Chapter4
359 Words
Then unexpectedly, her mother burst into laughter.
Amara blinked.
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
“Mama.”
Still laughing softly, her mother sat beside her.
“And after you attacked this rich man with alcohol?”
“He drove me home.”
The laughter disappeared immediately.
“Oh.”
“Exactly.”
Her mother studied her carefully.
“Is he dangerous?”
Amara hesitated.
That question felt more complicated than it should have.
“Yes,” she admitted quietly.
Not physically dangerous.
Emotionally dangerous.
The kind of man capable of changing everything.
Her mother touched her hand gently.
“Be careful, Amara.”
“I know.”
But later that night, lying awake beside the sound of rain against the windows, Amara realized something terrifying.
She could still remember exactly how Damien looked at her.
As though she mattered.
As though he truly saw her.
And deep down, a small dangerous part of her wanted to see him again too.
Across the city, Damien sat alone inside his massive penthouse overlooking Lagos.
Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed endless city lights below, but the luxurious space felt cold and empty as always.
He loosened his tie slowly while replaying every moment with Amara in his mind.
“You think money prevents pain?”
Her voice echoed softly inside his head.
Damien walked toward the bar and poured himself whiskey.
Normally, nights ended with business calls or meaningless company.
Tonight, neither appealed to him.
Instead, he kept thinking about a stubborn waitress with tired eyes and too much responsibility on her shoulders.
Someone entirely outside his world.
Someone who made him feel strangely human again.
His phone buzzed suddenly.
Vanessa.
Damien ignored the call.
Moments later, another message appeared.
“Who was that girl?”
He deleted the message without answering.
Then he walked toward the massive bedroom windows overlooking the storm-covered city.
Somewhere out there, Amara Daniels was probably lying awake too.
The thought made him smile slightly.
For the first time in years, Damien felt something beyond business, beyond pressure, beyond survival.
Interest.
Real interest.
And he had a feeling this was only the beginning.
- Writer
