The CEO's Secret Bride

Chapter 5: The First Attempt

The message echoed in Amara's mind long after Damian put his phone away.

Tell your wife she's next.

She stared at him, searching for any sign that this was some elaborate joke. But Damian's face had become a mask of cold determination.

"This isn't funny," she whispered.

"I know."

"Who sent that message?"

"I don't know."

She frowned.

"You said you know everything."

A shadow crossed his face.

"I know my enemies."

He looked toward the mansion gates.

"But this one... is different."

Within an hour, Blackwood Manor transformed into a fortress.

More security guards arrived. Surveillance cameras were checked. Every entrance was locked down.

Amara watched from the balcony as black SUVs drove in and out of the estate.

She had never imagined that marrying a billionaire would mean living like someone under constant threat.

Helen entered quietly with a cup of tea.

"Mrs. Blackwood, you should try to rest."

Amara accepted the cup with trembling hands.

"Has it always been like this?"

Helen hesitated.

"No."

"When did it change?"

"The day Mr. Blackwood became CEO."

Later that evening, Damian was in his study reviewing security reports when Amara knocked gently.

"You said this marriage would be simple."

He didn't look up.

"I was wrong."

She stepped inside.

"Are you going to tell me what's happening?"

He closed the file in front of him.

"There are people who believe destroying me is the only way to get what they want."

"And they think hurting me will hurt you?"

"They know it will."

His honesty caught her off guard.

For the first time, she saw not the powerful CEO the world feared, but a man carrying the weight of endless battles.

"Then why involve me at all?" she asked.

His eyes met hers.

"Because you were already in danger."

Before she could ask what he meant, his phone rang again.

His head of security spoke urgently.

"Sir, we've identified the hacker's location."

Damian stood immediately.

"I'm leaving."

"I'm coming with you."

"No."

"This concerns me too."

"It's too dangerous."

"I'm tired of being treated like someone who needs protecting."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Damian sighed.

"Fine."

"But you stay beside me at all times."

The abandoned warehouse stood on the edge of the city, surrounded by broken fences and rusted shipping containers.

Rain poured heavily as Damian's convoy arrived.

Security officers spread out, searching every corner.

The warehouse looked empty.

Too empty.

Damian raised a hand.

"Something's wrong."

The next second—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion ripped through the silence.

The ground shook violently.

One of the abandoned containers burst into flames.

Smoke filled the air.

"It's a trap!" one guard shouted.

Gunshots rang out from the darkness.

"Protect Mr. Blackwood!"

Chaos erupted.

Damian grabbed Amara's hand and pulled her behind a concrete wall.

"Stay down!"

Her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe.

More shots echoed around them.

Then she noticed something.

A red laser dot.

It was moving slowly across Damian's chest.

Her eyes widened.

"Damian!"

Without thinking, she threw herself at him.

A bullet sliced through the air.

Bang!

The two of them crashed to the ground.

The bullet struck the wall where Damian had been standing only a second earlier.

Security guards returned fire, forcing the attackers to retreat into the darkness.

Within minutes, the gunfire stopped.

The attackers were gone.

Damian looked at Amara in disbelief.

"You pushed me."

"You were about to be shot."

"You could have been killed."

"So could you."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Rain soaked their clothes as they knelt on the cold ground.

Then Damian did something completely unexpected.

He gently brushed a strand of wet hair away from her face.

"Thank you."

His voice was so soft she almost didn't hear it.

It was the first time he had thanked anyone in front of his staff.

Back at Blackwood Manor, the doctor finished examining Amara.

"Just a few bruises," he said. "She's very lucky."

After the doctor left, Damian stood silently by the window.

"You should get some sleep."

Amara smiled faintly.

"I don't think I'll sleep tonight."

Before Damian could respond, the head of security entered carrying a small evidence bag.

"Sir..."

"We recovered this near the sniper's position."

Inside the bag was a silver pendant.

Amara's face went completely white.

Her hands began to shake.

"No..."

Damian noticed immediately.

"You've seen this before."

She nodded slowly.

Tears filled her eyes.

"My mother..."

"She used to wear one exactly like it."

Damian's expression changed instantly.

"Are you certain?"

"I'd recognize it anywhere."

He took the pendant from the bag and turned it over.

Engraved on the back were four words:

"She finally remembers us."

Damian's grip tightened around the pendant.

For the first time in years...

He looked afraid.

End of Chapter 5.

Cliffhanger: The mysterious pendant links the attackers to Amara's late mother, suggesting that the danger surrounding her began long before she met Damian. In Chapter 6, Amara uncovers a hidden diary that reveals a shocking connection between her family and the Blackwood empire.