Her face was peaceful, her breathing soft and even.I smiled. My fingers almost lifted to trace the delicate curve of her cheek, but I stopped myself.Instead, I reached for my phone on the nightstand.I unlocked it and took a picture. I wanted something to look at whenever I missed her.Because apparently, even when she was right here, I still fucking missed her.Maybe that was what happened when you spent too much time without something you needed.You never quite stopped craving it.I had made mistakes. More than I cared to admit.I had believed what was placed in front of me instead of looking deeper. I had let anger become stronger than the love I had for her.And because of that, I had lost years I could neve
Ariana"Are you sure we shouldn't report this man for sexual harassment?"Matt's voice followed me as we stepped inside the apartment.I closed the door behind us and kicked off my shoes, trying to ignore the fact that my heart was still pounding far too hard.Not from fear. At least that's what I
Arianna"Sorry. You're no longer working with us."Those were the words that kept circling in my head. Within less than twenty-four hours, I had lost both jobs.First S&M Publishing House shutting down overnight after the fraud investigation. Then walking into the club and getting informed the boss
DamienPower changes people. Sometimes it hardens you slowly until you stop recognizing yourself. Other times, it turns you into exactly what the world feared you would become in the first place.Two months.That was how long I had been out of the country handling shipments, negotiations, and probl
Ariana It took me a few seconds, maybe longer than that to convince myself that I wasn't imagining things. That this wasn't some cruel trick my exhausted mind was playing on me.Because once upon a time, those same eyes used to look at me like I was something precious. Like I was the only person i







