chapter 5
1376 Words
Chapter 5
The moment Ariana got home that night, exhaustion completely took over her body.
She barely had enough energy to remove her heels before collapsing onto her bed and falling asleep instantly.
A few minutes later, her mother quietly opened the bedroom door and peeked inside. Ariana was sleeping peacefully for once. Her mother smiled softly, took a quick picture of her sleeping, then quietly closed the door again.
The next morning, Ariana knew something was wrong the moment she walked into Vale Corporation.
People were staring. Not casually. Openly. The whispers followed her through the lobby like a shadow.
“That’s her.”
“The girl from last night.”
“She was with Damien Vale.”
“Oh my God, she’s prettier in person.”
Ariana’s stomach twisted painfully. _Oh no._
She immediately lowered her head and hurried toward the elevators, hoping nobody would stop her. Unfortunately, things only got worse.
The moment she reached her desk, she froze. A magazine had been placed neatly on top of her keyboard. And on the cover was a photo of Damien with his hand wrapped around her waist outside the villa.
The headline screamed across the page in bold letters:
*WHO IS DAMIEN VALE’S MYSTERY GIRLFRIEND?*
Ariana felt her soul leave her body.
“No,” she whispered.
This couldn’t be happening. She quickly grabbed the magazine and shoved it into a drawer before anyone else could see her panic.
But then—
“Good morning.”
Her entire body stiffened instantly. Damien walked past her desk calmly, looking completely unaffected by the chaos around them. Meanwhile, Ariana was internally dying.
“You look stressed,” he said casually.
Ariana stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you seriously talking to me right now?”
Damien glanced at the magazine drawer knowingly.
“Your face is on the cover.”
“So is yours!” she whisper-yelled.
“And?”
Ariana blinked.
“Doesn’t this bother you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Damien shrugged slightly.
“Because I don’t care what people think.”
That sentence hit Ariana harder than she expected. She wished she could be fearless like him. But she wasn’t.
People’s opinions had always affected her. Maybe because she spent her whole life being judged.
The whispers around the office continued all morning. Everywhere Ariana walked, people stared at her. Some coworkers even smiled at her differently now. Others looked jealous. A few looked annoyed.
Suddenly, Damien’s phone buzzed loudly. He glanced at the screen. His expression instantly changed.
A message from his father appeared:
_I need to see you. Now._
For the first time that day, Damien looked tense. Without saying anything, he immediately walked toward his office.
Curiosity pulled Ariana after him before she could stop herself.
The moment she entered the office behind him, she accidentally bumped into his back. Then she froze.
Damien’s father was sitting inside the office. The older man looked intimidating even while seated. His sharp features and cold eyes made Damien suddenly seem less frightening.
“Dad,” Damien said carefully.
“Yes, son,” his father replied calmly. “I saw the rumors spreading online.”
Ariana stayed silent near the door.
“And I believe we can use this situation to our advantage.”
Damien frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
His father folded his hands together.
“This relationship between you and Miss Ariana Cole could be very beneficial for the company image.”
Ariana’s eyes widened instantly. _Excuse me?_
“I need the two of you to continue this relationship publicly,” his father continued harshly. “At all costs.”
“What?” Ariana blurted out in disbelief.
Before she could speak again, Damien interrupted immediately.
“No.”
The room became silent. Even Ariana looked shocked. Damien rarely refused anyone. Especially not his father.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Damien continued firmly. “I can’t do that.”
For a second, disappointment flashed across his father’s face. Ariana stood there completely confused. Why was Damien refusing?
His father slowly stood up without another word. But before leaving, he looked directly at Damien.
“You continue disappointing me.”
Then he walked out.
The tension left behind in the office felt heavy. Ariana quietly slipped away before Damien could notice her expression.
A few minutes later, she locked herself inside the restroom trying to process everything.
But the moment she entered, she heard voices. Coworkers gossiping again.
“She really got lucky.”
“Please, Damien would never date someone like her seriously.”
“He probably got bored already.”
Ariana quietly walked back outside before they noticed her. The words hurt more than she wanted to admit. She leaned against the hallway wall and slowly slid to the floor.
Then quietly, she cried.
She covered her mouth to stop herself from making noise. But apparently, someone still noticed.
Footsteps approached slowly.
Ariana wiped her tears quickly, expecting another judgmental coworker. Instead, Damien stood there.
Surprisingly, he didn’t tease her. Didn’t smirk. Didn’t insult her.
Silently, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
“You’ll never survive in this world,” he said quietly, “if you let people break you.”
Ariana looked away.
“Maybe I don’t belong in your world.”
For a moment, Damien said nothing.
Then Ariana looked down at the handkerchief in her hand. Wait. She frowned slightly.
“Isn’t this mine?”
A genuine smile touched Damien’s lips. A real one this time. Not sarcastic. Not cruel.
“I kept it safe for you.”
Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
Damien slowly extended his hand toward her. After hesitating for a second, Ariana took it. He gently helped her stand up from the floor.
The moment she stood properly, her eyes accidentally landed on his collar. Lipstick. Bright red lipstick.
A strange irritation immediately twisted inside her chest. And she hated it.
Then Damien noticed where she was staring.
“Jealous?” he asked softly.
Ariana laughed immediately. For the first time around him. A real laugh.
“Of you?” she scoffed. “That would be a mental disorder.”
Damien stepped slightly closer. Too close.
“Good,” he murmured quietly. “That would complicate things.”
Ariana’s heartbeat instantly sped up. She quickly stepped backward before he could notice. Then she turned around and practically escaped back to her desk.
The rest of the workday passed painfully slowly.
By closing hours, Ariana hurried home immediately, hoping sleep would clear her confusing thoughts.
The moment she entered the apartment, she saw her mother getting dressed.
“Good evening, Mom,” Ariana said tiredly before kissing her cheek.
Her mother smiled warmly.
“I’ll be staying with my friend in the city tonight,” she explained.
“Okay,” Ariana replied softly.
She walked into her room and threw her phone onto the bed carelessly before heading toward the bathroom.
Then suddenly, her phone buzzed loudly.
Confused, Ariana walked back and picked it up.
An anonymous message appeared on the screen:
_Stay away from Damien Vale if you know what’s good for you._
Attached beneath the message was a blurry photo of Damien kissing another woman.
Ariana stared silently at the image.
Then another message appeared:
_Just know you are not special to him._
Her chest tightened painfully. Damien’s hands were wrapped around another woman’s waist. His lips against hers. Something about the image hurt more than it should have.
Another message appeared immediately:
_Ask him about Sophia._
Ariana frowned.
_Sophia? Who was Sophia?_
Before she could think further, thunder suddenly shook the apartment windows loudly. She jumped slightly.
Then—
_Knock._
A knock sounded on her front door. Her heart skipped instantly. It was almost midnight.
Another knock followed. Slower this time.
Ariana carefully walked toward the door while uneasiness crawled down her spine.
“Who is it?” she asked quietly.
Silence.
Then finally, a familiar deep voice answered from the other side.
“Open the door, Ariana.”
Her breath caught.
“Damien?”
Her grip tightened around her phone. Especially when another anonymous message suddenly appeared on her screen at the exact same moment.
_Don’t trust him._
- Writer
