Chapter five
809 Words
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Chapter Five: Stranger’s Warning
Theme: Trust is a luxury neither of them can afford.
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Ava’s Apartment — 10:04 AM
The words haunted her.
> Careful of who you trust. Damien Wolfe isn’t who you think he is.
Ava stared at the text on her phone for the third time in ten minutes, her heart clanging in her chest like an alarm.
No number. No ID. Just the chilling certainty that someone had been watching.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Call Damien?
No. Too risky.
Delete it?
Even riskier.
Instead, she screen-captured it, sent it to her encrypted work email, and locked her phone in her desk drawer.
She didn’t believe in paranoia.
But she did believe in gut instincts—and hers was screaming.
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Wolfe Global Headquarters — 1:15 PM
Damien’s office door was closed when she arrived, but she knew he was inside.
And this time, she didn’t knock.
She walked in like she owned the building. Like nothing had changed.
Like she hadn’t spent the entire morning asking herself if she was falling for a man with secrets sharp enough to cut her.
He looked up from his laptop. “Bold.”
“You said full access,” she replied, her tone even. “I’m taking you at your word.”
He closed the lid. “Something’s wrong.”
Ava tossed the printed version of the text on his desk.
He read it silently.
Then again.
Slowly.
Expressionless.
“Who sent this?” he asked.
“I was hoping you’d tell me.”
“I’ve made enemies,” he said finally. “Competitors. Men who lost to me.”
She crossed her arms. “Enemies who know your personal life?”
Damien stood and moved closer. “This isn’t about us. It’s about leverage.”
“Is there something I should know, Damien?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Which terrified her more than anything.
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Flashback: Damien’s Past — Five Years Ago
(Interwoven in italics throughout conversation)
> A bloodied contract. A hostile takeover.
One signature had destroyed an entire family business.
Damien hadn’t blinked. He had been ruthless then.
He had to be.
But that night… that family’s daughter had cursed his name.
“You’ll lose everything the way you took everything.”
Damien had never forgotten that.
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Back to Present — Damien’s Office
“There was a company,” he said finally. “Five years ago. Barnes International. They tried to outbid me on a federal contract. Illegally. I exposed it. Crushed them.”
“You ‘exposed’ them?”
“They were laundering funds through a shell company. I handed the files over to the feds.”
“And what happened?”
“The father went to prison. The daughter lost everything.”
Ava’s blood ran cold. “And you think she might be behind the message?”
He met her eyes. “I don’t know. But I do know you’re being used as bait.”
“Bait?”
“They think you’re a way to get to me.”
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Later That Day — Ava’s Apartment, 6:45 PM
The security system beeped as Ava locked the door behind her, the weight of Damien’s confession still heavy.
She should’ve felt safer knowing the truth.
She didn’t.
Her email pinged.
One message.
Subject line: Still think you’re safe?
No text. Just an attachment.
A photo.
Her. And Damien.
From the night in Paris.
Kissing in the elevator.
Her heart dropped.
Someone had been watching them that night.
Before either of them knew what this would become.
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Incoming Call — Damien Wolfe
“Did you get something?” he asked without preamble.
“They sent a photo.”
“Of what?”
“Us. In Paris.”
Silence.
Then, “I’ll send a car. You’re not staying alone tonight.”
“No—”
“It’s not a request.”
His voice was steel.
Not seductive. Not charming.
Protective.
And deadly serious.
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Wolfe Estate — That Night
This time, Ava didn’t resist when Damien pulled her into his arms.
She didn’t push him away when he kissed her like she was the only thing anchoring him to the ground.
But after, as they lay tangled in silence, she asked the question that wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Why me, Damien?”
His chest rose and fell.
Then:
“Because you don’t need me. And that scares the hell out of me.”
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Cliffhanger Ending:
> Ava opened her eyes to see Damien already dressed, whispering into his phone in the h
Allway.
“Track the source. I don’t care how deep you have to go. I want a name. I want a face.”
A pause.
“And when we find them?”
His voice went ice cold.
“I’ll make sure they never threaten her again.”
- Writer
