Secrets Behind Locked Doors
642 Words
Chapter 2: Secrets Behind Locked Doors
The sound of gunfire echoed through the marble foyer.
Aria's pulse hammered in her ears as Damien kept one arm firmly around her shoulders, shielding her with his body.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried absolute authority.
Another shot rang out.
One of the crystal chandeliers exploded overhead, raining sparkling shards onto the polished floor.
Mrs. Collins cried out.
Damien didn't hesitate.
"Take Mrs. Collins to the panic room," he commanded two security guards.
"What about you?" Aria asked.
"I'm ending this."
Before she could protest, he slipped a sleek black pistol from the holster beneath his suit jacket.
Her breath caught.
This wasn't the polished billionaire she'd met only minutes ago.
This was a man who had seen violence before.
The front doors burst open.
Three masked men stormed inside with assault rifles.
"Search the house!" one of them shouted.
"The file has to be here!"
Damien stepped into the open.
"If you're looking for me," he said coldly, "you've found me."
The attackers immediately turned their weapons toward him.
The first man fired.
Damien moved with astonishing speed, diving behind a marble column before returning two precise shots.
One attacker collapsed.
The other two scattered for cover.
Aria stared in disbelief.
"Who is he?" she whispered.
"He wasn't always a businessman," Mrs. Collins murmured, her face pale. "There are parts of Mr. Knight's past that very few people know."
Before Aria could ask another question, Damien shouted from across the foyer.
"Aria!"
She looked up.
"Get down!"
A masked gunman appeared behind the staircase, aiming directly at her.
Everything seemed to slow.
The man's finger tightened on the trigger.
Then—
A deafening bang.
The attacker spun backward and crashed against the staircase.
Damien lowered his weapon.
His expression remained unreadable, but his breathing had become heavier.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Something flickered between them.
Relief.
Fear.
Something neither of them wanted to name.
Moments later, police sirens wailed outside the estate.
The remaining attackers fled before officers reached the mansion.
Silence slowly returned.
Broken glass covered the floor.
Bullet holes scarred the walls.
The once-peaceful mansion looked like a battlefield.
An ambulance arrived to treat the injured guard.
As paramedics worked, Aria noticed Damien standing alone near the shattered front window.
His white shirt was stained with blood.
"You're hurt," she said, walking toward him.
"It isn't mine."
She frowned.
"You could've died."
"So could you."
His answer was calm, almost emotionless.
"Who were they?"
"I don't know."
"That's a lie."
Damien remained silent.
"You knew exactly what they wanted."
Still nothing.
Frustration bubbled inside her.
"I've been here less than an hour, someone tries to kill us, my father is missing, and everyone keeps telling me half the truth!"
Damien finally looked at her.
"If I told you everything tonight..."
His voice was quieter than before.
"...you wouldn't stay."
Aria searched his face.
For the first time, she saw exhaustion behind his confidence.
Not weakness.
Burden.
Whatever secret he carried had been weighing on him for years.
Before she could respond, a black luxury sedan rolled into the driveway.
A woman stepped out.
Elegant.
Tall.
Perfectly dressed in a cream-colored suit.
Diamond engagement ring sparkling beneath the evening lights.
She walked straight toward Damien without acknowledging anyone else.
Then she wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "I thought I'd lost you."
Aria froze.
Damien didn't return the embrace.
The woman finally turned her attention to Aria.
Her smile was flawless.
But her eyes were ice.
"So..." she said softly.
"This must be Richard's daughter."
She extended her hand.
"I'm Victoria."
She paused deliberately.
"Damien's fiancée."
Aria felt the air leave her lungs.
Fiancée?
Damien had never mentioned a fiancée.
More importantly...
Why didn't he look surprised that she'd arrived?
- Writer
