I Walked Away, Now He's Begging

Chapter 9 The Showdown

Elena

I can feel his heart beating strong and steady beneath my palms. He's only inches away from me, and I feel like prey about to fall into an abyss. I can't control my body—I'm completely frozen.

"Damien Cross!"

The roar comes from the doorway, filled with fury and something that sounds dangerously like ownership.

I scramble off Damien so fast I nearly trip again, my face burning with embarrassment. Adrian stands in the entrance, his usually perfect hair messed up, his tie loosened, and his eyes blazing with an anger I've never seen before.

How did Adrian find me here?

Damien rises from the couch with infuriating grace, casually reaching for a napkin to dry his face. He doesn't look remotely flustered by Adrian's dramatic entrance. If anything, he looks… amused.

"Adrian," Damien says, his voice carrying that low, controlled tone that somehow makes Adrian's shouting sound childish. "Long time no see."

Adrian's face turns an alarming shade of red. His jaw clenches, veins visible at his temples. Before I can process what's happening, he lunges forward like a wild animal, swinging his fist toward Damien with all his strength.

Damien sidesteps the punch with fluid grace, his movement so smooth it looks almost choreographed. Adrian's fist cuts through empty air.

Adrian's momentum carries him forward, and his fist slams into the decorative mirror on the wall. Glass shatters, cascading to the floor in glittering pieces. Blood wells up on his knuckles.

"Adrian!" I grab his arm, shocked by the violence. "Are you insane?"

He shakes me off, looking down at his bleeding knuckles, but his eyes never leave Damien.

"You dare show up in my territory?" Damien's voice drops even lower, and there's something genuinely dangerous in it now. His silver eyes have gone cold as steel. "Next time it won't just be a scratch."

The threat hangs in the air between them. Adrian takes a step back, and I realize he's actually intimidated.

Damien notices that I'm pale with fright, then turns to me with an expression that's completely different—concerned, almost tender.

"Elena," he says, and the way he says my name makes something flutter in my chest. "Call me if you need anything."

He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a black card with gold lettering. Cross Technologies CEO – Damien Cross. When he hands it to me, our fingers brush, and I feel that same electric shock from the airplane.

"I'll leave you two to… discuss," he says, but his eyes stay on mine for a long moment. There's something in his gaze that gives me space while dismissing Adrian entirely.

Then he's gone, leaving me alone with Adrian and a floor covered in broken glass.

"Elena!" Adrian grabs my arm, his grip controlled but firm. His voice is strained, like he's forcing himself to stay calm. "Stop this. We're going home. Now."

I step back from him. "Let go of me. This is my home."

"Home?" He gestures wildly with his uninjured hand. "You call this home? You've been in LA for what, a few hours? And you're already throwing yourself at the first man you meet?"

"Throwing myself—" I stare at him, incredulous. The fact that he could even think that makes my blood boil. "How could you even suggest that?"

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," Adrian continues, his voice growing more aggressive. "Damien Cross is dangerous, Elena. He's ruthless in business. You can't have anything to do with him."

Something cold settles in my chest. "Adrian, who I see is no longer your concern. Focus on your Nina."

"Elena, listen to me—"

His phone rings.

The sound cuts through the tension like a knife. The screen lights up: Nina. That familiar ringtone—the one he set specifically for her—fills the room.

Everything stops.

I stare at the phone, then at Adrian's face. For the first time, he looks embarrassed by the timing. There's a flicker of hesitation in his eyes—something I've never seen before. But I know he won't ignore it. He never ignores Nina.

"Please leave," I say quietly, pointing toward the door.

"Elena, wait—" His handsome features twist with something I've never seen before—a hint of desperation that makes his usually perfect face look almost… pleading.

"Leave." My voice is stronger now, final.

He looks like he wants to argue, but the phone keeps ringing. Nina's name keeps flashing on the screen. After a moment that feels like eternity, he turns and walks out.

The door clicks shut behind him.

I sink down by the door, my back against the wall. Broken glass sparkles across my new hardwood floors like fallen stars. My hands are shaking.

I really don't want to do this anymore.

I look down at the black card still clutched in my fingers. The gold lettering catches the afternoon light streaming through my windows. Damien Cross. CEO.

I trace my finger over his name and wonder what the hell I've gotten myself into.