THE NIGHT WE RUINED EVERYTHING

chapter 7

Chapter 7

After Damien left that night, Ariana finally breathed a sigh of relief. The apartment suddenly felt quiet again, but her mind was far from peaceful. Everything that happened between them kept replaying in her head.

The way he apologized. The way he looked at her during the blackout.

_They almost kissed._

Ariana immediately buried her face into her hands. “No,” she whispered to herself. “This is bad.”

She quickly grabbed her phone and blocked Sophia’s number without thinking twice. Then she threw the phone onto the bed dramatically. But no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, every time she remembered Damien leaning close to her in the dark, a small smile appeared on her face automatically.

And she hated it. Or maybe… she didn’t.

Another knock suddenly sounded on the apartment door. Ariana’s heart skipped immediately. For one stupid second, she thought Damien came back. She quickly walked toward the door and opened it.

Only to find her mother standing there.

“Mom?” Ariana blinked in surprise. “I thought you were spending the night there.”

Her mother smiled tiredly while entering the apartment. “Oh no, my child. I had to come back. I couldn’t stay there.”

Ariana nodded slightly. “Okay then.”

Her mother studied her face carefully. “You seem happy tonight.”

Ariana froze instantly. “What? No.”

Her mother laughed quietly. “I didn’t say anything.”

Ariana quickly looked away before her mother noticed the blush creeping onto her cheeks. “I’m just tired,” she muttered.

“Mhm,” her mother replied teasingly.

Ariana immediately escaped into her bedroom before more questions could follow. The moment she closed the door behind her, she jumped onto the bed and hugged her pillow tightly.

Then slowly, she smiled again.

She thought about Damien’s voice. His eyes. The softness in his tone when he apologized. And for the first time since meeting him, Ariana wondered if maybe there was more to Damien Vale than arrogance and cruelty.

---

The next morning, Ariana arrived at Vale Corporation pretending to be confident. But the moment she stepped inside the building, reality hit her again. The gossip never stopped. It only got worse.

“There she is.”

“The girl Damien Vale is obsessed with.”

“She really thinks she’s special.”

“Middle-class girls are always gold diggers.”

Ariana’s chest tightened painfully. Each word felt heavier than the last. Part of her wanted to turn around and leave the company completely. But instead, she straightened her shoulders proudly and continued walking toward her desk as if she owned the building. Even though deep down— she was breaking.

Employees continued whispering openly while staring at her. Some even laughed quietly. But Ariana refused to react. She only smiled weakly and kept walking.

Then suddenly, everything became silent.

Ariana looked up slightly. Damien. He had just entered the office floor. His sharp eyes immediately noticed the tension around her. Then he heard the whispers. Saw the stares. And instantly understood what was happening.

His expression darkened immediately. Without hesitation, Damien walked downstairs toward the employees. The entire office became tense.

“What’s going on here?” Damien asked coldly.

Nobody answered. His eyes slowly moved across the room. “What exactly is so entertaining?” he continued calmly. “If you people spent half as much energy working as you spend gossiping, maybe this company would actually improve.”

Silence filled the office instantly. No one dared speak. “Now,” Damien said sharply, “go back to work.”

Everyone quickly scattered back to their desks.

Ariana stood there completely shocked. This was the first time Damien had ever defended her publicly. And somehow, that affected her more than it should have. Damien didn’t even look back at her afterward. He simply turned around and walked away calmly.

But Ariana couldn’t stop the small smile that appeared on her lips.

For the rest of the morning, she worked quietly while trying to ignore the warmth spreading inside her chest.

Then someone tapped her shoulder gently. Ariana turned instantly. A tall man with dark hair smiled warmly at her. “Hey, Ariana.”

She blinked slightly. “Hey.”

“I’m James, by the way,” he said politely. “I usually see you sitting alone around the office, so I decided to finally come say hi.”

Ariana smiled softly. “Oh… thanks.”

James leaned casually against the desk. “You seem nicer than everyone says.”

Ariana laughed quietly. “That depends on what they’re saying.”

James smiled. “Would you maybe like to grab coffee later?”

Ariana hesitated for a second before nodding slowly. “Sure.”

The moment she agreed, her eyes accidentally shifted upward toward the glass balcony above the office. And there stood Damien. Watching them.

His jaw tightened slightly while staring directly at James. The expression on his face looked dangerously close to murder. Ariana almost laughed. Almost.

---

Later that afternoon, Ariana and James met at a small coffee shop near the company building. For the first time in days, Ariana actually relaxed. James was funny. Easy to talk to. Normal. He opened the coffee shop door for her politely, making her smile softly.

Meanwhile, several floors above them, Damien stood inside his office staring through the glass windows. Watching them. The moment he saw James touching Ariana’s hand while laughing, something inside him snapped. His grip tightened against his desk. His blood boiled instantly. He slammed his hand heavily against the table.

The loud sound echoed across his office. Damien breathed heavily while staring at the scene below. “Wait…” he whispered to himself. He frowned deeply. “Why am I feeling like this?”

Then realization hit him slowly. Jealousy. Actual jealousy. Damien stared at himself in disbelief. “No,” he muttered immediately. “Impossible.” But deep down, he already knew the truth. And it irritated him more than anything else.

The moment he saw James smiling at Ariana again, Damien quickly grabbed his coat from the chair. “No,” he muttered angrily. “I can’t let him have her.”

Without thinking properly, Damien stormed out of his office and headed downstairs. But by the time he reached outside, it was already too late. James and Ariana were leaving the coffee shop together, laughing. Ariana’s smile looked genuine. Comfortable. Happy. And somehow that made Damien even angrier.

He stood beside his car silently while rage burned inside him. Then suddenly, Ariana’s eyes met his. Her smile slowly disappeared. For a second, nobody moved. James looked confused between them. Damien quickly looked away first. Without saying a word, he entered his car aggressively and drove off.

Ariana stood frozen. Completely stunned. “What was that about?” James asked carefully.

Ariana forced a small smile. “I honestly have no idea.” But deep down, she knew exactly what that look meant. And somehow… it scared her.

---

Later that evening, Ariana returned quietly to the office after James left. Her thoughts felt messy. Complicated. She sat at her desk silently while replaying Damien’s expression in her mind. Then she overheard two employees walking past nearby.

“Damien Vale never stays interested in one girl for long,” one woman whispered.

The other laughed softly. “He’ll break her eventually.”

Ariana’s fingers slowly tightened around the edge of her desk. For the first time since meeting Damien, fear crept into her chest. Because what if they were right? What if she was only another temporary distraction to him? Another game. Another challenge. Another girl he would eventually destroy.

And the worst part— Ariana was no longer sure she could walk away before it happened.