Damien’s POV
The adrenaline was still pulsing in my veins, a slow burn just under my skin, long after the room erupted in relief. Applause. Hugs. Smiles.
Cleo’s solution was a goddamn miracle—smooth, clean, impossible even.
And that scared me more than anything.
I watched my team moving like a well-oiled machine. Developers are back in their chairs, Olivia delegating with sharp commands, PR scrambling to reshape the narrative, legal scanning every inch of our contracts to build a new wall.
We were survivors—no, we were warriors. And Cleo had led the charge.
I should’ve felt relieved.
But instead, something gnawed at the back of my mind like a tick beneath the skin. Something I couldn’t name.
I walked to the far end of the boardroom, pretending to check a digital display. The screen
