CHAPTER 28 — Waking Up

Aiden woke up to the sound of someone speaking. Not immediately. First came the darkness. Then the panic. Then the slow, painful return of reality.His chest rose and fell rapidly as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. For a brief, terrifying second, he didn't know where he was. His body felt heavy, his head clouded with fragments of a nightmare he couldn't fully remember.No. Not a nightmare. A memory."You're awake." The voice pulled him back completely.Aiden turned his head. Damien was sitting beside the bed, still dressed in yesterday's clothes. His sleeves were rolled up, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes that Aiden had never noticed before. For a moment, neither of them spoke.Aiden blinked several times."W-what happened?" he asked quietly.Damien leaned back in the chair."You don't remember?"Aiden frowned. The party.The drinking. The phone call. His eyes widened."Oh my God."He sat upright too quickly and immediately regretted it as his head began to

CHAPTER 29 — Lunch at the Mansion

Justin had exactly thirty-seven minutes to regret agreeing to Charlie's invitation.The moment the sleek black luxury sedan pulled up outside his apartment building, he had considered pretending he wasn't home. Unfortunately, the driver had stepped out, bowed politely, and addressed him by his full name.There was no escaping after that.Now seated in the back of a car that probably cost more than his future career earnings combined, Justin stared out the tinted window as Monaco's busy streets slowly gave way to quieter roads and increasingly ridiculous properties."This is insane," he muttered for what was probably the fifth time.The driver, maintaining perfect professional silence, didn't respond.Justin sighed dramatically and leaned back against the leather seat."Maybe they're taking me somewhere to harvest my organs."Still no response."Fair enough," he muttered. "I wouldn't answer that either."The car continued down a private road lined with trees that somehow looked expensive

CHAPTER 30 — The Photograph

Lunch lasted much longer than anyone expected.By the end of it, Justin had eaten enough food to sustain himself for an entire week and had somehow managed to insult Charlie's family wealth at least six different times."I'm serious," Justin said, pointing his fork at Charlie. "Nobody needs this many desserts."Charlie leaned back in his chair. "And yet you ate three.""That is not the point.""It feels like the point."Aiden laughed into his glass.For a brief moment, everything felt strangely normal.Mrs Kate began clearing the table while Sean excused himself to return to the company headquarters with the documents Damien had requested."So," Charlie said, turning toward Justin with a suspicious smile, "would you like a tour?"Justin narrowed his eyes. "Why?""Because this mansion is beautiful.""It belongs to Damien."Charlie pressed a hand dramatically against his chest. "Again with the emotional damage."Aiden burst out laughing."Go," he told Justin. "Otherwise, he'll complain

CHAPTER 31 — Doubt

The silence in the study felt heavier than the argument itself."No," Aiden repeated, his voice steadier this time despite the storm raging inside him. "I'm not staying here."Justin immediately rose from his seat as though he had been waiting for the opportunity."Me too," he announced. "We appreciate the hospitality and all, but we're university students, not witnesses under protective custody."Charlie rubbed a hand over his face."Nobody said you're prisoners.""Then why did he say it wasn't a request?" Justin asked, pointing directly at Damien.No one answered.Aiden couldn't take his eyes off Damien. For the first time since Tokyo, since the kidnapping, since waking up in a hospital bed believing he was going to die, he wasn't looking at the man who had saved him. He was looking at someone he wasn't sure he knew anymore."You knew," Aiden said quietly.Damien's expression remained unreadable."Knew what?""That I was important to your company."A silence fell over the room so qu

All Chapters of When Two Worlds Collide : Chapter 31 - Chapter 35

CHAPTER 28 — Waking Up

CHAPTER 29 — Lunch at the Mansion

CHAPTER 30 — The Photograph

Announcement

CHAPTER 31 — Doubt