Chapter 18

Damian’s POV

It was already eight pm, and the corporation was quiet. Down below, the city lights flickered like a grid of cold diamonds, but up here, in my corner office, there was only silence.

I sat behind my massive mahogany desk, tapping a heavy silver pen against the dark wood.

I couldn't focus on the financial reports sitting in front of me. Every time I tried to get busy, I didn't see numbers or corporate acquisitions. I saw her.

Laura.

Her face from the stadium box kept playing on a loop in my mind. The delicate curve of her neck. The way her breath hitched when I leaned in close. The fierce, desperate look in her brown eyes whenever she tried to fight the pull between us.

It was getting out of hand. I was forty-eight years old, a man who built an empire on ruthless discipline and cold logic, yet it seemed like I was completely consumed by my daughter’s twenty-one-year-old best friend.

A quiet buzz came from the intercom on my desk.

"Mr. Steels," my secretary’s voice came through. "Ms. Vanessa is outside. She insists on speaking with you before the night ends."

I frowned, my jaw tightening. "Tell her I am busy."

Before my secretary could respond, the heavy glass doors to my office swung open.

Vanessa walked in like she owned the entire building. She wore an expensive, skin-tight emerald dress and tall designer heels that clicked loudly against the polished floor. She carried herself with the arrogance of a woman who knew she had been seen entering my private suite a dozen times over the past year.

To the rest of the staff in this building, Vanessa acted like the boss woman. She liked the status. She liked the rumors. She loved letting people think she had a permanent hold on the most powerful man in the city.

I didn't bother standing up. I just sat back, letting my cold, unreadable glare settle over her.

"You're losing your manners, Vanessa," I said, my voice dropping into a low, gravelly rasp. "I don't recall giving you permission to step into my office."

Vanessa didn't flinch. Instead, a slow, playful smirk touched her painted lips. She slowed her pace as she got near my desk, trailing her manicured fingers along the edge of my desk.

"Oh, come on, Damian," she purred, stopping right beside my chair. "It's just me and you. No need to put on that CEO look."

I stared at her, completely motionless. The air in the room temperature plummeted.

Vanessa leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing her legs. She picked up a crystal paperweight, turning it over in her hand as if assessing its value.

"You've been invisible lately," she said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "You haven't called me in weeks. You haven't invited me over. That's very unusual for you, Damian.”

"My schedule is none of your concern," I replied, my tone flat and icy.

Vanessa set the paperweight down with a soft clink. She leaned in closer, her sharp eyes studying my face.

“Don't you miss me?” Her hand reached out to me but my glare stopped her.

"Is that so?" She tilted her head, a familiar glint flashing in her eyes.

"You know, people in the building are starting to talk. They say you've been distracted. It makes me wonder... is there someone new keeping you busy?"

"You are stepping far out of your lane, Vanessa," I said quietly, leaning forward, still trying to maintain my calm.

Vanessa’s smirk wavered slightly under the weight of my aura. She leaned back but her pride kept her posture held high.

"I'm just saying, Damian," she murmured, her voice dropping into a bitter, dangerous whisper. "If there is a new woman she better be careful. High-society is a small circle. People get hurt when they try to step into shoes that are not theirs and mine especially."

The quiet threat hung in the air like poison.

She wasn't just teasing anymore. She was testing to know if there was someone else through my reaction.

I wasn't going to give her what she wanted but I couldn't help the anger coursing through my veins.

My eyes narrowed. I stood up slowly. At 6'2", my broad frame completely towered over her. The dominance in the room shifted instantly, crushing the smug confidence right out of her chest.

Vanessa swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat. I was trying hard to keep my calm and not expose Laura's existence in my life, but hot lava was boiling inside me.

"Get out," I commanded. My voice wasn't loud, but it carried the weight of my intention.

"If you ever threaten anyone connected to me again directly or indirectly, you won't just lose access to this floor. You will lose everything you have built in this city."

Vanessa’s face went pale. Her boss-woman act completely shattered.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the dead, ruthless look in my eyes silenced her immediately. She realized she had pushed too far.

Without saying another word, Vanessa turned on her high heels and walked out of the office, the heavy doors slamming shut behind her.

I stood alone in the center of the room, my breathing heavy and slow.

My jaw clutched so tight the muscles ached.

Vanessa was a viper.

She was toxic, bitter, and calculating. If she even got a whisper of Laura’s name, if she found out that my innocent distraction was Brenda's best friend, she would use it to ruin her. She would destroy Laura just to get revenge on me.

Laura was too young for this world. She was smart, but she didn't know how dark and dirty high-society could be. She had no idea how dangerous it was to be the woman in my bed.

The need to protect her intensified.

I couldn't let Vanessa touch her. I couldn't let anyone touch her.

I reached into my suit pocket and pulled out my phone, pulling up Laura's contact. My thumb hovered over her name. The need to see her, to hold her, to hide her away where no one could ever lay a finger on her washed over me like a tidal wave.

She must be protected

I pressed the call button, putting the phone to my ears.

"Pick up, Laura," I growled softly in the empty room. "Pick up.”