Chapter 15: His Greatest Weakness
935 Words
"I'm not sure I can."
The words lingered between us.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Real.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
The storm outside continued to rage against the mansion windows, but inside Damien's room, the world had narrowed to just us.
His hand remained wrapped around mine.
Warm.
Steady.
Possessive.
And for the first time since meeting him, I didn't pull away.
Maybe I should have.
Maybe any sensible woman would have.
But after everything we'd survived together—the threats, the bomb, the kidnapping, the lies—I was tired of pretending I felt nothing.
Because I did.
I felt far too much.
A small smile tugged at Damien's lips.
"What's that look for?"
I blinked.
"What look?"
"The one where you're overthinking."
I frowned.
"I do not overthink."
The billionaire actually laughed.
The audacity.
"Aria, you're an investigative journalist."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Your point?"
"You investigate breakfast cereal."
I gasped.
"I do not."
"You once spent three hours researching a missing accountant."
"That was work."
"You spent another hour researching me."
I froze.
His smile widened.
"Oh my God."
My face heated.
Well he's not supposed to know that. I frowned then rolled my eyes.
Mortifying.
Absolutely mortifying.
Damien Blackwood was enjoying this far too much.
Before I could formulate a response, his phone rang.
The mood instantly shifted.
His expression hardened.
The warmth vanished.
My stomach tightened.
Because calls at this hour were never good news.
Never.
Damien answered immediately.
"Talk to me."
Silence.
Then his entire body went rigid.
"What?"
My pulse accelerated.
The call lasted less than a minute.
When it ended, Damien slowly lowered the phone.
Every muscle in his jaw tightened.
"What happened?"
His eyes met mine.
And the look there made my heart sink.
"They found Olivia."
Relief flooded through me.
Until I noticed his expression hadn't improved.
Not even slightly.
"That's good, right?"
Silence.
Then—
"They moved her."
My stomach dropped.
"Where?"
Damien looked away.
The answer came quietly.
"Pier 17."
The room fell silent.
The pier.
The place from the message.
The trap.
They wanted him there.
And now Olivia was there too.
Meaning we couldn't ignore it anymore.
---
An hour later, the estate resembled a military operation.
Security teams prepared vehicles.
Weapons were checked.
Routes were mapped.
Plans were created.
Damien stood at the center of it all.
Commanding.
Focused.
Dangerous.
The billionaire alpha was fully in control.
Everyone listened.
Everyone obeyed.
Everyone except me.
"You're not coming."
I blinked.
"What?"
Damien didn't even look up from the map.
"You're staying here."
The nerve of this man.
"Absolutely not."
His eyes lifted.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"Aria."
"No."
I folded my arms.
"We both know I'm going."
His expression suggested he'd rather wrestle a shark.
"You're the reason they're doing this."
"Exactly."
The room groaned collectively.
Apparently, everyone was tired of our arguments.
Not that it stopped us.
Damien stepped closer.
Lowering his voice.
"This isn't a negotiation."
I stepped closer too.
"Good, neither is my answer."
For several seconds, we stared at each other.
A silent battle.
One neither of us intended to lose.
Eventually, Damien sighed.
A long suffering sigh.
"You are impossible."
I smiled sweetly.
"Yet here you are."
A dangerous look entered his eyes.
One that made my heart race.
One that reminded me of the kiss.
The memory instantly heated my cheeks.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips.
Then returned to my eyes.
And suddenly I wasn't thinking about kidnappers anymore.
Unfortunately, someone cleared their throat.
Loudly.
We jumped apart.
A security guard immediately looked fascinated by the ceiling.
Traitor.
---
Near midnight, the convoy left the estate.
Rain hammered against the armored SUV.
Lightning illuminated the dark streets.
Beside me, Damien remained silent.
Focused.
Watching the city pass by.
I studied him quietly.
His sharp profile.
His clenched jaw.
The tension in his shoulders.
He was worried.
Not about himself.
About Olivia.
And maybe...
A little about me.
The realization warmed my chest.
Then Damien suddenly spoke.
"If anything goes wrong..."
I frowned.
"Nothing is going wrong."
His expression remained serious.
"Aria."
My stomach tightened.
I didn't like this conversation.
Not one bit.
"If anything happens tonight..."
"No."
He ignored me.
"Listen."
His hand found mine.
The simple touch made my pulse quicken.
"I need you to promise me something."
The fear in his voice terrified me.
Because Damien Blackwood wasn't afraid of much.
"What?"
His gaze locked onto mine.
"Run."
My chest hurt.
"No."
"Aria."
"I'm not leaving you."
The answer came instantly.
Without thought.
Without hesitation.
And judging by the look on his face, he hadn't expected it.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then something softened in his eyes.
Something that looked suspiciously like affection.
The sight stole my breath.
Before either of us could say another word, one of the guards shouted.
"Sir."
Every head turned.
The driver pointed ahead.
Pier 17 had come into view.
Dark water.
Abandoned warehouses.
Flickering lights.
A perfect place for an ambush.
The convoy slowed.
My heart pounded.
This was it.
After everything.
The threats.
The bomb.
The kidnapping.
The lies.
We were finally here.
Then Damien's phone buzzed.
A new message appeared.
He opened it.
And immediately went still.
A cold chill swept through me.
"What is it?"
Slowly, Damien turned the screen toward me.
A photograph filled the display.
The image showed Olivia.
Alive.
Unharmed.
Standing beside a man.
A man I recognized instantly.
A man I'd spent years mourning.
A man who was supposed to be dead.
My father.
Richard Bennett.
Beneath the photograph was a single sentence.
Welcome to the truth.
- Writer
