Chapter 8:Trapped by Fate
503 Words
Aria barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the men who had tried to force her into the SUV. Damien’s warning echoed in her mind.
“You are in the middle of a war.”
When morning came, she looked out her apartment window and noticed two black cars parked across the street.
At first, panic gripped her.
Then she saw the men standing beside them wearing black suits with tiny earpieces.
One of them looked up and gave her a respectful nod.
They were Damien’s security guards.
A few minutes later, her phone rang.
“Good morning,” Damien’s calm voice said.
“You sent bodyguards to my apartment?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t even ask me.”
“If I had asked, you would have said no.”
Aria sighed. “You’re right.”
“I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes.”
Before she could argue, he ended the call.
Exactly twenty minutes later, Damien’s black luxury car stopped outside her building.
He stepped out and opened the door for her.
“You really don’t have to treat me like I’m some important person,” Aria said.
Damien looked directly into her eyes.
“You are important.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
Neither of them spoke again until they reached the office.
As they entered the building, Damien’s head of security rushed toward him.
“Sir, we’ve received new information.”
Damien’s expression immediately changed.
“What is it?”
“The men who approached Miss Aria weren’t acting alone.”
Aria’s stomach tightened.
“There are others?” she asked quietly.
The security chief nodded.
“We believe someone is watching her.”
Damien clenched his jaw.
“Double the security.”
“Already done, sir.”
Aria felt overwhelmed.
“This is insane,” she whispered. “I don’t even know why this is happening.”
Damien turned toward her.
“I do.”
She stared at him.
“But I can’t tell you everything… not yet.”
Frustration filled her voice.
“You keep asking me to trust you while hiding the truth.”
“I know.”
“Then give me one reason not to walk away.”
Damien remained silent for a long moment.
Finally, he spoke.
“Because walking away won’t make you safe anymore.”
His words struck her harder than she expected.
She realized the danger wasn’t following Damien anymore.
It was following her.
That evening, Damien took Aria somewhere she never expected.
A magnificent mansion stood behind tall iron gates, surrounded by armed guards and high security walls.
“This is my home,” he said.
Aria looked at him in disbelief.
“You expect me to stay here?”
“I don’t expect it.”
He opened the front door.
“I insist.”
For the first time since meeting Damien Voss, Aria understood the truth.
She wasn’t simply under his protection anymore.
She was trapped by fate… and there was no turning back.Chapter
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