Chapter Six
1075 Words
He's Found Us
The voice echoed through the mansion.
"Hello, Damien."
"Did you miss me?"
Every light flickered violently.
Then silence returned.
A terrible silence.
The kind that made Elena's stomach twist.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then the entire mansion exploded into activity.
Guards rushed through the hallways.
Voices shouted orders.
Footsteps thundered upstairs.
And through it all, Elena stood frozen.
Because she had never heard fear in Damien's voice before.
Until tonight.
The sound of hurried footsteps approached.
Damien appeared at the top of the staircase with Vivian behind him.
His sister looked pale.
Terrified.
The moment Damien saw Elena still standing there, irritation flashed across his face.
"You didn't go to your room."
Elena crossed her arms.
"You're surprised?"
"This isn't a joke."
"I know."
For a second, they simply stared at each other.
Then Vivian stepped closer.
"What happened?"
Damien's expression softened immediately.
"A security issue."
Vivian rolled her eyes.
"You're lying."
Elena almost smiled.
Apparently Damien wasn't the only stubborn person in the family.
The intercom crackled again.
Everyone froze.
Then the same voice returned.
Calm.
Mocking.
Dangerous.
"Still protecting everyone, Damien?"
"Some things never change."
Vivian's face drained of color.
Her reaction didn't escape Elena.
She knew this voice.
That realization sent chills down Elena's spine.
Damien noticed too.
Immediately, he stepped in front of his sister.
Protective.
Instinctive.
The movement happened so quickly it was obvious he wasn't even thinking about it.
He was simply protecting her.
Elena's chest tightened unexpectedly.
Because no matter how cold Damien acted, everything he did revolved around keeping the people he loved safe.
The intercom went silent again.
A guard appeared moments later.
"Sir, we've secured most of the property."
"Most?"
The guard swallowed.
"We lost contact with two men near the west gate."
Damien's jaw clenched.
"Find them."
"Yes, sir."
The guard hurried away.
The atmosphere remained tense.
Every second felt stretched.
Like something terrible was waiting to happen.
Suddenly Vivian grabbed Damien's sleeve.
Her hands were shaking.
"He's back."
The words were barely a whisper.
But everyone heard them.
Damien gently covered her hand with his.
"It's okay."
"No, it isn't."
Vivian looked close to tears.
"You promised he would never find us again."
Elena's stomach dropped.
Find us.
Not find Damien.
Find us.
Whoever this man was, he wasn't only after Damien.
He was connected to Vivian too.
A thousand questions flooded Elena's mind.
But for once, she didn't ask any of them.
Because the fear in Vivian's eyes was answer enough.
An hour later, the mansion remained on lockdown.
Nobody was allowed outside.
Every entrance was guarded.
And Damien had disappeared into his office.
Again.
Elena sat in the library trying to read.
Trying being the important word.
Because she had reread the same sentence six times.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to Damien.
And the voice.
And Vivian's reaction.
Nothing made sense.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
She looked up.
Vivian stood in the doorway.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course."
The older woman smiled weakly before entering.
For a few moments neither spoke.
Then Vivian settled into a chair opposite her.
"You like him."
Elena nearly dropped her book.
"What?"
Vivian smiled.
"You're not very good at hiding it."
Heat rushed to Elena's face.
"That's ridiculous."
"It really isn't."
Elena looked away.
Because unfortunately—
Vivian wasn't entirely wrong.
Which was a problem.
A huge problem.
She barely knew Damien.
And yet—
the thought of him risking himself tonight terrified her.
The realization alone was enough to make her nervous.
Vivian watched her quietly.
Then her smile faded.
"You know, he wasn't always like this."
Elena looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"Damien."
Vivian stared toward the rain-covered windows.
"He used to smile."
The sadness in her voice was heartbreaking.
"He used to laugh all the time."
Elena found that difficult to imagine.
The Damien she knew seemed permanently serious.
Permanently guarded.
Vivian continued softly.
"Then Ethan died."
Ethan.
The brother Damien mentioned earlier.
Pain flashed across Vivian's face.
"He blamed himself."
Elena's chest tightened.
"He still does."
The room fell silent.
Rain tapped gently against the glass.
Somewhere in the distance thunder rumbled.
And for the first time, Elena truly understood how lonely Damien must be.
Losing a brother.
Caring for a traumatized sister.
Living with guilt every day.
No wonder he built walls around himself.
No wonder nobody could get close.
The surprising thing was that he still cared.
Despite everything.
Despite the pain.
Despite the loss.
He still cared enough to protect everyone around him.
Including her.
And that realization scared Elena more than she wanted to admit.
Because every day she spent in this mansion—
it became harder not to care about him too.
A loud crash echoed somewhere downstairs.
Both women jumped.
Vivian immediately stood.
Fear returned to her eyes.
Elena's pulse quickened.
Another crash followed.
Then shouting.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The library door burst open.
A guard rushed inside.
His face looked pale.
"Miss Vivian."
"What happened?"
The guard hesitated.
Then—
"They got through the west gate."
The room went silent.
Elena felt her blood run cold.
"They?" Vivian whispered.
The guard nodded.
"Several armed men."
Panic erupted instantly.
Vivian's breathing became uneven.
The guard moved toward her.
"We need to take you somewhere safe."
"What about Damien?"
"We're looking for him now."
The answer did not help.
Not at all.
If anything, it made everything worse.
Because if nobody knew where Damien was—
then something had gone terribly wrong.
A gunshot exploded somewhere nearby.
The sound echoed through the mansion.
Vivian screamed.
Elena's heart nearly stopped.
Then another shot followed.
And another.
Chaos erupted outside the room.
People shouting.
Running.
Doors slamming.
The guard grabbed Vivian's arm.
"We have to move."
They rushed into the hallway.
Elena followed immediately.
The mansion no longer felt safe.
It felt like a battlefield.
Suddenly the lights went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Someone screamed.
Another gunshot rang out.
Closer.
Much closer.
Elena's breathing quickened.
She couldn't see anything.
Nothing.
Then—
a hand grabbed hers.
Strong.
Warm.
Familiar.
Damien.
Even in complete darkness she knew it was him.
His voice came from beside her.
Low.
Urgent.
"Stay with me."
And despite the chaos surrounding them—
despite the danger—
despite everything—
Elena felt safe the moment she heard his voice.
Then Damien said something that made her blood run cold.
"He's inside the mansion."
- Writer
