Chapter Twelve

Sienna Hart stared at the investigation wall for a full five seconds.

Then she slowly turned toward Amara.

Then toward Damien.

Then back to Amara again.

“…You know what?” she said calmly. “I actually don’t think I want the explanation anymore.”

Amara almost laughed.

Almost.

Which honestly felt concerning considering her life was actively collapsing.

“Sienna—”

“No.” Sienna raised a hand dramatically. “I left work thinking maybe you secretly hooked up with a billionaire.” Her eyes shifted toward Damien suspiciously. “Instead I walk into what looks like Gotham City’s trauma headquarters.”

Damien watched her silently.

Completely unimpressed.

Sienna narrowed her eyes immediately.

“Why does he look at people like he already knows how they die?”

Amara sighed tiredly.

“That’s just his face.”

“To be fair,” Damien said quietly, “she’s correct.”

Sienna blinked rapidly.

“…Why is his voice like that?”

Amara frowned.

“Like what?”

“Like expensive emotional damage.”

The silence afterward was catastrophic.

Even Elias paused while walking back into the office.

Amara pressed a hand against her forehead.

“Please stop talking.”

“No, because I’m trying to process this.” Sienna pointed toward Damien. “That man has the exact energy of someone who owns at least three helicopters and unresolved grief.”

Damien actually looked mildly entertained now.

This was getting dangerous.

Sienna suddenly gasped.

“Oh my God. You’re the billionaire.”

Damien lifted an eyebrow slightly.

“That narrows it down considerably.”

“The internet billionaire!” she clarified. “The scary one!”

Amara groaned softly.

“Wonderful. Exactly the reputation every woman dreams of.”

Sienna ignored her completely and walked closer to Damien.

Boldly.

Fearlessly.

Honestly concerning behavior.

She studied him for a long moment before announcing: “You definitely look like you’d ruin someone emotionally in a penthouse.”

Amara nearly choked.

Damien’s eyes shifted briefly toward her.

And there it was again.

That dangerous almost-smile.

Tiny.

Sharp.

Absolutely illegal.

Sienna pointed dramatically between them.

“Nope. I see the tension. I hate it already.”

“There is no tension,” Amara lied immediately.

Damien looked at her calmly.

“Aggressive denial usually indicates the opposite.”

Traitor.

Sienna looked deeply offended.

“You’re both flirting during a criminal investigation?”

“We are not flirting!”

“Then why do you look like that when he talks?”

Amara froze.

“…Look like what?”

Sienna gestured helplessly.

“Like your nervous system is losing custody of itself.”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Even Elias looked away slightly.

Amara wanted the floor to open and consume her immediately.

Damien’s voice lowered beside her.

“She’s observant too.”

Oh, he was enjoying this now.

Psychopath.

Sienna suddenly noticed the shattered tablet on the desk.

Her expression changed immediately.

“Wait.” She looked at Amara carefully. “Are you okay?”

The softness in her voice broke through everything instantly.

Amara’s chest tightened painfully.

“No,” she admitted quietly.

The room fell silent again.

Sienna crossed the office immediately and hugged her tightly.

And just like that, Amara nearly cried again.

“Hey,” Sienna whispered. “Talk to me.”

Amara shook her head slowly against her shoulder.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

Sienna pulled back carefully and looked around the office once more.

Her eyes landed on the missing girls wall.

Then on Damien.

Understanding slowly settled across her face.

“This is bigger than gossip articles, isn’t it?”

Damien answered quietly.

“Yes.”

For once, Sienna didn’t joke.

The seriousness in his tone erased all humor immediately.

She looked back toward Amara.

“Are you safe here?”

Before Amara could answer, Damien spoke first.

“Yes.”

The certainty in his voice filled the room instantly.

Sienna studied him for a long moment.

Like she was trying to decide whether to trust a wolf guarding the door.

Finally: “If you traumatize her emotionally, I’ll poison your coffee.”

Elias made a suspicious coughing sound that sounded dangerously close to laughter.

Damien remained perfectly calm.

“Noted.”

Sienna blinked.

“…That’s it? No billionaire threat?”

“I respect loyalty.”

The answer surprised everyone slightly.

Including Amara.

Sienna narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

“Hm.”

“What?”

“You’re less evil than I expected.”

Damien looked genuinely uninterested in defending himself.

“That makes one of us.”

The tension eased slightly afterward.

Just enough for Amara’s exhaustion to hit fully.

She sank into one of the office chairs tiredly.

“I think my brain stopped functioning around the time strangers started discussing my life online.”

Sienna immediately sat beside her.

“Okay. First of all, people online are emotionally unstable.” She grabbed Amara’s hand. “Second, you’re hot enough to survive this.”

Amara stared at her.

“That’s your comfort speech?”

“Yes.”

Damien quietly poured a glass of water and handed it to Amara.

The small gesture caught her off guard.

Again.

Everything about him remained confusing.

Cold one second.

Careful the next.

Like he wanted distance but couldn’t stop himself from watching her anyway.

Sienna noticed it too.

Of course she did.

That woman could detect romantic tension like military radar.

Her eyes narrowed slowly.

Then widened suddenly.

“Oh my God.”

Amara immediately felt fear.

“What now?”

Sienna pointed between them dramatically.

“He likes you.”

The room stopped breathing.

Amara nearly dropped the water glass.

Damien went completely still.

Even Elias looked startled.

“No,” Amara said immediately.

“Yes,” Sienna replied instantly.

Damien’s gaze locked onto Amara’s.

Sharp. Unreadable. Dangerously quiet.

Then he said the worst possible thing.

“She’s not entirely wrong.” 🖤