All Chapters of IN THE SHADOW OF DESIRE : Chapter 21 - Chapter 27

Silence was never this loud.The morning after the gala, the Cole estate felt like a stage after a tragedy - curtains torn, actors gone, ghosts still whispering their lines. I woke to a hundred missed calls, half a dozen news alerts, and a pounding in my chest I couldn’t silence.My name was everywhere.AMARA BLAKE - DAMIAN COLE’S MYSTERIOUS ASSISTANT LINKED TO EX-FIANCÉE’S COMPANYBETRAYAL OR STRATEGY? INSIDER REVEALS CONNECTION BETWEEN COLE’S STAFF AND LAURENT HOLDINGSEach headline felt like a slap. My photo - stolen from a company event - sat beside Damian’s in every feed, my face frozen in shock, his in fury.My phone buzzed again - an unknown number.“Miss Blake?” The voice was smooth, female. Caroline. “Rough morning?”My fingers tightened around the phone. “What did you do?”“Oh, darling, don’t be dramatic. The truth has a way of surfacing.”“You leaked it.”A soft laugh. “You can’t leak what already existed. You were paid through one of my companies, weren’t you? I simply… co

AmaraThe night air was heavy with rain and electricity.The villa loomed at the edge of the cliffs, its windows lit like eyes - too bright, too still. I’d imagined this place a hundred ways when Marissa mentioned it months ago - serenity, solitude, maybe even peace. But standing here now, it felt nothing like peace.It felt like a trap.Damian’s hand was steady on the door handle. Mine wasn’t.“Are you sure about this?” I whispered.He didn’t look at me. “No.”Then he pushed the door open.The silence inside was unnatural - no staff, no sound, just the faint hiss of wind slipping through the curtains. And then, a voice.“Welcome home, Damian.”Caroline stood at the center of the room, surrounded by soft candlelight. She wore red again - a color that clung to her like sin - and in her hands was a slim leather folder.“Caroline,” Damian said, his tone a warning.She smiled, slow and deliberate. “You brought her. How considerate.” Her eyes flicked to me. “I was afraid she’d gone into hi

AmaraThe streets bled silver under the rain. I could taste the cold on my tongue as the cab sped through the wet city. Every traffic light flickered red like a warning, but I couldn’t stop now.The address from the message led to the industrial docks - the kind of place where no one asked questions. Piles of shipping containers stood like silent witnesses, their paint chipped, their names fading under rust.I should’ve turned back the moment I saw the water, the abandoned cranes, the shadows moving where no one should be. But my mother’s face haunted me - pale, fragile, fighting to breathe - and the message had been clear: If you want to save her, don’t let him come alone.I owed her everything. Even if it meant walking straight into the fire.I stepped out of the cab, my shoes sinking into puddles. My phone had no signal. The world felt too quiet.“Amara.”The voice came from behind me - smooth, familiar, deadly.Caroline stepped out from the shadows, draped in a raincoat, hair slic

The safe house wasn’t what she expected.It wasn’t steel and glass like everything else Damian owned. It was wood - old, dark, and quiet. The kind of place that swallowed sound. The walls creaked when the wind leaned against them, and somewhere in the distance, water moved - a stream or maybe rain slipping down the roof.Amara sat by the window, the thin curtain brushing her arm, watching the forest pulse with shadow. Night had teeth out here.Behind her, Damian spoke low into his phone. His voice was calm, but his shoulders were too tight, his tone clipped - the kind of control that wasn’t peace, only pressure.“Two days,” he said. “No signals. I don’t want anyone knowing we’re here.”A pause. Then softer, colder: “If they find this location, you’ll know someone inside gave it up.”He ended the call and turned toward her. For a moment, silence hung between them, heavy and unspoken.“You shouldn’t sit so close to the window,” he said.“I like knowing what’s outside,” Amara murmured.“