THE NIGHT WE RUINED EVERYTHING

chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ariana went home terrified of the feelings growing inside her for Damien. The more she tried to ignore them, the stronger they became. And that scared her. She was afraid Damien would eventually play with her heart like everyone claimed he always did. Afraid she would become another girl people whispered about inside the company hallways.

Her phone rang repeatedly throughout the night, but Ariana ignored every single call. She didn’t even care enough to check who it was. Instead, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling while the words from the office women echoed endlessly inside her head. _Damien Vale never stays interested in one girl for long. He’ll break her eventually.

Her chest tightened painfully. _What if they were right?_ Ariana turned onto her side and hugged her pillow tightly. Then suddenly, another memory entered her mind. Damien’s voice: _Stop believing everything people say about me._ That sentence alone gave her the smallest amount of comfort. A small piece of hope.

Ariana closed her eyes slowly. Part of her wanted to believe him and wanted to trust him. But another part of her desperately wanted to protect her heart before it was too late.

The next morning, Ariana arrived at Vale Corporation feeling emotionally exhausted. The moment she stepped into the lobby, she heard a familiar voice calling her name. “Ariana!” She turned immediately. James. He stood near the elevators smiling warmly at her. Ariana smiled back gently and waved. “Morning,” she said softly.

James walked closer. “You disappeared pretty quickly yesterday.”

“I was tired,” Ariana replied honestly.

Before James could say anything else, another presence suddenly appeared beside them. Damien. The atmosphere instantly changed. His sharp eyes moved between Ariana and James carefully before finally settling on her. “I called you last night,” Damien said calmly. “You didn’t answer.”

Ariana’s heart skipped slightly. But instead of responding, she acted like she didn’t hear him at all. She quickly grabbed the files sitting on her desk and walked away without another word. Damien stood there watching her leave in confusion. For once, she was the one ignoring him. “What has gotten into her?” he muttered quietly to himself.

James noticed Damien’s irritated expression and awkwardly excused himself before things became uncomfortable.

The rest of the morning, Ariana stayed busy on purpose. She avoided Damien completely. Every time she sensed him nearby, she walked the other direction. Every time he looked at her, she pretended not to notice. Because staying away from him felt safer.

Unfortunately, Damien Vale wasn’t used to being avoided. Especially not by her.

Later that afternoon, Ariana stepped out of the restroom while adjusting the sleeve of her blazer. The hallway was empty. Or so she thought. Suddenly— a figure stepped directly in front of her. Ariana gasped softly as Damien cornered her gently against the wall. Her eyes widened in shock. “What the hell, Damien?” she whispered angrily. “You scared me.”

Damien stared down at her carefully. “Did I suddenly become invisible to you?” Ariana looked away immediately. “I’m busy,” she muttered while trying to walk past him. But Damien caught her wrist gently before she could leave. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Interesting.”

Ariana frowned. “What?”

“You were less annoying when you argued with me,” he replied calmly.

Ariana rolled her eyes. “You stopped me for that?” Damien ignored the question. “There’s a company event later this evening. We’re celebrating the company’s recent success.” Ariana slowly pulled her hand away from his grip. “And?” “You’ll be there.”

Her expression instantly hardened. Without replying, Ariana simply turned around and walked away. Completely uninterested. For the first time in a long while, Damien actually felt affected by her distance. And he hated it.

The entire evening, Ariana tried convincing herself not to attend the event. But unfortunately, missing a company celebration wasn’t exactly an option. So later that night, she arrived at the grand hotel ballroom wearing a long elegant black dress that fit her perfectly. Simple. Classy. Beautiful.

The moment Damien saw her from across the room, he completely lost focus during his conversation. His eyes stayed fixed on her. Ariana smiled softly while greeting another employee, completely unaware of the effect she was having on him. Damien swallowed slowly. She looked breathtaking. More than breathtaking. Dangerous.

For a moment, he forgot every conversation happening around him. “Hey, Ariana.” James appeared beside her holding two glasses of champagne. Ariana smiled immediately. “Hi, James.” That single smile instantly ruined Damien’s mood. His jaw tightened. The jealousy from earlier returned stronger than before.

James handed Ariana one of the glasses while laughing about something quietly. Damien couldn’t stand it anymore. Within seconds, he walked directly toward them. “James,” Damien said calmly, though his tone carried warning beneath it, “don’t you have something important to do?” James immediately straightened awkwardly. “Oh—right. Yes, sir.”

Ariana looked annoyed instantly. James quickly excused himself and disappeared into the crowd. The moment he left, Ariana turned toward Damien angrily. “You’re unbelievably rude.” Damien looked completely unbothered. “And yet,” he replied smoothly, placing one hand against her waist, “you’re still standing here with me.” Ariana’s breath caught slightly.

The music around them slowly changed into something softer. Then Damien gently pulled her toward the dance floor. “Dance with me,” he said quietly.

“That wasn’t a question, was it?” Ariana muttered.

“No.”

Despite herself, she stayed. Damien’s hand rested carefully against her waist while the other held hers gently. And suddenly, everything around them faded. The noise. The crowd. The music. All Ariana could focus on was him.

For the first time, Damien wasn’t looking at her like an intern. Or a challenge. Or someone beneath him. He was looking at her like a woman. And that realization terrified both of them.

Ariana quickly looked away first. Her heartbeat became dangerously fast while they danced slowly together beneath the ballroom lights. “You’ve been avoiding me all day,” Damien murmured quietly.

“Maybe I’m trying to protect my peace.”

“From me?”

Ariana looked up at him carefully. “Yes.”

Something about that answer affected Damien more than she realized. The dance finally ended after a few minutes, but Ariana could barely breathe properly anymore. Everything about him suddenly felt overwhelming. The way he touched her. Looked at her. Spoke to her. It was becoming too much.

The moment the music stopped, Ariana quickly stepped away. “I need air,” she muttered before rushing outside toward the balcony area. Cold night wind brushed against her skin the moment she stepped outside. She held the railing tightly while trying to calm her breathing.

But a few moments later, footsteps followed behind her. Of course it was Damien. Ariana immediately turned around in frustration. “Why are you following me?” she snapped angrily. “Please just stay away from me.”

Damien stopped a few feet away from her. “Ariana,”

“No,” she interrupted quickly. Her voice trembled slightly. “I’m tired, okay?” she whispered while brushing her hair back shakily. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” Damien stared at her silently. “I don’t want anything to do with you,” Ariana continued softly. “This whole thing between us is confusing.” She folded her arms tightly. “And honestly… it scares me.”

The tension between them instantly deepened. Damien slowly walked closer toward her. Closer. Closer. Until there was barely any space left between them. Then gently, he grabbed her wrist. Not forcefully. Carefully. Like she might disappear if he held too tightly.

Ariana’s breathing became uneven immediately. Damien slowly pulled her closer toward him. Both of them were breathing hard now. His eyes dropped slowly toward her lips.