THE NIGHT WE RUINED EVERYTHING

chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ariana stood frozen inside the dark elevator, her heartbeat pounding heavily against her chest. She hated darkness, always had. And now she was trapped inside a tiny elevator with Damien Vale while the lights stayed completely out. The silence around them only made her breathing worse.

Damien noticed immediately. Surprisingly, instead of teasing her like he usually would, his voice softened. “Hey,” he said quietly through the darkness. “Talk to me.”

Ariana swallowed hard. “Why?”

“Because panicking won’t help.” She stayed silent for a second. The elevator suddenly felt smaller than before. Too small. Too quiet. Too close. There was nowhere to escape to. They were trapped together.

Ariana heard Damien moving slightly before the glow from his phone lit up the elevator faintly. He immediately called security. “Hello,” Damien said calmly into the phone. “The elevator stopped working. I’m inside. I need someone to open it immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” the security guard answered quickly. The call ended. Ariana finally relaxed slightly, knowing help was coming. She stepped back from Damien and turned on her own phone flashlight. The small light illuminated her nervous face.

She glanced down at the time on her screen and sighed heavily. It was already late. Her entire body felt exhausted. “When will all this finally end?” she whispered quietly.

Damien looked toward her immediately. “What do you mean?”

Ariana laughed softly, though there was no happiness in it. “I’m tired,” she admitted. “Especially of you.”

Damien frowned slightly. “What did I do this time?”

“You distract me too much,” Ariana replied honestly. “And I hate it.” The confession surprised even her. She looked away quickly. “I came to your company to work,” she continued quietly. “To survive. To focus on my future.”

Damien stayed silent while listening carefully.

“But now,” Ariana whispered, “I can’t even think properly anymore whenever you’re around.”

The elevator became quiet again. Then Damien slowly stepped closer. Not too close. Just enough for her to feel his presence. “Why am I such a distraction to you?” he asked softly.

Ariana immediately looked away. “You already know why.”

Damien gently held her wrist before she could move again. “If you dislike me this much,” he said quietly, “why don’t you leave the company?”

Ariana’s eyes instantly filled with emotion. “No,” she whispered. “I can’t.” She slowly removed her hand from his grip. “You think leaving is easy for someone like me?” she asked bitterly. “I don’t have that luxury.” Tears suddenly gathered in her eyes before she could stop them. Damien’s expression immediately changed.

“Ariana…”

She shook her head quickly. “No, it’s fine.” But it clearly wasn’t.

Damien moved closer again, this time more carefully. “You can tell me anything,” he said softly. “I’m listening.”

Ariana stared at him silently for several seconds. Part of her wanted to stay quiet. But another part of her was tired of pretending she was strong all the time. “You have your own problems already,” she whispered. “I don’t want mine becoming your burden too.”

Damien’s eyes stayed fixed on her. “I don’t care about that. What matters to me right now is you.”

Those words hit her deeply. Ariana looked down immediately, trying to hide how much they affected her. Then finally—she spoke. “My world and your world are completely different, Damien.”

His expression softened slightly. “When I was nineteen,” Ariana continued quietly, “my father left us.” Damien stayed silent. “He disappeared without even looking back. No calls. No visits. Nothing.”

The pain in her eyes became obvious. “And after that,” she continued softly, “I promised my mother I would never abandon her the way he did.” Damien listened carefully without interrupting.

“We lost our house eventually,” Ariana admitted. “Everything became difficult after that.” She smiled bitterly. “That scholarship internship at Vale Corporation was my only chance to change our lives.” Then she looked directly at him. “And then I met you.”

Those words filled Damien with guilt instantly. For the first time, he truly understood how much pressure Ariana carried every single day. The responsibility. The fear. The exhaustion. Slowly, Damien stepped closer toward her. This time, Ariana didn’t move away. He gently held her waist while staring directly into her eyes. And for once—there was no arrogance in his expression. Only sincerity.

“From today onward,” Damien said quietly, “you won’t have to face everything alone anymore.”

Ariana’s breath caught softly. “I’ll protect you,” he continued. “No matter how difficult things become.” The elevator suddenly felt warmer. Safer. Ariana stared at him silently while emotions overwhelmed her chest. Nobody had ever said something like that to her before. Not seriously. Not genuinely.

Damien slowly lifted one hand and brushed a strand of hair away from her face carefully. His touch felt gentle. Careful. Like she was something important. Their eyes remained locked together. The tension between them deepened again. Ariana’s heartbeat became uneven while Damien slowly leaned closer toward her. Close enough for her to feel his breathing.

This time—she didn’t step away. Their lips finally met softly. The kiss was slow at first. Careful. Almost hesitant. As if both of them were scared of crossing a line they could never return from. Ariana’s fingers slowly tightened around the front of Damien’s shirt while he held her gently against him. The world outside the elevator disappeared completely. No company. No pressure. No fear. Only them.

Damien rested his forehead lightly against hers after pulling away slightly. Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Ariana felt breathless. Completely overwhelmed. Then suddenly, reality returned again. Ariana slowly stepped back first. Her cheeks burned warmly while she quickly brushed her hair behind her ear nervously. A small embarrassed smile appeared on her lips. But Damien still stared at her intensely, as if he couldn’t believe what just happened either. And honestly—neither could she.

Before either of them could say anything else—a loud sound echoed outside the elevator. Then suddenly—the doors slowly opened. Bright hallway lights immediately flooded inside. Ariana quickly lifted her head. And froze instantly. Several employees stood outside the elevator staring directly at them. Including—James. And Sophia.