"My billionaire husband"

Chapter 14: Home Invasion

Eliana came back through the penthouse doors at 9:03 PM.

No guards. No handcuffs. Just Charles in a suit, dropping her off with a wink and a “Mr. Vance Sr. says don’t get caught next time.”

The place was silent. Too silent.

Damien wasn’t in the living room. Wasn’t in the office.

But her bag was gone from the couch, and a glass of water sat on the kitchen counter—still sweating. He’d been here minutes ago.

Cute. He thought hiding would work.

She kicked off her heels, left them in the middle of the floor, and made her way to the bedroom. Door was locked.

Eliana didn’t knock.

She pulled out the spare key card from her phone case—yeah, she’d made a copy last week—and slid it in. The lock clicked.

Damien was sitting on the edge of the bed, tie loosened, jacket off, looking like he’d been arguing with the ceiling for an hour. He looked up, and the moment he saw her, his entire posture changed.

Relief. Then annoyance. Then something hotter he tried to hide.

“You’re supposed to be in protective custody,” he said, voice low.

Eliana shut the door behind her and locked it again.

“I’m supposed to be in a lot of places, Damien. You want me to start listening now?”

She walked past him, slow, dropping her blazer on the chair. The white shirt from this morning was wrinkled, collar slightly open. She hadn’t changed.

Damien stood up. “You can’t just—”

“I can,” Eliana cut him off, stepping right into his space. “I did.”

She tilted her head, studying him like he was a problem she’d decided to keep instead of solve. “You look like you’ve been waiting to yell at me.”

“I was waiting to make sure you were alive,” he said.

“Same thing, right?” She smirked.

His jaw tightened. “Where were you all day?”

Eliana leaned in, close enough that he could feel her breath. “You don’t get to interrogate me, Mr. Vance. Not after last night.”

“And you don’t get to disappear after someone tries to frame you for murder,” he shot back.

She laughed, quiet and a little dangerous. “Oh, I disappeared alright. But not how you think.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Eliana—”

“Mmm?” She reached up and adjusted his tie, straightening it with deliberate slowness. Her fingers lingered. “If you wanted answers, you should’ve come looking for me instead of pacing like a caged lion.”

For half a second, he didn’t move. Then his hand caught her wrist, gentle but firm, stopping her.

“Don’t play games with me right now,” he said.

Eliana’s smirk didn’t drop. “Why not? You started this game when you said you trusted me more than yourself.”

The room went quiet.

Damien’s grip loosened, but he didn’t let go. His thumb brushed against her pulse point, like he was checking she was real.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered.

“I know,” Eliana whispered back. “And you like it.”

She tugged her wrist free, but instead of stepping back, she stepped closer, pressing a finger to his chest.

“Charles told me something on the drive back,” she said, voice dropping. “About the Geneva account. About my brother. About you.”

Damien stilled. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what? Ask?” She smiled, all innocent and trouble at once. “Too late. I’m already thinking about it.”

She moved past him toward the balcony, leaving the door ajar. The city lights spilled in, casting her shadow long across the floor.

“Come talk to me, Damien,” she called over her shoulder. “Or don’t. I’m about to do something that’ll leave *you* shocked.”

She stopped at the railing, turned, and leaned against it, arms crossed, eyes gleaming.

A cute menace. Exactly what she wanted to be.

Damien exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. He was seconds from either walking out or crossing that room.

And he wasn’t sure which one would be worse.

Downstairs, the penthouse alarm gave a single, quiet beep.

Someone else had just used a key card to get in.

Eliana heard it.

Damien heard it.

Neither of them moved.

“Guess we’re not alone anymore,” Eliana said softly, her smile turning sharp.

“Stay behind me,” Damien said automatically.

Eliana just raised an eyebrow. “No. I walk beside you. Remember?”

The bedroom door creaked open.

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*What happened in the SUV with Charles? Why did the Geneva account say ‘Eliana Vance’? And who just walked into the penthouse?*

Guess you’ll have to wait for Chapter 15.