đź’«Chapter Four: Secrets Beneath the Spotlight
1214 Words
AVA
I stared at my reflection in the hotel mirror, smoothing down the black silk dress Damien’s assistant had delivered earlier that day.
The neckline dipped lower than I was used to, the slit on the side high enough to make me question my life choices. But I looked… powerful. Sharp. Like I belonged in the room full of billionaires and backstabbers I was about to walk into.
Still, I couldn’t calm the storm inside me.
Damien hadn’t spoken to me since that strange, intense moment in his office yesterday — when he’d looked at me like I was both his biggest regret and his most dangerous desire.
And now I was walking into a gala as his date — or at least his plus-one for corporate appearances. Nothing more. Nothing personal.
My heels clicked against the marble hallway as I stepped into the ballroom. Crystals glittered from the chandelier overhead, and a soft jazz band played in the corner while servers floated past with champagne.
Then I saw him.
Damien stood near the center of the room, dressed in a tailored black tuxedo that looked like it was made for him. When his eyes met mine, something primal sparked behind them.
He left the group he was with without a word and crossed the room like a storm.
“You clean up well,” he said, stopping just in front of me.
“So do you,” I replied, chin lifted.
His gaze roamed over me — slow, hungry, unapologetic.
“You wore the dress.”
“You had it sent in my size.”
“I know your size.”
I swallowed. “Don’t start.”
He offered me his arm. “Let’s make an impression.”
---
The first hour of the gala was all business. Introductions, handshakes, overly polite laughter. Damien played the role of the charismatic CEO effortlessly, while I tried to keep up.
But I could feel the weight of his hand at my lower back every time he guided me through the crowd. I could feel the warmth of his breath when he leaned in to whisper names and deals in my ear.
And I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
Celine, one of the senior executives — blonde, icy, and impossible to miss — had been watching us from across the room like a hawk with a vendetta.
She approached halfway through dinner, her smile as fake as the diamond bracelet she kept flashing.
“Ava, isn’t it?” she said sweetly, sliding into the seat beside me. “You’re the… new hire?”
“That’s right,” I replied.
“And you’re already attending major events like this? Impressive.”
I could feel the venom dripping from her words.
“I go where the company needs me.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” she said, eyes flicking to Damien. “You’ve certainly made an impact.”
Damien didn’t say anything, but I felt the tension between them — a history, maybe. A power struggle. Or something worse.
“Well,” Celine continued, reaching for her wine. “Just be careful, dear. Men like Damien have… complicated pasts.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I can handle complicated.”
Her smile widened. “We’ll see.”
---
Later, as the band shifted into a slower tempo, Damien turned to me. “Dance with me.”
I hesitated. “Is this really necessary?”
“Yes,” he said, voice low. “For appearances.”
But as his hand slid around my waist and he pulled me onto the dance floor, I knew appearances had nothing to do with it.
The music swelled. His hand was warm against the bare skin of my back, and the way he held me — close, possessive — made it hard to think.
“I see the way they look at you,” he said quietly, spinning me in slow circles.
“Who?”
“Everyone.”
I scoffed. “You’re imagining things.”
“No,” he said. “You walk into a room and everything changes.”
I met his gaze, trying to steady the thundering of my heart. “Is that a compliment or a warning?”
“Both.”
He pulled me closer, our chests almost touching. I could feel every inch of him, and I hated how good it felt. How safe.
“This is dangerous,” I whispered.
“So leave.”
I didn’t move.
That was the problem.
---
After the dance, I slipped away for air. The terrace outside the ballroom was quiet, the city lights blinking in the distance.
I needed to breathe. To think.
But I wasn’t alone.
Celine was already there, smoking a thin cigarette and staring at the skyline like she owned it.
“Well,” she said, blowing smoke. “You certainly have him wrapped around your finger.”
“I’m just doing my job.”
She laughed darkly. “Oh, sweetheart. That’s exactly what I said… once.”
I turned to face her. “What do you want?”
“I want you to understand something.” She stepped closer. “Damien Blackwood doesn’t do love. He doesn’t do loyalty. He uses people — women — until they break. I watched him destroy a woman once. She was young, brilliant. Thought she could change him.”
“And you think that woman was you?”
Her expression shifted. Just for a second. Vulnerability, then venom.
“No,” she said quietly. “Her name was Isabelle Laurent. She was engaged to Damien once. And she disappeared.”
My blood turned to ice.
“What do you mean… disappeared?”
Celine smirked. “Ask him. If he tells you the truth.”
With that, she flicked her cigarette over the railing and disappeared into the ballroom.
---
AVA
I returned to the party, my mind racing.
Isabelle Laurent.
The name echoed in my head like a curse. I had no reason to believe Celine. But the look in her eyes — that wasn’t jealousy. It was warning.
I found Damien alone by the bar, his jaw tense.
“Dance wore you out?” he asked.
“I need to ask you something.”
His gaze sharpened. “Now?”
“Yes. About Isabelle Laurent.”
His expression shut down.
“What did Celine tell you?”
“Just her name. And that you were engaged. That she disappeared.”
His silence spoke louder than any words.
“Damien…”
“She didn’t disappear,” he said finally. “She left.”
“Why?”
He looked away. “Because I broke her.”
I felt the air rush out of my lungs.
“She wanted things I couldn’t give her,” he continued. “A life. A future. I told her from the beginning I wasn’t that kind of man.”
“And now?”
“I’m still not.”
We stood in silence. The music, the laughter, the party all faded into the background.
“Are you warning me off?” I asked quietly.
“I’m warning you not to expect something that doesn’t exist.”
I nodded slowly.
Then I turned and walked away — before he could see the hurt I refused to show.
---
- Writer
