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Chapter 12: Julian

Author: Amira Lights
last update publish date: 2026-03-21 02:38:56

Aria made it to the staff hallway before she had to stop and lean against the wall, her legs shaking.

He knows something. does he?

The way he'd looked at her. That warning about using her "considerable talents" appropriately. The subtle threat wrapped in professional courtesy.

But how much did he know? And if he suspected she wasn't who she claimed to be, why hadn't he fired her? Why was he giving her more access, more responsibility?

Unless he's playing with you. Watching to see what you'll d
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  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 114: Welcome to Blackwood Enterprises

    Jennifer moved briskly through the executive floor, her heels clicking efficiently on the polished floors. Aria hurried to keep up, trying to take in everything at once.Open-plan workspace with individual desks for junior staff. Private offices lining the perimeter for senior executives. Conference rooms with glass walls. A break room that looked more like a luxury hotel lounge. And everywhere....everywhere....that sense of controlled power."You'll be sitting here," Jennifer said, stopping in front of a desk positioned directly outside a large corner office.The desk was beautiful....sleek, modern, with two large monitors, a phone system that looked complicated, and organizational supplies arranged with military precision. But what caught Aria's attention were the glass walls.The office behind her desk.....Damien's office...had floor-to-ceiling glass walls on three sides. She could see directly into it. And anyone inside could see directly out.To her.Constantly."Mr. Blackwood li

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 113: First Day At Work

    ARIA'S POVThe alarm went off at 5 AM, shattering what little sleep Aria had managed.She'd been awake most of the night, staring at the ceiling, her mind spinning with anxiety about today. Her first day at Blackwood Enterprises. Her first day as Damien's personal assistant. Her first day of proving she was worth the risk he was taking.Her first day of complete submission.She dragged herself out of bed, every muscle protesting. The past month of overwork at the hospital combined with barely eating had left her weak, hollowed out. She caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror and winced.Dark circles under her eyes. Cheekbones too prominent. Collarbones jutting out. She'd lost at least fifteen pounds in the past month...weight she couldn't afford to lose.He's going to notice. He already noticed yesterday.The thought made her chest tight. She didn't want his pity. Didn't want him to see how thoroughly she'd been destroying herself. She wanted him to see strength, competence, so

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 112: The Decision

    Damien sat alone in his study and tried to process what had just happened.He'd done it. He'd taken her back. Sort of. On his terms. With conditions. With control.Was it the right choice? He had no idea.Could he actually forgive her? Time would tell.Could they rebuild what she'd destroyed? Maybe. If she really did submit. If she really did let him have complete control. If she proved....every single day....that she was worth the risk.His phone buzzed. A text from Julian: "How did it go?"Damien typed back: "She starts tomorrow. As my PA. We'll see if she can handle what I have planned."Julian's response: "You're really doing this? Giving her another chance?""On my terms. Complete submission. Total control. If she can't handle it, we're done for good.""And if she can?"Damien stared at the question for a long moment before responding: "Then maybe....maybe...we have a chance."He set the phone down and looked at the necklace and earrings still sitting on his desk. His marks. His

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 111: The Condition

    ARIA'S POVAria couldn't stop crying. A month of holding it together, of forcing herself to function, of pretending she was fine....it all came crashing down.She'd prepared herself for his anger. His coldness. His dismissal.She hadn't prepared for the way he was looking at her. Like he was seeing her....really seeing her....for the first time. Like her pain was hurting him too."I don't hate you," Damien said quietly.She looked up, sure she'd misheard. "What?""I don't hate you. I've tried. God knows I've tried. But I can't." He stood, moved around the desk, and suddenly he was right in front of her. "I'm furious at you. I'm devastated by what you did. I don't know if I can ever trust you again. But I don't hate you, Aria. I hate that I still love you."The words stole her breath. "You....you still...""Love you? Yes. Unfortunately." His jaw clenched. "I've spent a month trying to forget you. Trying to move on. Trying to convince myself I was better off without you. And I failed. S

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 110: First Meeting After The Breakup

    ARIA'S POVAria stood outside the gates of the Blackwood estate at 1:55 PM, her hands shaking so badly she could barely press the intercom button.One month. One month since she'd been escorted off this property. One month since she'd seen his face. One month of suffering that had hollowed her out from the inside.And now she was back.She'd barely slept last night. Had tried on six different outfits before settling on the emerald dress....the one he'd loved, the one she'd worn that last devastating night. If this was goodbye, she wanted him to remember what they'd been. Before she'd destroyed it.She'd lost weight. Could see it in the way the dress hung looser on her frame, in the hollows of her cheeks when she'd checked her reflection this morning. Her mother had noticed too, had held her hands and said, "Whatever happens today, you survive it. You hear me? You survive."Aria wasn't sure she could. Not if he confirmed what she already knew....that it was over. That he'd moved on. Th

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 109: We Need To Talk

    Damien was quiet for a long moment, Julian's words sinking in.He was right. Of course he was right. This couldn't continue. A month of suffering had proven that time alone wasn't going to heal this wound.He needed to see her. Talk to her. Face what they'd done to each other. And then decide...consciously, deliberately....whether forgiveness was possible or if they needed to end things for real this time."If I did want to see her," Damien said slowly, "what would I even say?""The truth. That you've been suffering. That you still love her. That you don't know if you can forgive her but you want to try. That you need to see her, talk to her, figure out if there's any way forward." Julian paused. "Or if you want closure, you tell her that. You tell her you needed to see her one last time to really, truly end things. Either way, you're honest. For once, you're completely honest about what you're feeling."Honest. The word tasted foreign.He'd spent a month hiding. From his staff. From

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 105: Breaking Points

    "Then maybe you need to find a way to forgive yourself. Because right now, you're punishing yourself more harshly than he ever could.""I deserve to be punished!""Maybe. But not like this. Not by destroying your own life." Mei pulled her into a hug. "You made a terrible mistake. You hurt someone y

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 104: Five Days Of Pure Misery

    ARIA'S POV Aria stood in the shower, letting the water run over her, and couldn't remember if she'd already washed her hair or not.Day five. Five days since she'd left the estate. Five days since she'd seen his face. Five days of this endless, suffocating pain.She'd promised Marcus she'd take ca

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 103: Stop Pretending Aria

    Aria sat beside her mother's hospital bed, holding Mei's hand and trying to smile like everything was fine.It wasn't working."Stop pretending," Mei said, her voice stronger than it had been in months. The treatment was working miracles. "I can see right through you, baby girl.""I'm not pretendin

  • The Maid's Deception   Chapter 7: First Day Of Work

    Aria woke at 5 AM to her alarm, her stomach tight with nerves.Today was the day. Her first official day as Sarah Mitchell, maid at Blackwood Estate. Her first real step toward accessing the greenhouse and saving her mother.And her first full day of being in close proximity to Damien Blackwood.Sh

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