CHAPTER FIFTEEN — AFTERMATH AND REACTIONS
1183 Words
The silence in the car was heavy. Damien’s hand rested tight on the wheel, his jaw set. Clara shifted in her seat, tugging the slit of her crimson dress as though it would repair the evening.
“Well,” she said finally, her laugh brittle, “your… friend has quite the dramatic streak.”
Damien’s eyes stayed on the road. “Chloe isn’t my friend.”
Clara smiled, triumphant. “Exactly. She has no place between us.”
He cut her a sharp look, his voice low. “There is no us, Clara.”
Her smile faltered. “Damien, our families—”
“Our families arranged a dinner. That’s all. But let’s make this clear — tonight is the last.” His voice hardened. “Whatever you think this is, it ends here.”
Clara’s chest rose sharply, her lips parting. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” Damien said flatly.
She turned her face away, masking the sting with hauteur. “You’ll regret saying that.”
Damien pulled up outside her building, stepping out only to open her door. Clara climbed out gracefully, chin tilted high, refusing to let him see the crack in her pride.
“You’ll change your mind,” she whispered before sweeping inside.
Damien watched her go, but his thoughts weren’t on her. Not her crimson dress, not her false laughter.
His mind betrayed him, circling back to a different woman — black silk, and the press of soft lips against his cheek before she vanished into the night.
His fingers brushed his jaw unconsciously, as if to erase the memory. But it lingered.
Though irritation remained, it was threaded with something else entirely — reluctant admiration.
---
Damien rarely extended invitations. If his friends showed up at the penthouse, it was because Nathan dragged them there. Tonight, though, it was Damien himself who sent the message: Drinks. My place. Now.
Nathan arrived first, eyebrows lifted as he stepped inside. “Well, this is historic. The great Damien Sterling actually asking for company.”
Logan and Ethan trailed in behind him, equally intrigued. Logan carried a bottle of scotch, Ethan a quiet, amused expression.
“Is this a trap?” Nathan teased, shrugging off his coat. “Because if this is an intervention, I’d like to know what I’m being accused of first.”
“Shut up,” Damien muttered, already pouring drinks. He handed each of them a glass, then downed half of his own in one swallow.
Logan exchanged a look with Ethan. “He’s rattled.”
Ethan only nodded, settling onto the sofa. “So… what happened?”
Nathan leaned forward, grin wide. “This must be about her.”
Damien shot him a glare. “Don’t start.”
“Then don’t brood,” Nathan countered. “You called us here. Talk.”
For a long moment, Damien stared into his glass. Finally, he exhaled, shoulders tight. “She kissed me.”
Three sets of eyebrows shot up.
“Chloe?” Logan asked, incredulous.
Damien’s jaw flexed. “At La Réserve. Right in front of Clara.”
Nathan nearly choked on his drink. “You’re joking.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Damien snapped.
Ethan’s lips twitched, though his voice remained calm. “On the lips?”
“The cheek,” Damien said flatly.
Nathan leaned back, smirking. “Ah, subtle. Effective. No wonder you look like someone stole your equilibrium.”
Damien set his glass down with a clink. “She blindsided me.”
Logan shook his head. “No. She claimed you. And you didn’t stop her.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Damien wanted to deny it — but the truth was still there, burning against his skin where her lips had touched.
Nathan raised his glass in mock salute. “Gentlemen, mark the calendar. Damien Sterling invited us for drinks because of a kiss.”
Damien glared at him. “One word about this leaves this room —”
Nathan grinned. “Relax. I wouldn’t dream of it.” He leaned forward, his eyes glinting. “But you’re in trouble, my friend. And I, for one, can’t wait to watch.”
Chloe slipped into her suite, the city lights casting a glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She dropped her heels by the door, letting out a soft sigh as she reached for a glass of water.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately. Tori.
She answered on the second ring. “You don’t sleep, do you?”
"I couldn’t,” Tori shot back. “Not when I hear my best friend showed up at La Réserve looking like a black widow and left every head in the room spinning. Spill.”
Chloe smirked, settling onto the sofa. “It was dinner. Nothing more.”
“Dinner where you kissed Damien Sterling on the cheek,” Tori fired, her Italian accent thickening. “Don’t play with me, Chloe. Did you really?”
Chloe’s smile widened, her tone deceptively calm. “Yes. I did.”There was a stunned silence.
Then Tori groaned so loud Chloe had to pull the phone away from her ear. “Madonna! What were you thinking?”
“That Clara needed to be reminded her position isn’t permanent,” Chloe said smoothly. “And Damien… well, he needed a reminder too.”
Tori’s voice dropped, half exasperated, half amused. “You’re unbelievable. You waltz into a family-arranged dinner, steal the spotlight, and walk out after leaving a kiss on his face? That’s not strategy, that’s chaos.”
“Chaos works,” Chloe replied lightly, though her fingers tightened around her glass.
Tori went quiet for a moment, then asked carefully, “And what about you? Did you… feel anything?”Chloe leaned back against the cushions, eyes drifting to the city skyline.
For a second, the memory of his stunned expression — the way he didn’t push her away — flickered in her mind.
She pushed it aside with a soft laugh.“It was just a kiss, Tori. On the cheek. Nothing more.”
“You’re lying,” Tori muttered.
Chloe ignored the jab. “Besides, I have work to focus on. Tomorrow is packed.”
Tori sighed. “You hide behind your schedules when you don’t want to admit something.”
“Then let me hide,” Chloe said softly.
There was silence between them, warm but weighted. Then Tori huffed. “Fine. But promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“If you’re going to play games with Damien Sterling, at least win. Don’t let him break through that wall of yours.”
Chloe’s lips curved faintly. “I don’t lose, Tori. Not to anyone.”
“Mm-hm,” Tori murmured, unconvinced.
“Go get some rest, before you overthink this into the morning.”
“Goodnight, Tori.”
“Goodnight, my reckless friend.”Chloe ended the call and set the phone down, her fingers brushing unconsciously against her cheek — the same side she had kissed Damien. Her lips curved into a small, unreadable smile.
- Writer
