Chapter 6: The Truth Over Dinner
695 Words
The restaurant was quiet. Too quiet.
No cameras. No reporters. No board members watching their every move. Just a corner table, soft lighting, and Damien sitting across from her like he was about to confess to a crime.
Aria twirled her wine glass, avoiding his eyes.
“You said no cameras. No contracts. Just talk.”
Damien nodded, pushing her plate closer.
“Eat first. You barely touched breakfast.”
She wasn’t hungry. Not when her stomach was tied in knots.
“Damien, stop stalling. Why did you leave me in Paris?”
He exhaled slowly, setting his fork down. For a second, the mask was gone. Just Damien. Tired, guilty, and still in love with her.
“Because if I stayed, you would’ve been in danger,” he said quietly.
Aria froze.
“What are you talking about?”
“My father,” Damien said. The words came out like they cost him something. “He found out about us. About the engagement. About the fact that I was planning to marry you instead of taking over Voss Corp quietly.”
Aria frowned. “Your father’s a businessman, not a mob boss.”
“He’s worse,” Damien said bitterly. “He threatened you. Said if I married you, he’d make sure you never worked in this industry again. That he’d ruin your mother’s treatment. That he’d make you disappear.”
Her breath caught.
“He wouldn’t”
“He would,” Damien cut her off. “And I couldn’t risk it. So I left. I thought if you hated me, you’d be safe. I thought if you moved on, he’d leave you alone.”
Aria stared at him, her chest tight.
“You left me to protect me?”
“I had no other choice,” he said. “I watched you from a distance for three years, Aria. I made sure your mom got the best doctors. I made sure you got job interviews. I couldn’t be with you, but I couldn’t stop caring either.”
The anger she’d been holding onto for three years wavered.
“You could’ve told me,” she whispered.
“And risk him hurting you anyway?” Damien shook his head. “No. I wasn’t going to give him that chance.”
Aria swallowed hard, blinking back tears.
“So this contract… this marriage… it’s because you think he’s still a threat?”
Damien nodded.
“He’s dying. But he’s not done. He wants control of Voss Corp before he goes. And the merger gives him that. Unless I look stable. Married. Settled.”
“And I’m your shield,” Aria said, voice flat.
“You’re my wife,” Damien said firmly. “Contract or not, that hasn’t changed for me.”
The waiter came by to refill their glasses, and the moment shattered.
Aria pushed her plate away, suddenly sick.
“So what now? We keep pretending until your father dies?”
Damien reached across the table, covering her hand with his.
“Now we do it together. No more secrets. No more walking away.”
Aria looked down at their hands. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, the same way it had in the car. Familiar. Dangerous.
“I need time to think,” she said quietly.
Damien nodded, pulling his hand back.
“Take all the time you need. But know this, Aria.”
He leaned forward, voice low.
“I’m not letting you go again.”
Before she could answer, her phone buzzed on the table.
An unknown number.
One photo attached.
It was her. Leaving the restaurant with Damien. Time-stamped two minutes ago.
Underneath, one line:
“Tell Mrs. Voss to watch her step. Or her mother pays the price.”
Aria’s blood ran cold.
Damien saw her face go pale and immediately reached for the phone.
“What is it?”
Aria handed it to him, hands shaking.
Damien’s jaw clenched as he read the message.
“Son of a bitch.”
Aria looked up at him, eyes wide.
“Damien… is it him?”
Damien stood, grabbing his jacket.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
He didn’t wait for her answer.
- Writer
