Chapter 8: The Lie Between Us
794 Words
"You knew who I was before you ever walked into my office."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
I stared at Damien across the library, searching his face for some sign that he was lying.
Some sign that this was all a misunderstanding.
I found none.
The silence stretched between us.
Painfully.
Dangerously.
"How?" I finally asked.
Damien remained motionless.
"I looked into you."
Anger surged through me.
"You investigated me?"
His expression hardened.
"You're an investigative journalist digging into my company. Of course I investigated you."
The answer made sense.
That was the problem.
It made too much sense.
"What did you find?"
His jaw tightened.
"Your father."
I looked away.
Even after eight years, talking about my father wasn't easy.
Richard Bennett had been brilliant.
Kind.
Dedicated to his work.
Then one day he was gone.
A sudden accident.
At least, that's what everyone said.
Now I wasn't so sure.
"You knew he worked on Project Eclipse."
It wasn't a question.
Damien nodded.
"Yes."
I laughed bitterly.
A humorless sound.
"Wonderful."
"Aria—"
"No."
I stood abruptly.
The chair nearly toppled backward.
"You don't get to say my name like that."
His eyes darkened.
"Like what?"
"Like you're on my side."
The words hung in the air.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then Damien stepped forward.
"Whether you believe it or not, I am."
The conviction in his voice caught me off guard.
I hated that part of me wanted to believe him.
I hated it because trust was dangerous.
Trust got people hurt.
Trust got people killed.
Like my source.
Like the journalist five years ago.
Like maybe even my father.
My phone suddenly buzzed.
The sound shattered the tension.
I glanced at the screen.
Unknown Number.
Again.
A knot formed in my stomach.
Slowly, I opened the message.
A photograph appeared.
My blood turned cold.
It was a picture of me.
Taken less than an hour ago.
Standing in the library.
Inside Blackwood Estate.
The phone slipped slightly in my hand.
Impossible.
Nobody should have been able to take that picture.
Nobody.
Damien immediately noticed my expression.
"What is it?"
Without a word, I handed him the phone.
The second he saw the image, every trace of emotion vanished from his face.
The room instantly felt colder.
Deadlier.
The billionaire CEO wasn't looking at a photograph.
He was looking at a threat.
And threats never ended well around Damien Blackwood.
A second message arrived.
This time there were words.
Just six of them.
You're running out of time, Aria.
A chill raced down my spine.
Damien's grip tightened around the phone.
"How did they get this?"
I swallowed.
"I don't know."
Neither answer comforted us.
Because there was only one explanation.
Someone had access to the estate.
Someone was inside.
Watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
Damien immediately grabbed his phone.
"Lock down the property."
His voice was ice.
A dangerous kind of ice.
"Nobody enters."
A pause.
"Nobody leaves."
The person on the other end must have heard something alarming because Damien's expression darkened even further.
"What do you mean she's gone?"
My pulse jumped.
"Gone?"
Damien looked at me.
For the first time, genuine alarm flashed in his eyes.
"Olivia's room is empty."
The world seemed to stop.
His sister.
The kidnapped sister they were trying to rescue.
Had they moved her?
Was she back?
Or—
The thought died before it could fully form.
A loud alarm suddenly echoed through the mansion.
Red lights flashed along the hallway.
Security alarm.
Every instinct in my body screamed danger.
Footsteps thundered outside.
Shouts followed.
Then gunfire.
My heart nearly stopped.
Gunfire.
Inside the estate.
Someone screamed downstairs.
Another shot rang out.
Closer this time.
Damien moved instantly.
One second he was across the room.
The next he was standing in front of me.
Shielding me with his body.
"Stay behind me."
The command left no room for argument.
The library doors burst open.
A security guard rushed inside.
Blood covered his sleeve.
"Sir!"
Damien turned sharply.
"What happened?"
The guard's face was pale.
Terrified.
"We have intruders."
Every muscle in Damien's body tensed.
"How many?"
"We don't know."
The answer was worse than any number.
Because it meant the attackers had breached one of the most secure properties in the state.
Someone powerful was behind this.
Someone organized.
Someone desperate.
Another explosion rocked the mansion.
Books crashed from shelves.
Glass shattered somewhere below.
The lights flickered.
My pulse pounded so hard it hurt.
The guard looked directly at Damien.
Then delivered the words that made the room go silent.
"They left a message."
Damien's expression became deadly.
"What message?"
The guard swallowed.
Then spoke.
"They said they're here for Aria Bennett."
- Writer
