Chapter Eight
1859 Words
Inside the Mansion
"He's inside the mansion."
The words hit Elena like ice water.
For a second, she couldn't breathe.
The darkness around them felt heavier.
More dangerous.
Another gunshot echoed somewhere below.
Vivian flinched violently.
Damien immediately moved closer to his sister.
"It's okay."
"No, it isn't," Vivian whispered shakily.
"He's here."
The fear in her voice made Elena's stomach twist.
Who exactly was Victor Kane?
And why did the mere mention of him terrify everyone?
The emergency lights suddenly flickered on.
A dim red glow illuminated the hallway.
The mansion looked completely different.
Like something out of a nightmare.
Shadows stretched across the walls.
The red light painted everything in blood-colored darkness.
Damien looked toward one of the guards.
"Take Vivian to the safe room."
The guard nodded immediately.
"Sir."
Vivian grabbed Damien's arm.
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"I'm not leaving you."
For the first time, Elena saw genuine helplessness in Damien's eyes.
Not fear for himself.
Fear for his sister.
"Vivian."
"No."
Tears filled her eyes.
"Every time something happens, you tell me to hide."
"Because I need you safe."
The words came out sharper than intended.
Silence followed.
Then Damien's expression softened.
He gently cupped her face.
The gesture surprised Elena.
It was so gentle.
So protective.
"You trust me?"
Vivian nodded.
"Then let me handle this."
For a moment, Vivian looked like she wanted to argue.
Instead, she threw her arms around him.
Damien froze briefly before hugging her back.
The sight made Elena's chest ache.
Because underneath all the darkness—
Damien loved deeply.
And maybe that was why he suffered so much.
Eventually Vivian pulled away.
The guard carefully led her down another corridor.
Damien watched until she disappeared.
Then his entire demeanor changed.
The softness vanished.
The billionaire returned.
Cold.
Focused.
Dangerous.
Another guard appeared.
Breathing hard.
"We found three intruders."
Damien's eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
"East Wing."
Elena's stomach dropped.
The East Wing wasn't far from them.
At all.
Damien looked toward her immediately.
"Stay here."
She groaned.
"Seriously?"
"I'm not joking."
"Neither am I."
His jaw tightened.
"You don't understand how dangerous this is."
"Then explain it."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
For a second, Damien simply stared at her.
Then—
surprisingly—
he answered.
"Victor doesn't just kill people."
A chill ran down her spine.
"He enjoys it."
The hallway became very quiet.
Damien continued.
"He hurts people first."
Elena felt sick.
"Damien..."
"He wants fear."
The coldness in his voice was terrifying.
"He wants suffering."
Suddenly Vivian's fear made sense.
Everything made sense.
Victor wasn't simply dangerous.
He was cruel.
The worst kind of dangerous.
A loud explosion shook the mansion.
The floor trembled beneath their feet.
Elena nearly lost her balance.
Damien caught her instantly.
His hands settled on her shoulders.
Steadying her.
Protecting her.
Their eyes met.
Too close.
Again.
Elena's heartbeat betrayed her immediately.
Even now.
Even during a crisis.
Her stupid heart still reacted to him.
Damien seemed to notice.
His gaze lingered slightly longer than necessary.
Then—
a scream echoed through the hallway.
Everyone froze.
The scream ended abruptly.
Silence followed.
A terrible silence.
The guard's face went pale.
"That came from downstairs."
Damien released Elena immediately.
The moment shattered.
"Stay with the guards."
"I'm coming with you."
"No."
"Damien."
"No."
She folded her arms.
He glared.
She glared back.
The guard looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Finally Damien sighed.
A long suffering sigh.
"You are impossible."
Elena smiled slightly.
"That's not new information."
For one brief second—
the corner of Damien's mouth twitched.
Almost a smile.
Then it disappeared.
Unfortunately, Elena caught it.
And her heart reacted.
Again.
Wonderful.
The timing couldn't be worse.
Another explosion rocked the mansion.
This one closer.
Much closer.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Everyone immediately became serious again.
Damien reached inside his jacket.
Elena froze.
A gun.
Of course he had a gun.
Why wouldn't he have a gun?
The realization was somehow shocking anyway.
Damien noticed her staring.
"You look surprised."
"I've never seen you armed."
His expression darkened.
"I was hoping you never would."
Something about that answer unsettled her.
Because it sounded like regret.
Like he never wanted her involved in this world.
But she already was.
Far more than either of them liked.
A radio crackled suddenly.
Then a voice shouted:
"Sir! We've located Victor."
The hallway went completely silent.
Damien's face hardened.
"Where?"
The answer came immediately.
And it made everyone's blood run cold.
"He's in the security room."
Elena frowned.
Why would Victor go there?
Then she realized.
The cameras.
The alarms.
The security systems.
Control.
If Victor controlled security—
he controlled the mansion.
Damien clearly reached the same conclusion.
Because for the first time that night—
he looked genuinely worried.
The radio crackled again.
Then came a new voice.
A familiar voice.
Cold.
Mocking.
Dangerous.
Victor.
"Good evening, Damien."
Every guard froze.
Elena felt her stomach drop.
Victor laughed softly.
"You know..."
"I've waited seven years for this."
The voice echoed through the radio.
Through the hallways.
Through the mansion.
Then Victor said something that made Elena's blood run cold.
"I finally found the girl."
Damien went completely still.
The world seemed to stop.
Slowly—
very slowly—
his gaze shifted toward Elena.
And suddenly she understood.
Victor wasn't here for Damien.
Not anymore.
He was here for her.
Damien stopped suddenly.
Everyone behind him froze.
The corridor ahead looked empty.
Too empty.
Rain battered the windows while red emergency lights painted the walls in a crimson glow.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"Sir?" one of the guards whispered.
Damien raised a hand.
Silence.
The group stood perfectly still.
Then—
a slow clap echoed through the hallway.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Elena's blood ran cold.
The sound came from the darkness ahead.
A figure stepped into view.
Tall.
Dressed entirely in black.
Smiling.
Victor Kane.
For a moment, nobody moved.
The man looked ordinary.
That was the terrifying part.
There was nothing obviously frightening about him.
No scars.
No weapon visible.
Nothing.
Yet the moment he appeared, every guard raised their guns.
Victor smiled wider.
"Damien."
His voice was smooth.
Almost friendly.
Which somehow made it worse.
"It's been a long time."
Damien stepped in front of Elena automatically.
Protective.
Instinctive.
Victor noticed.
And laughed.
"There it is."
His gaze shifted toward Elena.
Cold curiosity filled his eyes.
"So this is her."
Elena's stomach twisted.
Victor studied her carefully.
Almost like he was examining something valuable.
Something he had spent years searching for.
"You're prettier than I expected."
Every protective instinct in Damien exploded.
"Don't."
The single word echoed through the hallway.
Victor grinned.
"Oh?"
His eyes never left Elena.
"Now I'm definitely interested."
The atmosphere became deadly.
The guards tightened their grip on their weapons.
Nobody blinked.
Nobody moved.
Victor looked amused by all of it.
"You know what's funny, Damien?"
Silence.
Victor chuckled softly.
"She doesn't even know."
Elena frowned.
Know what?
Victor's smile widened.
"Tell me, Elena."
His voice became softer.
"Did Damien ever tell you why he hired you?"
Her pulse quickened.
No.
He never had.
Victor laughed.
"I thought so."
"Stop talking," Damien said coldly.
"Oh, come on."
Victor spread his arms.
"Secrets are boring."
His gaze returned to Elena.
Then he dropped the bomb.
"Your father saved Damien's life."
The hallway fell silent.
Elena froze.
What?
Victor continued.
"Years ago."
"No."
The word left Damien instantly.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Victor ignored him.
"Your father died because of it."
Elena felt dizzy.
"What?"
Her voice barely came out.
Victor smiled.
"The man you call a monster has been watching over your family ever since."
Her heart stopped.
Slowly—
very slowly—
she turned toward Damien.
His expression told her everything.
Victor wasn't lying.
For a moment, the entire world seemed to disappear.
The mansion.
The guards.
The danger.
Everything.
Only one thought remained.
Damien had known her before the contract.
Before the mansion.
Before everything.
"Elena—"
She took a step back.
"You knew me?"
Pain flashed across Damien's face.
A rare, devastating emotion.
"Yes."
The admission hit her like a punch.
For a second she couldn't breathe.
Victor looked delighted.
Like this was exactly what he wanted.
Chaos.
Pain.
Division.
"Wonderful," Victor murmured.
"Now everyone's caught up."
Then everything happened at once.
A gunshot exploded.
One of the guards cried out.
People shouted.
Victor moved.
Fast.
Much faster than Elena expected.
Before anyone could react, he grabbed her arm.
The world tilted.
Elena screamed.
Damien's face changed instantly.
Pure fury.
The kind that belonged to monsters.
"LET HER GO."
Victor laughed.
The sound was completely insane.
"Make me."
The next few seconds happened too quickly.
Guards rushed forward.
More gunshots.
Glass shattered somewhere nearby.
Victor dragged Elena backward.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She struggled.
Kicked.
Twisted.
Nothing worked.
Victor's grip tightened painfully.
"Damien!"
The name tore from her throat.
And Damien moved.
Not like a businessman.
Not like a billionaire.
Like a man with absolutely nothing left to lose.
He crossed the distance between them in seconds.
Victor's smile vanished.
For the first time all night—
he looked surprised.
A violent struggle erupted.
Elena stumbled free.
One of the guards pulled her away.
She barely noticed.
Her eyes remained fixed on Damien.
The fight was brutal.
Fast.
Terrifying.
Victor and Damien crashed into a wall.
Punches.
Blood.
Shouting.
Then—
a gun appeared.
Elena's blood ran cold.
Victor had a gun.
And it was pointed directly at Damien.
Time seemed to stop.
Everyone froze.
Nobody moved.
Victor's breathing was heavy.
Blood ran from a cut above his eye.
Yet he still smiled.
A horrible smile.
"You should've killed me seven years ago."
Damien stood motionless.
His gaze never left Victor.
Then Victor looked at Elena.
And smiled wider.
"I'm not finished."
The words terrified her.
More than the gun.
More than the violence.
Because he meant them.
He wasn't done.
Not by a long shot.
Sirens suddenly echoed in the distance.
Police.
Victor heard them too.
His smile faded.
Slowly, he backed away.
One step.
Then another.
His eyes remained locked on Elena.
"See you soon."
The promise felt like a threat.
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
Gone.
Just like that.
The hallway fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Finally, Elena looked at Damien.
His shirt was torn.
Blood stained his sleeve.
His breathing was uneven.
Yet the only thing he seemed concerned about—
was her.
He crossed the distance between them immediately.
"Are you hurt?"
She stared at him.
The question almost made her laugh.
After everything that just happened—
he was worried about her.
"Elena."
His voice softened.
"Are you hurt?"
Slowly, she shook her head.
Relief flooded his face.
The sight made her chest tighten painfully.
Because suddenly she understood the truth.
Damien never hired her because he needed an employee.
He hired her because he was protecting her.
For years.
And now she needed answers.
All of them.
She looked directly into his eyes.
The mansion was silent.
The storm still raged outside.
And Damien knew exactly what she was about to ask.
"Tell me everything"
- Writer
