A DANGEROUS GAME

It started with a phone call.

Sienna’s phone buzzed just past midnight. She was half-asleep, curled beneath her sheets, her thoughts still tangled in the memory of Damien’s touch. Her heart skipped when she saw his name flash on the screen.

Damien.

She hesitated for only a second before answering.

His voice was low and velvety. Come outside.

She sat up, confused. What?

Come. Now. Then the line went dead.

Moments later, Sienna was standing on the curb in her silk robe, arms folded against the chill in the air. Damien’s black car pulled up silently, its windows tinted, the engine purring like a predator waiting to strike.

She slid in, heart thudding.

“Didn’t know you were the type for late-night drives,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“I’m not,” Damien replied. “But I had a meeting. I want you to see something.”

They drove in silence, the city slowly fading behind them. The lights grew sparse. The roads quieter. After nearly twenty minutes, the car turned down a private drive lined with tall hedges and metal gates.

Sienna glanced at Damien. “Where are we?”

He didn’t answer.

The gates opened, and the car rolled into what looked like a hidden estate—modern, sleek, and terrifyingly quiet. Security cameras were everywhere. A faint hum buzzed in the air like tension before a storm.

Inside the house, it was cold. Not in temperature—but in energy.

Sterile white walls. Spotless floors. And silence that made her bones ache.

“Is this another one of your homes?” she asked.

Damien glanced over his shoulder. “No. It’s a game board.”

Sienna frowned. “What?”

“You said once you don’t know what I really do.” He walked ahead of her, not waiting for her to catch up. “Here’s your answer.”

As they entered a room, Sienna stopped in her tracks.

There was a wall covered in digital maps, blinking red and green lights, surveillance footage streaming live from different parts of the city—and folders, labeled with people’s names. Politicians. Celebrities. CEOs.

“What… what is this?”

Damien turned slowly, watching her with unreadable eyes. “This is the part of the world no one wants to see. The real world. The game behind the curtain.”

Sienna’s mouth went dry. “You spy on people?”

“I play chess,” he said smoothly. “And every piece matters.”

She stared at him, chilled to her core. “This is illegal.”

“So is half the money in this city.” He stepped closer. “You wanted to know who I am, Sienna. This is it. No secrets. No sugar-coating. I manipulate power. I trade information. I control outcomes. And I win.”

Sienna’s voice cracked. “And what does that make me? A pawn?”

Damien’s eyes darkened. “You’ve never been a pawn. You’re the one piece no one saw coming.”

Her breath caught. He was too close now. The room felt smaller. Her head spun.

“What do you want from me, Damien?”

“I want you to understand the stakes.”

His hand reached for hers. Not to comfort her—but to bind her to him even deeper.

“If you’re going to stay in my world, you need to stop thinking like it’s black and white. There are no saints here, Sienna. Only survivors.”

Her voice barely rose above a whisper. “And if I don’t want to play this game?”

He smiled—a slow, dangerous smile. “Then you’re already losing.”

She yanked her hand back and walked toward the door.

But when she reached it, she stopped.

Because the truth was—she wasn’t afraid of the game.

She was afraid of how much she already wanted to win it. With him.

Later that night, she sat alone in her apartment, staring at the city lights. The world outside looked the same—but she wasn’t.

She had stepped into something dark. Twisted. Addictive.

And the worst part?

She wanted more.