THE NIGHT WE RUINED EVERYTHING

chapter 9

Chapter 9

And Ariana realized with terrifying certainty— if he kissed her now… she wouldn’t stop him.

Ariana could hear her own heartbeat loudly inside her chest. Everything around them faded into silence. Damien’s hand rested against her waist, warm and steady, while his eyes slowly dropped to her lips again. The tension between them became unbearable. Dangerous.

Ariana’s breathing turned uneven as Damien leaned slightly closer. And this time— she didn’t stop him. Her fingers tightened slowly around the fabric of his suit while her heart completely betrayed her. Damien stared at her for a moment longer, almost as if he was waiting for her to pull away. But she didn’t. Instead, Ariana remained frozen beneath his gaze. Waiting.

Then slowly, Damien leaned in closer. Closer. Their breaths mixed together in the cold night air. Ariana closed her eyes halfway.

Footsteps echoed from behind them. Fast. Sharp. But neither Damien nor Ariana moved immediately. They were too lost in the moment. Too distracted by each other. The footsteps came closer. Closer. Then finally, a voice interrupted the silence.

“Well… what are the two lovers doing out here alone?”

Damien instantly froze. His eyes widened slightly, though he still didn’t look away from Ariana immediately. Instead, his jaw tightened. Then quietly, almost under his breath, he whispered: “I know that voice.”

Ariana slowly opened her eyes in confusion. Damien finally looked away from her. A dark figure stood a few feet behind them beneath the balcony lights. Then slowly, the shadow stepped forward. And suddenly, the figure became clear. Sophia.

“Sophia?” Damien said sharply.

Ariana blinked. “Sophia?” she repeated quietly.

Standing before them was a beautiful woman with soft brown hair flowing over her shoulders. She wore an elegant white dress that screamed wealth and luxury. Even the way she stood felt expensive. Confident. Perfect. Ariana suddenly became very aware of herself. Damien immediately removed his hand from Ariana’s waist. His expression hardened instantly. “What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.

Sophia smiled calmly while stepping closer. “Wow,” she murmured dramatically. “Such a warm welcome.” Damien’s face remained emotionless. “How dare you show up at my company?” he continued harshly.

Ariana stared silently between them. The atmosphere had changed completely. The softness Damien showed her moments ago disappeared instantly. Now he looked tense. Angry. Sophia’s eyes slowly moved toward Ariana. Then she smiled politely. Though the smile didn’t feel genuine at all. “I had no intention of interrupting your beautiful moment with this intern,” Sophia said sweetly.

Ariana narrowed her eyes immediately. There it was. The insult hidden beneath politeness. Sophia tilted her head slightly. “Actually,” she continued softly, “I didn’t know interns attended events like this.”

Ariana smiled tightly. “Maybe they made an exception for me.” Damien almost smirked hearing that response. Almost. Sophia noticed. And her expression shifted for a second. Very quickly. But Ariana caught it. Jealousy. Interesting.

“What are you really doing here?” Damien asked again impatiently.

Sophia sighed dramatically. “Can’t I visit my ex-fiancé if I want to?” The word _fiancé_ instantly made Ariana uncomfortable. Her chest tightened painfully. Without saying anything else, Ariana quietly stepped away from them and walked back inside the ballroom.

She suddenly felt foolish for standing out there with Damien moments earlier. Like she forgot who he really was. A billionaire. A man surrounded by women like Sophia. Women are far more beautiful, elegant, and experienced than her.

Meanwhile, Sophia watched Ariana walk away before turning toward Damien again. “She’s pretty,” Sophia commented casually.

Damien immediately looked at her coldly. “Leave.”

Sophia laughed softly. “Oh, this is serious.”

“It’s none of your business.”

Sophia studied his expression carefully. “You like her.” Damien’s face darkened instantly. “Don’t start.”

“But you do,” Sophia continued with amusement. “That’s why you’re angry.” Damien stepped closer toward her slightly. “I’m warning you, Sophia.” She only smiled. “That poor girl has no idea what she’s getting herself into.”

Before Damien could respond, Sophia calmly walked past him into the ballroom. Damien immediately looked toward the entrance searching for Ariana. And the moment he found her, his expression tightened again.

Ariana stood beside James. But not just beside him. Her hand was wrapped around his arm while she laughed softly at something he said. Damien’s jaw clenched immediately. The jealousy returned instantly. Stronger than before. “What is she doing?” he muttered under his breath.

Across the room, Ariana noticed Damien staring. So she intentionally leaned slightly closer toward James. Petty? Absolutely. But she didn’t care. Not after Sophia. James smiled down at her warmly, completely unaware he was currently being used to irritate one of the most powerful men in the country.

Sophia noticed the tension immediately. And suddenly, everything became entertaining for her. “Well,” Sophia whispered to herself while sipping her champagne, “this is getting interesting.”

The rest of the evening quickly became uncomfortable for Ariana. No matter where she stood, she could feel Damien watching her. And Sophia’s presence only made things worse. Every time Ariana looked at the woman, insecurity twisted painfully inside her chest. Sophia belonged in Damien’s world. Ariana didn’t.

Eventually, the pressure became too overwhelming. Without telling anyone, Ariana quietly grabbed her bag and left the event early. The cold night air hit her immediately once she stepped outside the hotel. She breathed deeply while walking quickly toward the parking area.

But only a few moments later, footsteps followed behind her. Fast. Familiar. “Ariana!” She stopped walking immediately. Damien. Of course. Before she could turn properly, Damien caught up to her and grabbed her wrist gently. “Why did you leave?” he asked.

Ariana pulled her hand away instantly. “Why do you care?” she snapped.

Damien frowned slightly. “Seriously?”

Ariana laughed bitterly. “You were literally standing with your ex-fiancée five minutes ago.”

“Sophia means nothing to me.”

“Then why does she still act like she owns you?”

Damien stayed silent for a second. That silence irritated Ariana even more. “You know what?” she continued angrily. “Forget it.” She tried walking away again, but Damien stepped in front of her. “Ariana.”

“What?”

“Why do you care who I talk to?”

Ariana froze. Then immediately fired the question back at him. “Why do you care who I date?” Silence instantly grew between them. The city lights reflected softly around them while neither spoke for several seconds.

Damien exhaled heavily. And when he spoke again, his voice sounded quieter. More honest. “You’re becoming a problem for me, Ariana.”

Her eyebrows furrowed immediately. “What does that even mean?” Damien stared at her silently for a long moment. Like he was debating whether or not to tell her the truth. He answered quietly. “It means…” He stepped closer slowly. “I can’t stop thinking about you anymore.”