Blood keep dripping slowly from Gilbert’s leg, staining the dusty floor. His groans echoed through the large, dim warehouse. Damien stood over him, silent, his eyes cold and unreadable.With one last glance at Gilbert, Damien turned away and walked toward Lyriel, who sat tied to a chair in the corner. Her hair was messy, her face pale."It’s okay now," he said quietly, kneeling beside her. His hands moved quickly as he untied the ropes cutting into her wrists.When the last knot came loose, he slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders, lifting her easily into his arms. She gasped softly, leaning into him as tears filled her eyes.Damien turned to Nicolas, who stood a few feet away watching silently."You know what to do, right?" Damien asked and Nicolas nodded once. Gilbert’s head shot up. "W–what are you doing?" he stammered, trying to crawl backward. "Nicolas, don’t do this… you’ll regret it!"Damien’s cold eyes met his for a brief moment, then without another
Damien stood in front of his car, the message still glowing on his phone. He could feel every pulse of his heartbeat echoing through his veins. His men stood behind him, their faces tense, waiting for his command."Stay here," he said flatly."Boss..." one of them started, but Damien cut him off with a look so cold it shut everyone up immediately."This is personal... This is my fight." he added quietly. "I’ll end this myself."The men exchanged glances but didn’t argue. They simply nodded.Damien tucked the gun at his back pocket and slammed the car door. The evening air was cold, and the road ahead was silent like a grave.For an hour, he sped through the a lonely road, his jaw tight. His hands stayed clenched on the steering wheel the entire time. When he finally pulled up, the place looked like a forgotten building with rusted irons, cracked walls, shattered windows. It was a place that could swallow screams without anyone ever hearing.The moment Damien stepped out of the car, f
When Lyriel regained consciousness, her vision was blurry and her head throbbed where she was struck.She blinked, trying to shake off the dizziness. Her wrists hurt so much from the tight ropes that when she pulled, they dug deeper into her skin. Fear rushed through her, but she forced herself to stay calm.There were five men in the room and they watched her with hard eyes. None of them smiled, none of them made a move to free her.Lyriel swallowed and forced a calm she did not feel. "Let me go," she said, her voice shaking. "If you touch a single hair on my head, Damien will..." The sound of the door opening interrupted her. Afterward, Gilbert stepped in, tall and composed. Her eyes flew wide when she saw him standing near the doorway.He walked slowly to her, and the men straightened beside him. When he reached her, Gilbert did not hesitate. He grabbed a thick handful of her hair and yanked her head back until pain flared along the side of her skull where she had been hit earlier
The next morning Lyriel woke with a dull throb behind her eyes. The room seemed to tilt for a moment when she tried to sit up. She pressed her hand to her temple and blinked away the blur."Are you all right?" Damien asked from the doorway, his voice filled with worry.Lyriel nodded. "Yeah. I’m fine... I just feel… dizzy. Maybe I should go to the hospital?."Damien moved to her side and touched her forehead. “Your temperature’s high… fever, I guess,” he muttered, helping her sit up on the bed.“Go get ready. I’m taking you to the hospital,” he said, but she shook her head before he could say anything else.“No,” she whispered. “You said you have something to do today. Go. I’ll be fine on my own, and I’ll be careful. You told me there’s nothing to worry about, so I believe you.”“But you’re—”“I’m fine. I promise.”He hesitated, then slowly nodded. “Alright. Keep in touch, okay?”She smiled faintly. “I will.”Damien watched her for another long moment before pulling her into his arms.
When the evening finally arrived, Gilbert walked into an old building he had chosen as their meeting point. His men were already seated in a straight row, waiting silently for him.The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. Every single one of his men immediately rose to their feet, heads slightly bowed. Gilbert walked past them steadily and sat down in the large chair at the head of the room. He raised one hand, signaling them to sit and without a single word, they all obeyed.Gilbert leaned back slightly in his chair, his expression unreadable as his gaze slowly swept through the room."You all already know what happened earlier today," he began..."We just found out Damien has been spying on us… probably for a long time. He’s been one step ahead of us without us even realizing it."Some of the men exchanged glances but remained silent.Gilbert continued, "The reason I called this meeting is simple. The chairman gave a direct instruction. According to him, we’re to take t
Lyriel tilted her head slightly, her brows drawing together as she watched the cold smirk spread across Damien’s face. Just seconds ago, he had been gentle with her… now his eyes carried a glint she couldn’t ignore."Damien," she whispered carefully, "what’s going on? What was the message about?"Damien didn’t answer immediately. He still had his hand on her cheek, his thumb brushing slowly against her skin, but his gaze wasn’t on her anymore. It was kinda distant as if his mind had already stepped into another place entirely.Her heart gave a small, uneasy beat. She knew that look—it always showed up right before he did something."Nothing you need to worry about, seriously." Damien finally said in that calm, low voice of his.But she didn’t believe him. She could tell from the way his jaw tightened slightly and the way his eyes didn’t soften when he spoke. He was hiding something from her.She lowered her knees and sat up properly, looking him straight in the eyes. "That’s not true,