011: Hidden Faces

A cold silence settled through the hallway.

Elena looked from Damian to Vanessa.

The change in Damian's expression was impossible to miss.

Only moments ago, he had been focused on Elena.

Now, all his attention was on Vanessa.

And he looked worried.

Very worried.

Vanessa slowly approached them, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked sweetly.

"No," Damian replied immediately.

His voice was sharp.

Vanessa's smile widened.

"That's a shame. It looked important."

Elena frowned.

The tension between them was becoming impossible to ignore.

Something wasn't right.

Vanessa stopped a few feet away.

Her gaze shifted to Elena.

"You seem upset."

"I'm fine," Elena answered.

"Are you?"

The question sounded innocent.

But Elena felt a hidden meaning behind it.

Before she could respond, Damian stepped between them.

"Vanessa."

The warning in his voice was clear.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You should leave now."

For the first time, the smile slipped from Vanessa's face.

"What did you say?"

"I said you should leave."

The hallway became silent.

Elena had never seen Damian speak to Vanessa that way before.

Neither, apparently, had Vanessa.

A brief flash of anger crossed her face.

Then it vanished.

Replaced by another smile.

This one was colder.

More dangerous.

"Fine."

She turned toward Elena.

"Be careful who you trust."

Then she walked away.

The moment she disappeared around the corner, Damian released a breath he seemed to have been holding.

Elena noticed.

And it only deepened her suspicions.

That evening, Elena couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

She sat by the window in her room, replaying every conversation in her mind.

The warning.

Damian's fear.

Vanessa's strange behavior.

None of it made sense.

A knock sounded at her door.

She turned.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Damian entered.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The tension between them lingered.

Finally, Damian walked closer.

"I owe you an explanation."

Elena crossed her arms.

"That's an understatement."

A faint smile touched his lips before disappearing.

Then his expression became serious.

"About a year ago, someone targeted one of my companies."

Elena listened carefully.

"It started as business rivalry."

His gaze darkened.

"But it became something worse."

"How?"

"They began threatening people close to me."

Elena's stomach tightened.

"Friends."

He paused.

"Employees."

Another pause.

"Family."

The room suddenly felt colder.

"And me?" she asked quietly.

Damian looked directly into her eyes.

"You most of all."

Elena's breath caught.

He continued.

"I received photographs of you."

Her heart pounded.

"What?"

"They knew where you lived."

His voice was low.

"They knew where you worked."

Elena felt sick.

"They even knew your daily routine."

A chill ran down her spine.

Every word sounded real.

Too real.

"So you left?"

Damian nodded.

"It was the only way I knew to keep you safe."

Tears burned in Elena's eyes.

A year.

An entire year of pain.

A year of believing she had been abandoned.

And now this?

"You should have told me."

Her voice cracked.

"I know."

"You should have trusted me."

"I know."

The sincerity in his voice made it impossible to stay angry.

At least completely.

Damian looked away.

"I've always regretted it. Every day."

The confession hung between them.

Heavy.

Honest.

Painful.

Elena stared at him.

For the first time, she saw the weight of regret and guilt he had been carrying.

And despite everything, her heart softened.

Just a little.

Then suddenly, a loud crash echoed from downstairs.

Both of them jumped.

Another crash followed.

Then a scream.

Damian's expression changed instantly.

He rushed to the door.

Elena followed.

The moment they reached the staircase, they saw servants running through the mansion.

Panicked.

Frightened.

One of the guards came rushing inside.

His face was pale.

"Sir!"

"What happened?" Damian demanded.

The guard swallowed hard.

"The security gate has been breached."

Damian froze.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then the guard added words that made everyone's blood run cold.

"Someone left a message."

"What message?" Damian asked.

The guard hesitated.

Then he handed over a small black envelope.

Damian opened it.

His face immediately lost all color.

Elena's heart pounded.

"What is it?"

Slowly, Damian handed her the note.

Her hands trembled as she read the words written inside.

YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT HER HIDDEN.

And beneath it...

Was a recent photograph of Elena.

Standing inside the mansion.

Someone had been watching her.

Someone very close.