The city had fallen into an uneasy quiet by the time Isabella Vicks and Damien Hayes returned to the secure office within Hayes Company. The events of the night had left both of them exhausted, but adrenaline still hummed through their veins. Outside, Marcus Vale’s operatives were undoubtedly regrouping, recalculating, planning their next move. Inside, however, there was a tension of a different kind—a mixture of fear, determination, and the undeniable pull between them.
Damien sat behind his massive oak desk, fingers tapping against the polished wood, eyes scanning multiple security feeds. Isabella stood nearby, leaning against the edge of a chair, still trembling slightly from the earlier close encounter.
“You did well tonight,” Damien said finally, voice low. “You stayed calm, you fol
