THE TRUTH BENEATH CONTROL
1043 Words
Vivian barely slept.
By the time morning sunlight pushed weakly through her apartment windows, the confidential file Roman sent still haunted her thoughts.
Professional misconduct.
Abuse of authority.
A female associate disappearing from Blackwood & Vale four years ago.
And Damien’s name attached to all of it.
Nothing about it made sense.
Not completely.
Because despite Damien’s impossible personality, Vivian had never once seen him behave inappropriately toward anyone at the firm. Cold? Yes. Ruthless? Absolutely. Difficult beyond reason? Constantly.
But dangerous in that way?
She couldn’t reconcile it.
Which frustrated her more than she wanted to admit.
Her phone buzzed across the kitchen counter while she poured coffee.
One message.
Roman Ellis.
I assume you have questions.
Vivian stared at the screen for several seconds before locking her phone without replying.
Because yes, she had questions.
Too many.
And somehow she no longer knew which man was more dangerous.
—
Blackwood & Vale was unusually quiet when Vivian arrived that morning.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that usually meant everyone already sensed tension before the day had even properly started.
Several associates glanced toward her the second she stepped off the elevator.
Then quickly looked away.
Strange.
Vivian frowned slightly as she moved toward her desk.
And immediately froze.
Damien Blackwood was already there.
Waiting.
He stood beside her desk in a dark tailored suit, one hand tucked into his pocket while the other held a cup of black coffee. His expression remained unreadable, but something about the stillness in his posture unsettled her immediately.
He looked like a man who hadn’t slept either.
“Good morning,” Vivian said carefully.
Damien studied her for a moment.
“You left without saying anything last night.”
“You gave me confidential misconduct files at midnight,” she replied quietly. “I wasn’t exactly in the mood for conversation afterward.”
His jaw tightened.
So he knew.
Interesting.
“You believe Ellis?” Damien asked.
Vivian placed her bag down slowly.
“I don’t know what to believe.”
For the first time since she’d met him, something vulnerable flickered behind Damien’s eyes.
Gone quickly.
But there.
“Come into my office.”
Not a command this time.
Something else.
Vivian hesitated only briefly before following him inside.
The glass doors closed behind them softly, sealing them away from the rest of the firm.
Damien loosened his tie slightly before moving toward the windows overlooking Manhattan. Rain clouds still hovered heavily above the city, turning the skyline gray and cold.
Vivian remained standing.
Waiting.
Damien rarely struggled for words.
Today felt different.
Finally, he spoke.
“Her name was Clara Whitmore.”
Vivian’s chest tightened immediately.
So it was true.
Damien kept his gaze fixed on the windows.
“She worked here six years ago. Junior associate. Brilliant. Ambitious.”
“What happened?”
Silence stretched briefly.
Then:
“She accused one of the senior partners of harassment.”
Vivian frowned.
“One of the partners?”
“Yes.”
Not Damien.
The realization hit immediately.
Vivian’s heartbeat slowed slightly.
“But the file—”
“My name was attached because I handled the internal investigation.”
Vivian stared at him.
“Roman made it look like you were responsible.”
“He wanted you to react emotionally.”
The calm bitterness in Damien’s voice unsettled her.
Vivian crossed her arms slowly.
“What happened to her?”
Damien finally turned toward her fully.
And for the first time in weeks, he looked tired instead of untouchable.
“The firm buried it.”
Anger flashed through Vivian instantly.
“You let them?”
Damien’s expression darkened.
“I tried to stop it.”
“Tried?”
“You think I had this kind of power six years ago?”
The sharpness in his voice startled her slightly.
Damien exhaled once before continuing more quietly.
“The partner involved was important to the firm. Wealthy clients. Political connections. The board protected him.”
Vivian’s stomach twisted.
“And Clara?”
“She resigned.”
Something about the way Damien said it felt incomplete.
Vivian noticed immediately.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Damien looked away again.
“She died eight months later.”
The words shattered the room.
Vivian went completely still.
“What?”
“Car accident.”
But the hesitation before the answer said enough.
Vivian stared at him carefully.
“You don’t believe it was an accident.”
Damien didn’t answer immediately.
Which was answer enough.
A chill moved slowly down Vivian’s spine.
This was bigger than office politics.
Much bigger.
“Why would Roman send me this?” she asked quietly.
Damien’s gaze hardened instantly.
“Because he wants you questioning me.”
“And does he have a reason to?”
Something dangerous flickered across Damien’s expression again.
Not anger this time.
Hurt.
“You really think I’d hide something like that from you?”
Vivian swallowed carefully.
“I think I don’t know you as well as I thought.”
The words landed hard.
Damien became very still after that.
And suddenly Vivian hated the look in his eyes.
Because for the first time since meeting Damien Blackwood—
she’d wounded him.
The silence between them grew heavy.
Then Damien spoke quietly.
“You should’ve come to me first.”
Vivian looked down briefly.
“Maybe.”
“No,” he corrected softly. “Definitely.”
The intensity in his voice made her chest tighten unexpectedly.
Because beneath the frustration and tension, there was something else there.
Disappointment.
Not professional disappointment.
Personal.
Before Vivian could process that realization fully, a sharp knock interrupted the room.
Neither moved immediately.
Then Chloe opened the glass door halfway, visibly nervous.
“Sorry,” she said carefully, “but there’s someone downstairs asking for Vivian.”
Damien’s expression instantly cooled.
“Who?”
Chloe hesitated.
“Roman Ellis.”
Of course.
Vivian closed her eyes briefly.
Perfect timing.
Chloe continued cautiously:
“And apparently… he’s refusing to leave without seeing her.”
The room went silent.
Vivian looked toward Damien instinctively.
Big mistake.
Because the expression on Damien Blackwood’s face at that moment was calm enough to become terrifying.
The kind of calm that usually came right before destruction.
- Writer
