His Ruthless Vow

Behind Closed Doors

The black sedan rolled through the iron gates of Kingston Estate.

Aria's mind was still racing.

The chase.

The anonymous messages.

The elderly woman.

Locker 317.

And Damien.

She couldn't stop thinking about what Victor had said.

"He has never cancelled a board meeting."

Had Damien really abandoned one of the most important meetings of the year just to find her?

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the mansion.

Before the driver could open the door, the front entrance swung open.

Damien stepped outside.

His tie was loose, and the usually composed billionaire looked anything but calm.

His sharp eyes searched the car until they landed on Aria.

The moment she stepped out, he crossed the distance between them.

"Are you hurt?"

She blinked.

"What?"

"I asked if you're hurt."

"I'm... I'm fine."

Without another word, Damien gently took hold of her shoulders, checking for injuries.

His hands paused when he noticed a small scrape on her wrist.

"How did this happen?"

"I fell while I was running."

His jaw clenched.

"You were running?"

Aria lowered her eyes.

"I can explain."

"You will."

His voice wasn't loud.

It was controlled.

That somehow made it more intimidating.

He turned to Victor.

"Leave us."

Victor nodded once before disappearing into the house.

The front doors closed behind him, leaving Aria and Damien alone.

For several long moments, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Damien broke the silence.

"I told you not to leave the estate."

"I know."

"I told you not to answer unknown messages."

"I know."

"And yet you ignored both warnings."

Aria lifted her chin.

"Because you won't tell me the truth."

A flicker of emotion crossed Damien's face.

"You met someone."

It wasn't a question.

She hesitated.

"Yes."

"A man?"

"No."

"A woman?"

"Yes."

"What did she tell you?"

Aria stared at him.

"She said Isabella discovered something before she died."

Damien's expression darkened.

"What else?"

"She gave me this."

Aria reached into her pocket and unfolded the piece of paper.

Damien took it.

The instant he read the words, his breathing stopped.

Locker 317.

Isabella died protecting the truth inside.

For the first time since she'd met him, Aria saw genuine shock on his face.

He read the note again.

Then a third time.

Finally, he looked at her.

"Did anyone else see this?"

"I don't think so."

He folded the paper carefully and slipped it into his pocket.

"From this moment on, you don't go anywhere alone."

"I don't need a bodyguard."

"This isn't a discussion."

His tone was firm.

Aria crossed her arms.

"You can't control every part of my life."

"No."

He took one step closer.

"But I can stop you from walking into another trap."

His words hung between them.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Aria asked the question that had been burning inside her all day.

"Did Isabella really die because of whatever was in Locker 317?"

Damien looked away.

The silence stretched.

When he finally answered, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I don't know."

It was the first time he had admitted he didn't have all the answers.

And somehow...

That frightened Aria even more.

The silence between them was suffocating.

Aria searched Damien's face for answers, but all she found was the familiar wall he always built around himself.

"You don't know?" she repeated.

Damien slowly shook his head.

"I know Isabella was trying to protect something."

He looked toward the rain-streaked windows.

"I know she died before she could tell me what it was."

His voice became quieter.

"And I know I've spent the last five years searching for the truth."

Aria had expected confidence.

Instead, she saw regret.

For the first time, Damien Kingston didn't look like the billionaire everyone feared.

He looked like a man haunted by a promise he had failed to keep.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He gave a bitter smile.

"Don't be."

"If I'd listened to her..."

His sentence trailed off.

"She might still be alive."

The guilt in his voice was impossible to ignore.

Aria wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how.

Their marriage had begun as a contract.

Yet somehow, standing only inches apart, it no longer felt like one.

Before either of them could speak again, Victor hurried into the room.

"Mr. Kingston."

Damien turned.

"What is it?"

"We have a problem."

Victor handed him a tablet.

The screen displayed security camera footage from the estate.

Aria stepped closer.

The recording showed the garden earlier that morning.

A hooded figure slipped through the back gate, leaving an envelope beneath the stone bench before disappearing into the trees.

The same place where Aria had found the mysterious note.

"They got inside the estate?" Aria asked.

Victor nodded.

"For less than three minutes."

Damien's expression hardened.

"How?"

"We're still investigating."

He looked at Aria.

"They knew exactly where you'd be."

A cold feeling settled in her stomach.

"You think..."

"They weren't guessing."

Damien finished the thought.

"They were watching you."

The room fell silent.

Someone had been observing her movements inside the estate.

That meant the stranger had help.

Or...

Someone inside Kingston Estate was leaking information.

Damien looked at Victor.

"Question every member of the staff."

Victor hesitated.

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

Aria frowned.

"You think one of your employees betrayed you?"

"I don't think."

Damien's voice was calm.

"I know."

Just then, the lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then the entire mansion went dark.

The room was swallowed by darkness.

A second later, the emergency backup lights glowed dimly, casting long shadows across the walls.

Victor reached for his phone.

"The security system is offline."

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"That's impossible."

Another guard rushed into the room, breathing hard.

"Sir!"

"What happened?"

"The main gate has been forced open."

Damien instinctively stepped in front of Aria.

"How many?"

"We don't know."

Then a loud crash echoed from somewhere upstairs.

Everyone froze.

Another crash followed.

Closer this time.

Victor looked toward the staircase.

"They're inside."

Damien's expression turned deadly calm.

He took Aria's hand.

"Stay behind me."

She had never seen him like this before.

Not the billionaire.

Not the businessman.

But a man prepared to protect the people under his care at any cost.

As another loud bang echoed through the mansion, Damien's grip on her hand tightened.

Then, from the darkness above, a familiar voice called out—

"Damien..."

His entire body went rigid.

He recognised that voice.

But that was impossible.

Because the person calling his name...

...was supposed to be dead.

"Damien..."

The voice echoed from the darkness above.

Low.

Soft.

Familiar.

Damien's entire body froze.

His face lost all expression.

For the first time since Aria had met him, she saw genuine fear in his eyes.

Victor stepped forward immediately.

"Sir?"

Damien didn't answer.

His gaze remained fixed on the staircase.

"No..." he whispered.

"That's impossible."

The voice came again.

"Damien..."

Aria felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

She had heard that name only once tonight.

Isabella.

Could it really be...

No.

She shook the thought away.

Dead people didn't return.

Someone was playing a cruel game.

The emergency lights flickered again.

Then footsteps echoed from the second floor.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Every step seemed louder than the last.

The guards rushed into the entrance hall.

"Mr. Kingston, we'll secure the upper floor."

Damien finally came back to himself.

"No."

The guards stopped.

"They want us to panic."

He looked at the security chief.

"Search every room. Nobody works alone."

"Yes, sir."

Within seconds, armed security officers spread throughout the mansion.

The house fell silent once more.

Aria looked at Damien.

"You know that voice."

He didn't deny it.

"It sounded like..."

"Don't."

His answer was immediate.

"But—"

"I said don't."

His tone wasn't angry.

It was desperate.

Aria had never seen Damien lose control of his emotions.

Until now.

Victor quietly stepped beside him.

"The backup cameras are coming online."

"Show me."

They hurried into the security room.

Dozens of monitors lit up one after another.

The front gate.

The gardens.

The hallways.

The garage.

Everything appeared normal.

Then one screen flickered.

A corridor on the second floor.

A woman dressed in white walked slowly past the camera.

Her long dark hair covered part of her face.

She disappeared around the corner.

Aria gasped.

"There!"

The security officer immediately enlarged the footage.

But when another camera picked up the same corridor...

It was empty.

No woman.

No movement.

Nothing.

One of the guards spoke nervously.

"Maybe the camera malfunctioned."

Damien didn't answer.

His eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"Rewind it."

The technician replayed the recording.

Again, the woman appeared.

She paused.

Slowly...

She turned toward the camera.

Her face was blurred, but one thing was unmistakable.

Around her neck hung a delicate silver necklace with a sapphire pendant.

The same necklace Damien had given Aria.

Aria instinctively touched the pendant around her own neck.

"How can she have the same necklace?"

Victor's face turned pale.

"Because..."

He looked at Damien before finishing.

"...Mr. Kingston had only two of them made."

The room fell silent.

Damien closed his eyes.

"The second one belonged to Isabella."

A heavy silence settled over everyone.

Before anyone could speak, every monitor suddenly went black.

One by one.

Until the room was completely dark.

Only a single line of white text appeared on the largest screen.

STOP DIGGING INTO THE PAST.

Another line appeared beneath it.

OR YOU'LL LOSE HER TOO.

Aria felt Damien's hand gently move in front of her, shielding her.

The message disappeared.

The monitors flickered back to life.

Everything looked normal again.

As if nothing had happened.

Then Damien spoke quietly.

"They're not threatening me anymore."

Victor looked at him.

"They've changed targets."

Damien turned to Aria.

His expression was filled with determination.

"They're coming for you."

At that exact moment, Aria's phone rang.

An unknown number.

She hesitated.

Damien slowly nodded.

"Put it on speaker."

With trembling hands, she answered.

Neither of them spoke.

For several seconds, there was only silence.

Then a woman's voice whispered through the phone.

"Aria..."

"If you want to stay alive..."

"...don't let Damien open Locker 317."

The call ended.

Aria looked at Damien.

His face had turned completely pale.

Because he recognised that voice.

And according to every official record...

It belonged to Isabella.

End of Chapter 10