CHAPTER 5: THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Damian : POV

"Look at what you've brought upon yourself." My mother's voice hit me before I could even sit up properly.

"Mum, it's too early for this." I rubbed my face and looked at her standing in the middle of my living room like she owned it.

"Will you shut up?" She stepped closer. "I warned you, Damien. I told you that girl was nothing but a gold digger, but you didn't listen. You were stupidly in love. Have you seen where your love has landed you? Have you?"

"How was I supposed to know she was a thief?" I pushed myself off the couch.

"How were you not supposed to know?" She threw the question back at me like it was obvious. "Your father would be so disappointed if he were here to see this. Look at your company. Look at your name. Look at the mess you've created."

She stood up straighter.

"Can you stop?" I held up a hand. "I have enough to deal with already."

She threw her phone onto the table. "Your stock is dropping, the news is everywhere, the board is demanding answers, and your wife has turned your entire life into a scandal."

"I told you she would destroy everything you built." Her voice got louder. "But you wouldn't listen to me. You thought you knew better than everyone."

"Enough." I turned away from her.

"No, Damien. It's not enough." She moved around to face me again. "You threw away everything for that woman, and now look at where you are."

I ran my hand through my hair. "I said enough, Mum. Stop this. I know I made a mistake by marrying her, but must you keep shouting in my ear?"

"Yes." She didn't flinch. "Because I know how much I begged you not to marry that girl. What are you going to do now? Sit here and watch everything you've built fall apart?"

I didn't answer.

She picked up her phone and shook her head slowly. "You need to fix this before it gets worse."

"I know." My voice came out quieter than I intended.

"Then stop protecting that woman and start thinking about yourself for once."

She looked at me for a long moment, then pressed a finger against her lips like she was working something out.

"You know what you need to do now."

"What?" I looked at her.

"Fix your image. Fix your company. But first, you need a woman beside you."

I frowned. "What exactly are you talking about? You know I just ended my marriage."

She gave me a slow, knowing look.

"Vanessa."

"Are you joking?" I stared at her. "Vanessa? Mum, please don't go there."

"Why not?" She tilted her head. "Vanessa has always been the right person for you, my son. She understands your world. She knows how to carry the Blackwood name. But you threw her away because of that stupid Ava."

"Mum." I raised my voice. "Stop. You and I both know I don't love Vanessa. I don't have feelings for her. And besides, Vanessa quit her job at the company. I don't even know where she is right now."

"Then find her." She pointed at me. "Call her. Do whatever it takes to get her back." She held my gaze. "Think about it, Damien. It's time you finally went for the woman who was right for you."

I shook my head and walked toward the window. "I'm not calling Vanessa. I have enough problems right now."

"That's exactly why you should." She followed with her eyes. "People need to see that you're moving forward. The press needs something else to talk about."

I turned to face her. "So you want me to use Vanessa to clean up my mess?"

"I want you to stop making stupid decisions." She crossed her arms. "Vanessa can help you. She knows how this world works, and unlike Ava, she won't embarrass you."

Something sharp hit me in the chest at the mention of Ava's name.

"I'll think about it." I looked away.

My mother smiled, clearly satisfied. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

She picked up her bag and walked toward the door. Before leaving, she turned back one last time.

"Don't wait too long, Damien. Sometimes the person you lose because of a mistake is the person you should have chosen from the beginning."

The door closed behind her.

I stood there in silence, staring at nothing.

Vanessa.

For the first time since my divorce, I wondered where she was.

Nathaniel arrived at my office an hour later. He walked in with a folder in his hands and dropped it on my table without a word.

"We have a problem." He pulled out a chair.

"I already know." I didn't look up from my desk.

"It got worse this morning." He leaned forward. "Two more clients are threatening to pull their contracts, and the press won't stop talking about Ava."

I sat back, distracted.

"Are you okay?" He watched me carefully.

"You won't believe what my mother told me this morning." I finally looked at him.

"What?" His eyes narrowed slightly.

"She said I should get back with Vanessa. Someone I don't even love."

Nathaniel's expression shifted fast. "Why would she say something like that? No, no. You can't do that." He stood up abruptly.

"Why are you shouting? I didn't say I was going to. Calm down." I watched him carefully.

"You just got divorced." He paced slightly. "And your mother wants you to start showing up with Vanessa?"

"Exactly."

He shook his head and walked out, looking more rattled than I expected.

I watched him leave, wondering why the idea bothered him so much.

A few minutes later, my phone rang. Nathaniel.

"What is it?" I answered.

"I've been thinking about what you told me." His voice was calmer now, completely different from the man who had just stormed out. "Maybe your mother isn't completely wrong."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The company needs a distraction. The press needs something else to talk about, and Vanessa could give them that." He paused. "You don't have to marry her. Just meet her. Let people see that you're moving forward."

I stayed quiet.

"Damien, you need to do something before the board makes the decision for you."

I looked at the papers scattered across my desk. He was right about one thing. I couldn't keep sitting here while everything I had built collapsed around me.

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking." The line went dead.

I leaned back in my chair. Why did everyone suddenly want me back with Vanessa?

I picked up my phone and stared at her number before finally pressing call.

It rang twice.

"Hello, Damien." Her voice was careful. Measured.

"Hi, Vanessa. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Is everything okay? Why did you call?"

"I called to say I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. It was never my intention to hurt you. I'm really sorry."

"Damien, it's fine." A short pause. "I was only an option, not your choice."

"No, don't talk like that." I shifted in my seat. "I'm ready to make things right between us. I want you back in my life, Vanessa. Please."

"Damien, that's impossible." Her voice stayed flat. "I can't come back into your life after what you did to me. You never loved me."

"Please don't say that." I pressed the phone closer. "You're the only woman who can help me rebuild my company right now."

Silence stretched between us.

"I know it sounds strange." I exhaled slowly.

"It does." Another pause. "You made your choice, Damien. You chose Ava."

I closed my eyes for a moment. Hearing her say it made me uncomfortable in a way I wasn't ready to examine.

"I know." The words came out quietly. "But things have changed."

"Things changed because your marriage ended?" Her voice had an edge now. "If your marriage hadn't ended, would you be saying all this to me?"

I didn't answer immediately.

"I'm not asking you to come back right away." I let out a slow breath. "I just want us to talk. Can we go out for dinner, please?"

"Damien." Her voice softened slightly.

"Please, Vanessa. Just say yes."

A long pause sat between us.

"I'll think about it." The line went quiet before I could say another word.

I lowered the phone and stared at the screen.

The next morning, my assistant appeared in the doorway before I could even open my laptop.

"Sir, we have another problem." Her voice was tight.

I looked up. "What now?"

"One of our biggest clients just sent an email. They're ending their contract with us."

I stared at her. "What? Why?"

"They said they don't want to partner with our company anymore because of the scandal." She hesitated, then handed me an envelope. "The board has also called an emergency meeting."

I opened the letter and read it slowly. My eyes moved over every line. They wanted to know how eight million dollars had disappeared under my watch. They wanted answers. They wanted to know why Ava hadn't been arrested yet.

I dropped the letter on the desk and stared out the window.

"God, Ava." The words left my mouth before I could stop them. "Look at what you've caused."

Everything was falling apart faster than I could fix it.

Later that night, Nathaniel sat alone in his car across the street from Damien's building. The engine was off. The street was quiet. He looked up at the light still burning in Damien's apartment window.

His phone rang.

He answered without hesitation.

"It's done." His voice dropped low, barely above a whisper.

Silence on the other end.

"Yes." He kept his eyes fixed on the window above. "He's exactly where we need him. The company is losing clients. The board is turning against him, and he's desperate for a way out."

He listened, then a slow smile crossed his face.

"Vanessa is back in the picture too."

Another pause.

"Don't worry." He leaned back in his seat. "He still doesn't suspect anything."

He ended the call and set the phone down beside him. For a long moment, he simply stared up at Damien's apartment window, watching the light like he was counting down to something.

"Soon," he whispered to himself.

He started the engine and pulled away into the empty street, leaving Damien upstairs completely unaware that the man he trusted with everything was the one holding the knife.