Forbidden Desires: The Cold Billionaire

chapter 13

Damon was halfway back to the mansion when something unusual caught his attention.

At first, he ignored it. It was getting dark and he thought the shadows around the estate often played tricks on the eyes. He had spent hours wandering the grounds, trying unsuccessfully to clear his head. The last thing he wanted was another distraction.

But then the shape he had seen moved. A deep frown immediately settled on his face.

His gaze snapped back toward the side of the mansion.

For a moment, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What the hell...?"

The curse slipped from his lips before he could stop it.

A figure was dangling from the side of the house.

Not just any figure, it was Lana.

She was climbing down from the window of her room using what looked like a rope made from bed sheets and curtains.

Damon stopped dead and his heart nearly launched into his throat.

Was she insane?

His eyes immediately travelled upward to the makeshift rope.

The fabric was stretched tight and several knots were already unravelling. One section was visibly torn.

His stomach dropped. That thing wasn't going to hold.

Without thinking, Damon broke into a run.

His shoes pounded against the stone pathway as he rushed toward the side of the mansion.

"i***t," he muttered under his breath.

He wasn't even sure whether he was angry or terrified, probably both.

Lana's hands burned as she gripped the sheet. The rough knots scraped her palms raw as she carefully lowered herself down.

Her entire body trembled from exhaustion and adrenaline but she kept going.

She was so close to freedom now, she couldn’t stop.

She refused to look down because she knew if she looked down, she knew she'd freeze.

So she kept her eyes fixed on the window above her.

The rope held and she had made sure the knot was tight enough.

Everything was fine, everything was.... she froze when she heard a tiny ripping sound.

Her heart skipped, one of the sheets had torn a little.

Her breathing quickened and panic immediately started to surge through her.

"No... no, no, no..." she muttered under her breath when she glanced down and saw the rope swaying violently beneath her.

She gripped it tighter, she just had to go a little further, just a little more.

She was already more than halfway down, the ground couldn't be that far away.

A relieved smile slowly spread across her face.

Maybe she was actually going to make it, maybe she was...

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The voice exploded beneath her and Lana nearly screamed.

Her head snapped downward and instantly regretted it.

Mr Carson was standing directly below her.

His face was thunderous and his ocean-blue eyes blazed with fury or maybe panic, she couldn't tell.

All she knew was that seeing him there almost gave her a heart attack.

For a second, her hands loosened around the sheets.

"Don't move!" Damon barked, the command echoing through the night.

Lana's pulse skyrocketed. Don't move? How could she not move?

He had caught her. He was going to drag her back and lock her up again, maybe worse this rime.

Pure panic flooded her system and instead of listening, she scrambled downward faster which was a horrible mistake because the rope jerked violently and they both heard the ripping sound.

Damon's face lost all color.

"Stop!"

Lana's eyes widened when the ripping sound grew louder and more violent like a fabric being shredded apart.

The knots began slipping one after another and lana's heart drop further the more it ripped.

"No!"

The scream tore from both of them at the same time and finally the rope snapped completely.

For one terrifying moment, Lana was weightless.

The world disappeared beneath her and her stomach dropped.

The night sky spun in front of her and wiind rushed past her ears.

She was falling and her scream got trapped in her throat.

This was it, she was going to die or break a few a bones

Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the impact but the impact never came.

Instead she felt strong arms wrap around her and a painful grunting sound beneath her.

Something crashed heavily into the ground and breath exploded from her lungs.

For several seconds, everything went completely silent.

Lana couldn't breathe, move or even try to think.

Slowly, she realized she wasn't lying on the ground, she was lying on something warm and solid.

Her eyes fluttered open and found herself staring directly into a pair of furious blue eyes. Mr Carson!

He had caught her or at least tried to.

The force of her fall had sent both of them crashing onto the grass.

His arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist while the other was protectively cradling the back of her head. Everything was completely silent for an awkward moment

Their faces were inches apart, close enough for Lana to feel his uneven breathing.

Close enough for Damon to see the fear still lingering in her eyes.

Then reality came crashing back and Damon's expression darkened.

"You absolute lunatic."

His voice came out rough.

Lana blinked in shock..

"What?"

"You could've killed yourself!"

The anger in his voice startled her. She stared at him in disbelief.

Killed herself? That was what he was worried about?

Not the escape? or the broken window?

For a moment, she forgot to be afraid before her own anger surged back.

"You kidnapped me!"

Damon froze.

"You locked me in here!"

His jaw tightened when she continued

"I was escaping!"

"You were falling to your death!"

"You are the reason I was up there in the first place!"

The words exploded between them, and heavy silence followed. Damon almost cursed again as he stared at her. He was convinced she was crazy.

Lana didn't look like she was about to back down too