Chasing Sunset

Chapter 2

Damian Wolfe was the name behind Wolfe Lux Travel, an elite, high-end travel company catering to the world’s wealthiest clients.

The company specialized in once-in-a-lifetime luxury experiences. Private jet charters, exclusive island getaways, and five-star accommodations in the most breathtaking locations on the planet. Their itineraries weren’t just vacations; they were tailored adventures, designed for those who sought the extraordinary.

From watching the Northern Lights from a glass igloo in Finland to sipping champagne on a private yacht in the Maldives, Wolfe Lux Travel promised perfection, privacy, and prestige. It was the pinnacle of luxury travel, and no one in the industry did it better than Damian Wolfe.

Damian Wolfe rarely dealt with clients directly. He preferred to run Wolfe Lux Travel from the shadows, overseeing operations while his team handled the rich and famous.

The way it worked was simple: A client wanted luxury, and Wolfe Lux Travel delivered.

They’d submit a request, whether it was a month-long private yacht tour, a last-minute jet to Paris, or a secluded villa in Santorini. His team, made up of top-tier travel planners, would craft an experience tailored to their every desire. No request was too extravagant. No destination was off-limits.

Damian made the decisions, approved the deals, and ensured perfection. But he never played tour guide. That wasn’t his job.

At least, not until her.

Some of this was by choice. The rest was because of his past.

Damian Wolfe didn’t do personal.

He had built Wolfe Lux Travel into an empire, catering to the richest, the most powerful, and those who demanded the impossible. He had designed it to run without him in the spotlight. His team managed the clients, his planners handled logistics, and his fleet of private jets, yachts, and luxury resorts ensured every trip was seamless and unforgettable.

And Damian? He stayed in the background, making sure the machine ran flawlessly.

But it wasn’t just about efficiency. It was about control.

Because the last time he had gotten too close, the last time he had let someone into his world, he had lost everything.

The memories were locked away, buried deep beneath the weight of time and distance, but they still lived in the edges of his mind, surfacing in the quiet hours of the night. The way he had once believed in love. The way he had thought some things were meant to last. And the way life had proven him wrong.

He had loved once. And it had ended in tragedy.

Since then, solitude has been easier. Cleaner. Safer.

So he built walls around his life, his business, his heart. He surrounded himself with luxury but never indulged in it. His world revolved around giving others experiences they would never forget, while he remained in the shadows, untouched, unaffected, unbothered.

That was the way he preferred it.

And that was how it had always been.

Until her.

He didn’t personally review client applications. He had an entire team for that elite planners who vetted requests, curated exclusive itineraries, and ensured only the wealthiest, most distinguished clients gained access to Wolfe Lux Travel’s services.

But when Lena Carter’s application landed on his desk, something about it made him pause.

It wasn’t filled with the usual glitz and excess. No demand for Michelin-starred dining, no requests for VIP treatment at exclusive events, no extravagant itinerary packed with designer shopping and yacht parties. She didn’t ask for indulgence. She asked for moments.

Her request was simple, yet strangely poetic:

"I want to see sunsets. In as many places as possible. To travel the world and watch the sky change in different corners of the earth."

There was no mention of luxury, no expectation of opulence. Just a quiet kind of longing, the kind that felt personal, almost intimate.

It intrigued him.

Most of his clients wanted the grandest experiences money could buy. They craved extravagance, power, and the ability to say they had lived bigger, better, more than anyone else.

But this woman? She just wanted to watch the sun set.

Damian wasn’t sure why it unsettled him, why it pulled at something in his chest he wasn’t ready to name. But instead of passing it along to his team, he kept it.

For the first time in years, he decided to take on a client himself.

Lena Carter would be his personal project.

On the other end of the city, people were celebrating promotions, engagements, milestones that marked the beginning of something new.

Here, in a quiet hospital room with walls Lena had memorized down to every c***k in the paint, they were celebrating something different.

Not an achievement. Not a cure.

Just the chance for her to live while she still could.

A knock sounded at the door, and Dr. Patel stepped in, holding a folder against his chest. He offered Lena a small, measured smile, the kind doctors give when they don’t have good news, but they have something.

“Well, Miss Carter,” he said, flipping open the file, “your discharge papers are ready.”

Lena let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Mia, perched on the armrest of the hospital chair, fist-pumped the air. “Hell yeah! No offense, Doc, but we’re not gonna miss this place.”

Dr. Patel chuckled. “None taken.” He pulled out a few prescription slips and handed them to Lena. “These are the pain meds, you’ll need to stay on top of them. I’ve also included steroids to help with inflammation and anti-nausea medication in case the symptoms worsen. You’ll need regular check-ins, even while traveling, and I’ll arrange for remote consultations if needed.”

Lena nodded, accepting the papers. The logistics didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was getting out.

Mia leaned over her shoulder, squinting at the papers. “Jeez, they really want to load you up on meds, huh?”

Dr. Patel’s expression softened. “We just want to keep her comfortable.”

Lena looked up at him then, searching his face. There was something unspoken in his eyes the truth neither of them said out loud.

This wasn’t a cure.

This was time.

And time was running out.

But she smiled anyway, because what else could she do? “Thank you, Dr. Patel. For everything.”

His jaw tensed slightly before he exhaled and gave her a firm nod. “Make the most of it, Lena.”

She planned to.

When the last signature was scribbled and the last nurse double-checked her vitals, a wheelchair was rolled in.

Mia grinned. “Okay, movie moment! Do I get to dramatically push you down the hallway like we’re escaping a heist?”

Lena snorted. “I can walk.”

“Nope. Hospital rules,” the nurse said with a smirk.

Mia clapped her hands. “Yes! Buckle up, Lenny. I’m about to make this the fastest wheelchair ride of your life.”

Lena rolled her eyes but let herself be helped into the chair. The moment she sat down, Mia took off, pushing her out of the room with exaggerated speed.

“Slow down!” the nurse called, half laughing, half scolding.

Mia ignored her, spinning Lena in a full circle before dramatically wheeling her toward the exit. “Look out, world! Lena Carter is officially a free woman!”

Lena laughed, and for the first time in weeks, it felt real.

She was leaving.

She was living.

And she was finally going to see the sunsets.