Chapter5
1173 Words
UNEXPECTED REUNION
Ariana tried to act normal.
That was the lie she told herself as she got dressed that morning.
Normal girls didn’t stare at unknown messages for hours.
Normal girls didn’t feel their chest tighten every time a certain name crossed their mind.
And normal girls definitely didn’t think about billionaires who looked at them like they already belonged in their world.
But Ariana Devereux had never been normal.
DEVEREUX RESIDENCE — MORNING
Her mother was already downstairs when Ariana came out of her room.
Isabella looked more composed today, but there was still something tight around her expression.
Like she hadn’t slept properly either.
“Eat something,” her mother said immediately.
Ariana sat across from her slowly.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
Silence.
Ariana stared at her food but didn’t touch it.
Then finally—
“When is the meeting?” she asked, looking at the food on the table.
Isabella paused.
“Today.”
That one word made Ariana look up sharply.
“Today?”
Her mother nodded.
“Yes. Blackwood Enterprises sent a car.”
Ariana’s stomach tightened.
“They’re picking us up?”
Isabella’s expression darkened slightly.
“It wasn’t a request.”
There it was again.
That same energy, control disguised as invitation. Ariana pushed her chair back slightly.
“I don’t understand why we’re agreeing to this.” Her mother’s eyes softened—but only slightly.
“Because we don’t have the power to refuse.”
That sentence landed heavier than it should have.
Ariana hated it.
Hated the truth in it.
BLACKWOOD ENTERPRISES — ARRIVAL
The car stopped in front of a building that didn’t look like an office. It looked like power built into glass.
Tall. Cold. Impenetrable.
Blackwood Enterprises.
Ariana stepped out slowly, adjusting her coat as cameras nearby flickered instantly.
She frowned.
“Why are there journalists here?”
Her mother didn’t answer immediately.
But the driver did.
“Mr. Blackwood doesn’t meet privately,” he said simply. “Everything is observed.”
Ariana turned slightly. “That’s ridiculous.”
The driver didn’t respond.
Because it wasn’t ridiculous here.
It was normal.
INSIDE THE BUILDING
The lobby was too quiet.
Too clean.
Too expensive.
Every movement echoed slightly like the building itself was aware of who entered. Ariana followed her mother toward the elevator, feeling every eye in the room on them.
Whispers again.
Always whispers.
“Devereux…”
“They really came…”
“I heard Blackwood called them personally…”
Ariana clenched her jaw.
“What exactly is this meeting about?” she asked again.
Isabella didn’t look at her.
“I don’t know.”
That made Ariana stop walking for a second.
“You don’t know?”
Her mother finally met her eyes.
“And that’s what scares me.”
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped inside.
And the higher they went, the more Ariana felt like she was leaving reality behind.
TOP FLOOR — BLACKWOOD REALM
The doors opened silently.
Ariana stepped out first and immediately froze because the room wasn’t just a boardroom. It was a statement.
Black marble. Floor-to-ceiling glass. A view of Manhattan that looked like the world belonged to whoever stood there.
And at the center of it all…
He was there.
Damian Blackwood.
Standing by the glass wall, hands in his pockets, like he had been waiting for them without moving an inch.
Ariana’s breath caught slightly, not because he was unexpected but because seeing him outside that gala… made him feel more real.
More dangerous.
More present.
His eyes lifted slowly.
And the moment they met hers— the room shifted again. That same feeling from the gala returned instantly.
Heavy. Quiet. Electric.
Damian’s gaze didn’t move away.
Not once.
“Devereux,” he said calmly.
Ariana straightened instinctively.
“Blackwood.”
Her voice was steady but inside, something wasn’t.
He studied her for a moment longer than necessary, then glanced at Isabella.
“Sit.”
One word. Not a suggestion. A command.
Ariana frowned instantly. “Excuse me?.” Damian’s eyes moved back to her.
Slow.
Controlled.
“You heard me.”
The tension in the room thickened instantly. Isabella gently placed a hand on Ariana’s arm.
“Sit down.”
Ariana hesitated.
Then slowly sat.
But her eyes never left him.
Damian walked toward the head of the table. Every step calm, measured like he owned the space itself. When he stopped, he didn’t sit, he simply looked at them. Then said something unexpected.
“This meeting isn’t about business.”
Silence.
Ariana frowned. “Then why are we here?”
Damian’s eyes landed on her again, longer this time.
“Because I wanted to see you again.”
Ariana went still.
Isabella stiffened beside her, the room felt colder instantly. Ariana forced her voice to stay steady.
“That’s not a reason to summon an entire family to a corporate tower.”
A faint shift crossed Damian’s expression. Almost amusement.
“Summon,” he repeated softly, then nodded slightly.
“Interesting choice of word.”
Ariana didn’t blink.
“I chose it carefully.”
For the first time— A small silence stretched between them that felt different from before.
Not hostile.
Not polite.
Something else.
Damian studied her like she was a puzzle he hadn’t decided whether to solve gently or forcefully.
Then he said quietly:
“You’re not what I expected, Ariana Devereux.”
Her name again.
Smoother this time. More intentional.
Ariana held his gaze.
“And what did you expect?”
Damian paused.
Just long enough for the room to feel it.
Then—
“Easier to ignore.”
A beat.
“But you’re not.”
Silence fell hard.
Even Isabella looked between them now.
Ariana’s chest tightened slightly, but she refused to look away.
“Is that supposed to mean something?”
Damian stepped closer to the table, not enough to invade her space but enough to make her aware of him. Everything.
“I don’t do unnecessary curiosity,” he said calmly.
A pause.
“You’re becoming one.”
Ariana’s heartbeat slowed.
Not from fear but from confusion.
“Then stop,” she said immediately.
Damian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Stop what?”
“Whatever this is.”
For the first time— something flickered in his expression.
Not anger.
Not irritation.
Interest.
Deeper than before.
“You think I started it?” he asked quietly.
Ariana didn’t answer because she didn’t know anymore.
Damian leaned back slightly, studied her again, then said something that changed the air completely:
“No.”
A pause.
“This started the moment you looked at me like I was human.”
Heavy. Uncomfortable. Real.
Ariana’s fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the table.
And Damian Blackwood, for the first time in his life, didn’t look away first.
……….. Cont'd
And somewhere between hatred, history, and hidden truths…
Something dangerous had officially begun.
Not a meeting, not a coincidence.
But the first collision of two worlds that were never meant to touch.
- Writer
