I didn't sleep much that night.
Not because of fear or anxiety. Because my mind kept replaying the dinner. The way his hand had covered mine on the table. The quiet certainty in his voice when he said he cared about my investment.
It wasn't a declaration of love. It was something more fragile than that. Something I didn't know what to do with.
By morning, I was dressed and ready before the car arrived. A navy blazer from the Noir & Co. collection, fitted black trousers, my hair pulled back. I looked like a woman who belonged in a boardroom.
Damian was waiting downstairs, already on his phone. He ended the call when he saw me.
"You look ready," he said.
"I am."
He opened the car door, and I slid in. He followed, sitting close but not touching. The space between us felt different now
