All Chapters of BENEATH THE MASK : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

POV: AkaydaThe next morning felt almost too normal and that alone was what unsettled me the most.I got to work early like I always did. The underground parking lot was quiet, the sound of my heels echoing faintly as I got out of my car. The air smelled of concrete, cool and slightly damp. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at my reflection in the window of my car.You’re fine, Akayda.Everything is fine.You're here early so you won't see anyone who'll look at you like trash.I readjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and walked toward the elevator.The metal doors slid open with a soft ding. I stepped in and pressed the button for the seventy second floor. As the doors closed, I let out a slow sigh, leaning back slightly against the cool wall.Maybe today would be peaceful.Not maybe— today would be peaceful.The elevator jerked slightly and then stopped.I looked up immediately, it was the lobby floor.I frowned.The doors slid open again.A small group of staff stoo

POV: AkaydaThe cold hit me before anything else did.Not gently.Not gradually.We had just arrived at the Berlin international airport. The very minute Damian and I stepped out from the arrival side of the airport in Berlin, the air slapped against my face like a warning. It was sharp and biting, slipping past the collar of my coat and settling against my skin like it had every intention of staying there.I sucked in a quiet breath as I adjusted my scarf around my neck and then my coat around my body.So this was Berlin.The smile on my face said it all, I was already intrigued by the whole idea of just being here.We had just landed a few minutes ago and already everything felt… different.The language.The environment.Even the airport looked different from the one back home.Even the air felt more organized somehow.We walked toward the baggage claim together, the sound of rolling suitcases and distant announcements echoing around us. My eyes kept moving from one place to anoth

POV: AkaydaThe very second we got back into our hotel suite, the silence between us returned.It wasn't really the comfortable kind.It was the kind that sat in the air and refused to move.Damian immediately loosened his tie first. Then he pulled off his suit jacket and kept it carefully over the arm of the couch. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing his strong forearms that flexed every time he moved. His hair was slightly messy from running his hand through it too many times.It took every ounce of self control I had in me not to stare at him. Me, on the other hand, I was still in the gown I had worn to the meeting that morning. I was currently sitting cross legged on the floor with my laptop open on the table in front of me.I had asked Max if he could find us a whiteboard and marker on the way back and he had said to leave it to him. And true to his word, he had delivered it almost immediately. Now the whiteboard stood near the window, filled with bullet ideas and

POV: DamianBy the time we finally got back to our hotel suite, the sky over the whole of Berlin had turned a deeper shade of blue. The city lights were already beginning to glow outside the tall windows, filling the room in soft gold and silver reflections.The moment we stepped in, Akayda walked straight to the kitchen.No hesitation.No pause.It felt like she had done this a hundred times before.I just stood there for a second, watching her back as she opened the fridge looking inside the fridge.I removed my suit jacket and placed it carefully over one of the dining chairs. The fabric felt lighter now that the day was over, but my mind wasn’t.It was still running.Still replaying the events of the whole day.Still thinking about the meeting.I walked toward the kitchen counter and leaned against it casually, folding my arms across my chest.“Are you going to eat now or later?” she asked without turning around.“I’ll just eat now,” I replied. “Since you’re eating now too.”She n

POV: AkaydaI didn’t know when last I had felt this light since I started working at Knight Enterprises a few months ago.Maybe never.The Berlin air was cool but soft against my skin as I walked through the local market streets, shopping bags hanging from both hands. The whole place was alive in a quiet, beautiful way. It really was the Lazy but Sexy City. It was not as loud as Chicago. Not rushed. Just steady movement. People laughing here and there. Vendors calling out in German. The smell of baked bread and roasted meat drifting in the air.There were a lot of things to buy but I wasn’t buying much.Just little things.I bought a soft pink lip gloss I knew Melina would love. I also bought two delicate silver bracelets with tiny charms.Then I also bought matching sunglasses so we could twin together when I got back home. And a beautiful vintage scarf with soft floral patterns that I had fallen in love with the second I saw it.I smiled to myself as I looked down at the scarf pee