Damien's pov
I watched my personal secretary disappear into the bathroom but didn't follow. A small, involuntary smile tugged at my lips.
It had been a long time since a woman had managed to surprise me.
But hearing her name, Aria, twisted something inside me. It was the same name that had haunted me for a year.
It dragged me back to that night, to the woman who shared her name and the chain of mistakes that followed.
The guilt still hit like a punch to the ribs every time I thought about it.
Since then, I had cut off all intimacy. It wasn't about being noble; it was about staying in control.
I owed Sally that much. I couldn't live with myself if I failed her again.
But I was still a man, and pretending I didn't have needs was exhausting.
Whenever the urge beca
