Forbidden Night with the CEO

Chapter Eleven

Damien remained in his study, staring at the photograph on his laptop.

He couldn't take his eyes away from the woman standing near him.

The picture was blurry, but something about her still felt familiar.

And then he zoomed in again.

Her face was turned slightly away from the camera.

"Come on," he muttered.

He clicked through the other photographs from the same night, hoping to find one that showed her face clearly.

One picture showed the woman standing near the entrance.

Another showed her talking to someone.

But none of them gave him a clear view.

Damien leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.

Why was he suddenly so desperate to know who she was?

He had forgotten about that night for months.

And then Ava walked into his life.

The familiar face.

The perfume.

The voice in his memory.

The bracelet.

There were too many similarities.

Damien opened another photograph and studied it carefully.

This time, he noticed something behind the woman.

A security guard stood near the entrance.

Damien's eyes narrowed.

If he could find out who entered the hotel that night, he might finally get an answer.

He reached for his phone.

And then he made a call.

"I need the guest records from the charity event several months ago."

He paused.

"And I need them tonight."

The next morning, Damien arrived at the office earlier than usual.

He went straight into his office and placed the photograph on his desk.

A few minutes later, Ava walked in with his morning schedule.

"Good morning, Mr. Blackwood."

"Good morning."

She placed the schedule on his desk.

"Your first meeting is at nine, and you have another one at eleven."

Damien nodded.

"Thank you."

Ava turned to leave, but then he stopped her.

"Miss Carter."

She looked back.

"Yes?"

"Do you still have access to the company records from the charity event?"

Ava thought for a moment.

"I believe so. Why?"

"I need the guest list from that night."

Ava nodded.

"I'll check for it."

"Don't worry about it," Damien said quickly. "I'll handle it myself."

Ava looked slightly confused.

"Alright."

She left the office.

Damien waited until the door closed before reaching for his phone.

He called the hotel's management and requested the records privately.

While waiting, he opened the photograph again.

Ava's name wasn't on the official guest list.

And then another thought crossed his mind.

Maybe she had entered with someone else.

Damien leaned back in his chair.

He needed to know who had brought her into the hotel that night.

Because the more he remembered, the more certain he became.

The woman from that night had been real.

And somehow, Ava was connected to her.

Damien's phone rang.

He answered immediately.

"Mr. Blackwood, we found the security records you requested."

"Send them to me."

A few seconds later, a file appeared on his computer.

Damien opened it and began going through the names of everyone who entered the hotel that night.

Most of the names meant nothing to him.

And then one name caught his attention.

He stared at it for a moment.

The name belonged to a woman who had signed in as a guest of one of the company's partners.

Damien leaned closer to the screen.

He didn't recognize her, but something about the information felt important.

He opened the attached record.

There was a second name listed under her entry.

Ava Carter.

Damien froze.

His eyes remained fixed on the screen.

Ava hadn't been listed as an official guest, but her name appeared in the security records.

She had been there.

That explained the familiar feeling.

And then Damien remembered the way she had looked at him when he asked whether they'd met before.

He leaned back slowly.

"Why did you lie to me?"

The question came out quietly.

He looked at the time.

Ava was still sitting outside his office, completely unaware of what he had just discovered.

Damien closed the file.

He wasn't ready to confront her yet.

First, he needed to know exactly what happened that night.

And then he needed to find out why she had never told him she was there.

Damien remained in his chair, staring at the closed file on his computer.

He knew Ava had been at the hotel that night.

But he still didn't know why.

And then another thought crossed his mind.

If Ava had been there, she might not have been alone.

Damien opened the security records again and searched through the names of the guests who had entered the hotel that evening.

He went through them slowly, checking the times and room numbers.

Nothing seemed useful.

Then he noticed something.

Ava's name appeared again beside a room number.

Damien's eyes narrowed.

He opened the record.

The room had been booked for one night.

His heart began beating faster.

"Was this where we met?"

He leaned back and rubbed his face.

There were still too many questions.

What had brought Ava to the hotel?

Why had she lied when he asked if they had met before?

And most importantly, what had happened between them that night?

Damien closed the file and looked through the glass wall toward Ava.

She was busy working at her desk, completely unaware of his discovery.

And then she looked up.

Their eyes met.

Ava smiled politely.

Damien didn't smile back.

Rather, he looked at her differently.

He was no longer wondering if she knew him.

Now, he needed to know what she was hiding.