All Chapters of BENEATH THE MASK : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

POV: AkaydaI had been sitting at my desk since we got back from the hospital, working for what felt like hours but my mind had refused to stay still.An hour after we got to the office from the hospital, Mr. Calisto—Eric—had come to our office and had given me a very clear, and a very sharp instructions before walking into Damian’s office and shutting the door behind him.Do not disturb us. I have a very important meeting with Damian.That was all he had said.There was no meeting notice.There were no files requested.And this meeting was definitely not on Damian’s schedule.Which meant whatever they were discussing in there wasn’t meant for my ears at all.That alone should not have bothered me.But it did.Because ever since the hospital, something had felt… wrong. Scratch that, everything felt wrong up on till this very moment. Eric had been watching me all day.Not casually.He had been studying me and it had made me uncomfortable.Every step I took. Every word I spoke. Every

POV: AkaydaIt was another work day, and I really hoped it will be better than yesterday. That was the thought in my head as I pressed the elevator button for the seventy second floor. The day had started off smoothly—or at least, it felt that way. I was early as always, because being early always gave me a sense of control, and today, I ot felt like I really needed that calm.Today, I was a little bit happy and…. Relaxed. Because not only had Damian calmed me and also assured me that he was going to deal with Marcus and his unwanted attention, but because today was also the welcome party. And I was determined to enjoy every single moment of it. I’ve been through a lot since I started working for at the Knight Enterprises, and tonight, I wanted to enjoy myself as much as I could.But I was also going to make sure I didn't get wasted either.The elevator hummed its way up, the quiet ride always gave me a few moments to myself and I just let myself breathe in the peace. Thank God I

POV: AkaydaThe sound of the car door closing softly filled the side of the street where the car was parked.I clenched my teeth as I pushed Damian's head gently into the back seat, my arms already paining me from his weight.He was really heavier than he looked.“Easy… easy,” I muttered under my breath, it was more to myself than to him, as I repositioned his body so he wouldn’t slump awkwardly while the car moved.By the time I finally got him seated properly, my shoulders were burning with pain.The time was currently past ten already.The welcome party was officially over—and it seemed like everyone had had a lot of fun. Well, almost everyone.Almost everyone was drunk.Correction—wasted.The only people who were still sober enough to walk straight were me, Camila, and Jamila.Eric had been completely wasted that Damian’s driver had quickly called a designated driver for him and sent him home before he could do something in his drunken state.Camila had offered to take Arwen home.

POV: Akayda I couldn't move.I just stood there completely frozen to the same spot, my eyes glued to the door even long after Vivian had walked out of my office.The soft click of the door closing shut behind her had echoed loudly in my ears than it should have. My heart was still beating fast, my chest was tight, my palms were sweaty. It felt like the air had only just returned to the room, and at that moment I realized that I had been holding my breath without even intending to.I let out a long, shaky and very needed breath.God.How could people be so wicked?How could a person just wake up one morning and decide to do something to harm another human being?A fellow human being like them?The thought itself still surprised me even to this very minute. I had seen cruelty before. I had lived with it. But it still shocked me sometimes how people could act that way easily, how naturally they smiled while plotting another person’s downfall.My legs suddenly felt weak, like I was goi

POV: Damian“What did you just say?” My voice filled the room as I asked the question.Akayda nodded, her eyes still wide, I could still see the fear in them. She stood stiffly in front of her desk like she was expecting me to hit her or something.“Mr. D’Angelo is in your office right now, sir.” She repeated the words slowly once again. My jaw tightened. My hands balled into fist as I tried to hold myself back. “Did he say anything to you? Did he touch you?”She shook her head quickly. “No. I just came in not long ago and I saw your door open, so I thought you were the one inside the office. When I went in, he was already there. Sitting down. He didn’t see me though, his back was turned to me.”Thank goodness he didn’t see her. Marcus never really noticed anything except they amused him.I nodded once. “Stay here. I’ll deal with him.”She hesitated, like she wanted to say something else, but then she moved back and nodded giving space to pass. I didn’t wait. I walked past her and we