chapter 23
1006 Words
Damon drove through the gates of the Carson estate with a deep frown etched across his face.
The board meeting had ended hours ago, yet the frustration that had followed him throughout the day refused to loosen its grip.
No matter how much work he buried himself in ot how many reports he reviewed or how many executives he reduced to nervous wrecks, his mind always wandered back to one person.
He cursed under his breath as he stepped out of the car.
He hated it. hated that she had become such a distraction.
Straightening his jacket, he entered the mansion through the grand front doors.
Usually, John would be waiting in the foyer to welcome him home, but he had told John he would be returning late and not waiting up for him. so the hallway was empty.
Damon frowned slightly this wasn't the first time he had returned early after he had told the butler he would be returning late, john was just always present to gt on his nerves each time he returned home.
"John?" he called out but got no answer.
He glanced around the silent entrance before letting out a quiet scoff.
Maybe returning home early had been a mistake.
There had been no point staying at the office when he couldn't concentrate anyway. Every file he'd opened had eventually led his thoughts back to the same infuriating woman and now that he was home, his mood somehow felt even worse.
His eyes drifted toward the antique grandfather clock standing against the wall and he saw that it was almost eight o'clock. Dinner time.
His jaw tightened. Was she peacefully eating dinner?
The thought irritated him more than it should have and with an annoyed sigh, he headed toward the dining room.
Just as he reached the doorway, voices drifted into the hallway.
"...What did my father do?"
Damon stopped dead in his tracks, his expression darkening immediately.
So, she had decided to ask John instead.
His eyes narrowed and a cold smile tugged briefly at the corner of his mouth before disappearing.
He stepped into the doorway, his eyes immediately travelling to her.
"Why couldn't you ask me directly instead?"
The room fell silent and Lana froze. John turned toward him and for several long seconds, no one spoke.
Damon walked calmly into the dining room as though nothing unusual had happened. His footsteps echoed across the polished floor until he reached the head of the table.
He pulled out his chair and sat down, only then did he look at Lana again.
Their eyes met for barely a second and she looked away first.
A deep frown settled on his face, he almost scoffed.
The expression she wore mirrored exactly how he felt whenever he looked at her.
John quietly cleared his throat.
"I'll bring your dinner, sir."
Damon gave a brief nod and the older man disappeared toward the kitchen, deliberately giving them a moment alone.
The silence that followed was unbearable and Lana slowly pushed her chair back ready to leave.
"I'm finished." She said in a low voice not even glancing at him. She intended to leave before another argument could begin and making her mood more sour than it was because she knew it was inevitable with him around.
"Sit down."
The command came quietly and coldly. she froze, her back remaining turned toward him.
For a brief moment, Damon expected another outburst, another argument and stubborn refusal.
Instead, after a long pause, she silently returned to her chair and sat down without another word. Her eyes never lifted from the plate before her.
Damon found the reaction strangely disappointing. She even wasn't glaring at him or arguing. She simply looked defeated.
Several moments passed before Lana finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper as she did.
"You told me to ask you."
She swallowed and paused for a second before she continued.
"So..."
She kept staring at her untouched food, not wanting to look at the monster seated at the head of the table.
"What did my father do?"
Damon's expression hardened instantly, his fingers tightening around the edge of the table.
The memories returned to him with brutal force. His father's smile, the trust, the betrayal and the destruction that followed.
He drew a slow breath to steady himself because of the rage coursing through his veins
"Your father..."
His voice was low as he spoke.
"...was a traitor."
Lana remained silent.
"He was a despicable man."
Each word carried years of buried hatred that lana saw.
"He betrayed the people who trusted him."
His jaw clenched and the anger increased.
"And when the consequences finally caught up with him..."
His eyes turned icy.
"He escaped them."
Lana slowly looked up.
"...By dying."
The words struck her like a physical blow and her lips parted slightly.
"I..."
She didn't even know what to say. she had expected an explanation, not accusations without answers.
"But what did he..."
Before she could finish....
Damon's fist slammed onto the dining table with such force that the plates rattled violently.
The sharp sound echoed throughout the room and Lana jumped in her chair, her entire body flinching instinctively.Her heart pounded against her ribs and her hand began to tremble.
Damon stood abruptly, his breathing had become uneven.
He couldn't do this, not while looking at her face. Not when she looked so much like...
He shut the thought down immediately and Without another word, he turned on his heel.
His footsteps echoed heavily across the dining room before disappearing into the hallway.
A moment later, the front door of the dining room slammed shut and silence settled over the room once again.
Lana remained frozen in her chair, staring blankly at the doorway he had just walked through.
Her heartbeat slowly steadied and she looked down at her trembling hands.
A traitor....a despicable man. Was that really who her father had been or was there more to the story that Damon still refused to tell?
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