ANMELDENDamian's povWhen I opened the door and saw her standing there, everything inside me went still for a second.She was out of breath. Her eyes were red and full of tears. Her hair was messy, falling in tangled strands around her face. She had knocked so urgently that the sound still seemed to echo in the hallway. One look was enough. Something had happened to her—something bad. And the first thought that cut through me was sharp and painful: I had failed to protect her again.Before I could even speak, she threw herself into my arms.The moment her body pressed against mine, a powerful wave of feeling crashed through my chest. After five long years of missing her, of craving even the smallest piece of her presence, holding her felt like coming home. I knew it was selfish. I knew she was vulnerable and broken in this moment, and that I was taking comfort from her pain. But I could not stop myself from melting into her. My arms locked around her tightly. One hand cradled the back of her
Liam asked me to show him around town, and I agreed. I had grown up in this city, so I knew its streets, its shortcuts, and its quiet corners better than most people. It felt like a small way to repay the years he had stood beside me when almost no one else had.We spent the afternoon moving through places that still carried pieces of my past. The old market square smelled of roasted coffee, warm bread, and the faint sweetness of fruit stalls. People walked by with shopping bags and low conversations. Narrow side streets were lined with small shops whose windows displayed handmade jewelry, second-hand books, and faded postcards. Further on, the river path was quieter. The water moved slowly under a gray sky, and the trees along the bank had already started to turn. I pointed out the school I used to attend, the park bench where I used to sit alone on difficult days, and the small café that still served the same strong tea. Liam walked beside me, listening more than he spoke. He asked
ArabellaI was sitting on the edge of the hotel bed with my phone pressed to my ear, talking to Liam. His calm and steady voice was the only thing keeping me grounded after a long day. We were going over a few last details about the Harrison contract when a sudden knock sounded at my door.I frowned and glanced at the time. I was not waiting for anyone.“Hold on a second,” I told Liam, standing up slowly.When I opened the door, my whole body tensed at once.Damian stood in the hallway, smiling from ear to ear, holding a fresh bouquet of flowers in his hands. The sight of him hit me harder than I expected. What did he want now? Every single conversation with this man left me mentally drained and emotionally tangled.“I’ll call you later, Li,” I said quickly into the phone before ending the call.The moment the short name left my mouth, Damian’s eyes darkened. His jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscles tick.“Who the hell is Li?” he asked suddenly. His voice was loud and full of
Damian's povFive years agoIt had been a full week since my grandfather died. I still did not know how to feel or what to think. Everything inside me felt empty, like someone had reached into my chest and taken out the most important part. The funeral preparations had drained every bit of energy I had left. Meetings with lawyers, distant relatives offering empty words, the constant pressure to stay strong—it all left me exhausted in a way that sleep could never fix.Right now, the only thing I wanted was to go to my safe place.To Arabella.I wanted to breathe in her soft vanilla scent and rest in her arms for hours without speaking. I had not contacted her for an entire week, and the distance was starting to hurt. God only knew how much I needed her. That woman was the air I breathed. I needed to hear her voice, even if it was just for a few minutes. Tonight, I decided I would go to her house.I was getting ready to leave when someone knocked hard on my door.Who the hell could that
The same intense sensation from the past crashed into me all at once. His lips were still pressed against mine, warm, firm, and far too familiar. For a second I could not move. Without me even realizing it, his large hands had locked my wrists above my head, pinning them against the door. The hold was strong but not rough enough to hurt. It was the kind of hold that left no easy way out.I was kneeling him between his legs. When my weight shifted slightly, he jerked back with a sharp sound of pain. The sudden movement broke the kiss and forced some space between us.“What the hell is your problem, Damian?” I yelled, my voice rising higher than I meant it to. “Are you high or something?”“You,” he said simply. His voice was low and rough, almost hoarse.“What the fuck?” I shot back, still trying to pull my wrists free.He looked at me with a tired expression, the kind that made the dark circles under his eyes more noticeable. “You swear too much these days, Arabella.”The way he said m
"Arabella… what a pleasant surprise,” Damian said, his voice carrying a tone I had never heard from him before. The Damian I once knew never spoke with such playful inflection. His face had always been carved in stone, dark and serious, a mask that revealed nothing. But now, there was something different — a dangerous spark behind that grin, a shadow of amusement that unsettled me.I froze for a moment, my heart betraying me with a sudden, violent thump. The sound of my name on his lips after all these years was like a blade cutting through the silence. It was too intimate, too familiar, and it dragged back emotions I had buried deep, emotions I had sworn never to feel again.“Hello, Mr. Harrison,” I replied simply, my words clipped, my tone cold. I wanted distance. I needed distance.“We’re back at that, I see…” he answered, his grin widening as if he enjoyed the wall I was trying to build between us.“Let’s do business,” I said firmly, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Talking abo







