All Chapters of Protecting the Billionaire’s Daughter: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Damon’s POVThe community gym was nearly empty when I walked in.Just the hum of the AC, the faint clink of weights, and the rhythmic thud of my footsteps against the rubber flooring. Perfect. Just how I liked it.Mornings like this helped me think. Helped me breathe. Helped me keep my head straight.Life had finally settled into something peaceful—Aria laughing in our kitchen, Lina becoming less tense each day, the house beginning to feel like a home.For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t fighting fires.I stepped onto the treadmill, started a slow jog, and let the steady beat of my feet ground me.Five minutes in, the door opened.I didn’t look up at first.But then—“Damon?”I closed my eyes for half a second.Brenda.Of course.I lifted my head and found her standing in front of the glass wall, a ponytail swinging behind her, leggings and a fitted tank top that she wore with deliberate confidence.She smiled like she’d just discovered treasure.“Oh wow… I didn’t know you com

Damon’s POVThe neighborhood barbecue was louder than I expected.Kids running around with water guns.Music playing from three different speakers because apparently one wasn’t enough.People shouting over each other, laughing, grilling, waving plates in the air.Aria loved it instantly.She held my hand tightly when we arrived, practically glowing. “This is perfect, Damon. We needed this.”She was right. After everything we’d survived, a normal weekend felt like a blessing.Lina came with us, of course. She was quieter than Aria but still polite enough to greet everyone. She scanned the crowd like she always did—calm eyes, alert posture, like she was still trained for danger she hoped she’d never see again.Then she nudged me. “Your admirer is here.”I didn’t have to ask who she meant.Brenda stood near the drink table, wearing a sundress that blended with the summer mood. She wasn’t looking at me this time—thank God—but she seemed restless, distracted, like something was humming und

Damon’s POVI wasn’t spying on Brenda.Let me make that very clear.I was simply sitting on the front porch, tightening the screws on the small wooden bench Aria wanted repainted, minding my own business, when the sound of a front door opening made me glance up.That was all.A natural reflex.A neighborly glance.And then I froze.Brenda stepped out of her house wearing a short, wine-red dress—nothing outrageous, but definitely not her usual soft sweaters and jeans. Her hair was curled lightly, makeup subtle but deliberate. She looked like someone who had spent time preparing.Too much time.She walked down her front steps, locking the door behind her, and for the first time in days, she wasn’t avoiding eye contact with the world.She was glowing.Like someone going to meet a reason to forget.My jaw tightened.It happened without my permission—my body’s instinct reacting before my brain could filter it. A slow, unwelcome tension coiled in my chest as she descended the steps, heels t

Aria's POVSomething was off with Damon.I didn't know when exactly it started. Maybe it was gradual-shifts so small they didn't make noise until they finally echoed loud enough for me to notice.But I did notice.The first sign was the silence.Not the comfortable one we usually shared, but a heavy kind... the type that felt like someone was hiding a stone in their chest.He would zone out often. Lost in thought. Staring at nothing for long stretches-like his mind was struggling with something he didn't know how to name.Before, when he'd look at me, there was warmth, mischief, familiarity.Now, sometimes... he'd look away too quickly.Or blink too slowly.Or sigh before answering simple questions.It started pulling at me like a loose thread.And the worst part?He kept telling me "I'm fine."Anyone who says "I'm fine" three times in a week is absolutely NOT fine.It was early morning when I finally accepted it wasn't in my head.I walked into the kitchen, already sensing the heavin

Aria's POV I didn't plan to spy on my own fiancé.God forbid.I was a grown woman with sanity, peace of mind, and a life to live.But sometimes-just sometimes-the universe handed you a moment so suspicious, so eyebrow-raising, so men-are-mad coded... that you had no choice but to freeze.And observe.And overthink every detail until your chest tightened.It started like this:Damon was on the couch, legs stretched out, hair slightly messy from running his fingers through it. He looked relaxed-too relaxed. The kind of relaxed only a man with zero stress and one specific source of happiness could manage.His phone dinged.Once.Twice.Then again.Three rapid notifications.He didn't even glance at me. He just smiled.That small, stupid, involuntary smile men get when something-or someone-hits a nerve they're trying to pretend doesn't exist.I watched his thumb sweep over the screen. His shoulders dropped, his lips forming the kind of smile he usually gave me when I wasn't looking.My s