CHAPTER 12 — TAKING CONTROL

Roy Arrives

When he walked into the office fifteen minutes later, his presence immediately commanded the room. Even the low hum of computers and typing seemed to quiet in respect — or fear. Dianne noticed it immediately: the way he moved, confident, deliberate, unshakable.

He glanced at her first. His eyes softened slightly, though the edges remained sharp, dangerous.

“You okay?” he asked, his tone quieter now, almost tender.

Dianne shook her head slightly, biting her lip.

“I… I’ll be fine.”

Roy didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t need to. His eyes had already scanned the empty conference room, the chairs still slightly disordered, evidence of the tension that had just occurred.

Roy pulled out his phone, dialing with calm precision. The ringtone echoed slightly across the quiet office. Within moments, Damian answered, his voice smug and confident — unaware of the storm coming.

“Damian. This is Roy Sinclair,” he said evenly, controlled, yet laced with a dangerous undertone. “I’m calling regarding the Hamilton Project.”

“Roy, yes, what’s—” Damian began, but Roy cut him off.

“Effective immediately, you are removed from the project.” Roy’s tone was flat, icy.

“Your conduct in the meeting today — bullying, unprofessional behavior, undermining a team member — is unacceptable. I cannot allow this to continue.”

“Wait, what? You can’t just—” Damian protested.

“I can,” Roy said, voice calm but with a subtle edge that carried absolute finality.

“You are incompetent for this role, and any further interactions with Dianne Blake or her team on this project are strictly forbidden. Consider this a formal notice. If you attempt otherwise, consequences will follow.”

Damian’s protest sputtered out. He opened his mouth again, but the authority in Roy’s tone shut him down instantly. The conversation ended with Roy hanging up, precise and controlled, leaving Damian seething.

He turned to Dianne, who had been standing silently, watching the entire exchange from across the room. Her lips parted, a mix of relief and awe in her expression.

“Are… you serious?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Roy approached her desk, his presence calm yet undeniably dominant.

“Absolutely. No one bullies you under my watch. Not Damian. Not Chloe. Not anyone.” His tone softened slightly, though the authority remained.

“You shouldn’t have to carry that weight alone.”

Her eyes glistened. She wanted to say something—thank you, I’m scared, I…—but her voice caught in her throat.

Roy stepped closer, closer than anyone had dared before. Not invasive, just protective. He brushed a strand of hair back from her face—a gesture so gentle and personal it made her heart stutter.

“I’ve got your back, Dianne,” he murmured, voice low, almost intimate.

“Always.”

He did this for me?

He removed Damian?

He stood up for me without even asking me if I wanted it?

How… how does he always know what I need?

I can’t stop thinking about him…

Her hands trembled slightly, a flush creeping up her neck. She wanted to speak, to say something, but words failed her. She only nodded slightly, trying to steady her emotions.

Roy didn’t linger long — he maintained professionalism.

He leaned against her desk slightly, making sure she felt supported but not smothered.

“The rest of the team will follow proper protocol. No harassment. No manipulation. You focus on the project. I’ll handle the rest.”

She tried to smile.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was something.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

His lips twitched faintly into a cornered smile.

“You don’t need to thank me. Just… focus on your work. And stay safe.”

He left her side after a few more words, but the tension lingered.

Dianne’s mind raced, heart pounding, pulse wild.

He’s protective. He’s fierce. He’s… mine, in some way I can’t explain.

And yet, he’s so far, so untouchable.

Roy walked back to his office, exhaling slowly. Behind his calm exterior, his mind replayed the moments he watched Damian and Chloe in that meeting. Protective instinct and desire warred inside him — he wanted to be close to Dianne, to hold her, to shield her, but he also needed to maintain control and professionalism.

She’s mine. I’ll make sure no one ever hurts her again.

Damian slammed his phone onto the sleek mahogany desk in his office, the ringtone echoing through the otherwise quiet room. He paced back and forth, fists clenched, jaw tight. His tailored navy suit did nothing to hide the rigid lines of anger that cut across his body.

Chloe leaned against the corner of the desk, arms crossed, lips twisted into a calculated smirk. She had watched him lose his cool before—but this time, it was different. Damian’s fury was… personal.

“He did what?” Damian growled, his voice low but sharp enough to make the expensive crystal vase on the desk rattle slightly.

“He removed you from the Hamilton Project,” Chloe replied, deliberately calm. Her tone was icy, almost theatrical. “And made it clear—no contact with Dianne Blake, ever. You heard him yourself.”

Damian’s hands flew to his hair, running through the perfectly styled strands as he muttered under his breath.

“That… that arrogant bastard…” His voice trembled with a mix of rage and disbelief. “He thinks he can just walk into my territory, my company, and remove me? Over her?!”

Chloe pushed off the desk, walking closer. Her heels clicked sharply on the polished floor, each step punctuating her words like daggers.

“Well, he’s clearly smitten, Damian. He’s protective, possessive. That girl… she’s wormed her way into his mind, hasn’t she?”

Damian’s glare darkened, his hands now gripping the edge of the desk so hard his knuckles whitened.

“Dianne Blake?” he spat the name like poison. “That woman? That—” He stopped, taking a sharp breath, struggling to contain the storm inside.

Chloe leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Don’t pretend you don’t feel it too. You want her, Damian. Admit it.”

He turned sharply, pacing again, muttering under his breath.

“I don’t want her. I never wanted her… But he can’t have her. Not like this.” His voice rose, sharp and almost uncontrollable.

“He humiliated me in front of everyone, took over my project, dismissed me like I’m… like I’m nothing!”

Chloe’s smile widened, and she tilted her head, eyes glinting with scheming light.

“Exactly. And now we have a choice. We can fight back… make her pay. Make her feel what we felt.”

Damian froze, turning slowly toward her. His expression was a mix of fury and twisted fascination.

“You mean… bring her down?”

“Yes,” Chloe said, almost whispering, though her tone was filled with venom.

“Every project she’s on, every client, every whisper around this city—we make sure she knows she can’t trust anyone. Make her crumble… make Roy regret even looking at her.”

Damian’s jaw tightened. The thought of Dianne, shaking, vulnerable, under their control, made a dark fire rise inside him. But it wasn’t just the humiliation. It was the anger that Roy had taken something Damian had wanted—control, influence, even revenge. That same man, Roy, had the audacity to protect her.

“She humiliated me first,” Damian hissed, pacing again, voice low and dangerous.

“And now… now she’s cozying up to him, and I can’t do anything. That bastard made me irrelevant, Chloe. Do you understand?”

Chloe stepped closer, placing a hand lightly on his arm—but the gesture was calculated.

“We make her regret walking into our world. He thinks he’s so clever, protecting her. But no one can shield her forever. She’ll slip… and when she does, we’ll be ready.”

Damian’s eyes darkened, burning with obsession and fury. He turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city lights.

She will pay.

I will make sure she feels every ounce of the humiliation I’ve suffered.

Chloe’s voice pulled him from the spiral of thought.

“We start with subtle things. At the office. On the project. Nothing that can be traced back to us at first. Roy won’t see it coming. She won’t see it coming. But when it hits… she’ll know we’re behind it.”

Damian finally spun to face her, eyes glinting with dark determination.

“Yes… yes, you’re right. She’ll regret ever stepping into our world.”

They shared a look, a silent pact forming. The office felt colder suddenly, like the air itself was aware of the scheming. Chloe’s smile widened, a predator satisfied. Damian’s fists unclenched just slightly, but the fire in his chest didn’t dim.

He walked to the desk, picking up a folder of Dianne’s project files from earlier. He flicked through them, almost reverently, eyes scanning her work, his mind already plotting how to dismantle her.

“She’s talented… too talented,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s what makes her vulnerable to us. If she’s good, people will notice. We’ll use that.”

Chloe chuckled softly, a sound that made Damian’s teeth clench further.

“Oh, she’ll crumble. And when she does, he’ll be helpless. He can’t protect her from everything. He’s human.”

Damian slammed the folder down, his voice rising.

“She humiliated me once. She will not humiliate me again. Not in front of Roy, not in front of anyone. This time… I control the game.”

Chloe leaned in close, eyes glinting with dark amusement.

“Good. Because the moment you start enjoying this… you’ll want more. And Damian… I know you will.”

Damian exhaled sharply, the fire in his chest turning into cold, calculated rage.

“Let’s make sure Roy regrets even touching her. She’s mine—if not me, no one.”

Chloe’s laugh was quiet, sinister.

“Then we begin… tonight.”

Outside the office window, the city lights of Notting Hill twinkled innocently, unaware that a storm had been set in motion—one that would collide with Dianne’s world, Roy’s control, and the fragile trust she was slowly beginning to build.