Chapter 12 — London
1324 Words
“It’s in London.”
The words hung heavily between them.
Damien stared at Adaeze without blinking.
Behind him, the city lights reflected against the shattered glass walls of the penthouse, making him look even darker somehow.
More dangerous.
“How long were you planning to keep that from me?” he asked quietly.
Adaeze laughed bitterly.
“I wasn’t exactly planning international treasure hunts.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“What station?”
“I don’t remember the name.”
“Adaeze.”
“I’m serious.” Frustration crept into her voice. “That night is still blurry.”
Damien studied her carefully.
Trying to decide if she was lying again.
She hated that look.
The calculating look.
Finally, he nodded once.
“Then we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“We?”
“Yes.”
“You’re seriously flying to London over this?”
Damien’s expression remained calm.
“My sister was kidnapped. Your brother was taken. Men are threatening people inside my home.” His eyes darkened. “So yes. I’m seriously flying to London.”
The certainty in his voice silenced her.
Because suddenly—
This all felt real in a terrifying new way.
London.
The place she swore she would never return to.
The place where Richard almost destroyed her.
Fear crawled slowly into her chest.
Damien noticed immediately.
“You’re shaking.”
“I’m not going back there.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No.”
His eyes sharpened dangerously.
“You don’t have a choice anymore.”
The words hit hard because they were true.
And she hated that.
Hated feeling trapped again.
“Adaeze.”
She looked up reluctantly.
Damien stepped closer slowly.
“I know you’re scared.”
Something about hearing him admit it nearly cracked her composure.
Because he never sounded gentle with anybody else.
Only her.
And that was becoming a problem.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered.
“Then explain it to me.”
Silence stretched between them.
Heavy.
Then finally—
“London changed me.”
His gaze remained fixed on hers.
“How?”
Adaeze swallowed hard.
“There’s a version of me that existed there…” Her voice lowered shakily. “And I don’t ever want to become her again.”
For the first time in a while, Damien looked at her without control or calculation.
Just understanding.
“You survived her,” he said quietly.
The words hit unexpectedly deep.
Before she could answer—
One of the guards approached quickly.
“Sir. The jet is prepared.”
Damien nodded once.
“We leave in an hour.”
Adaeze blinked. “Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“You move terrifyingly fast.”
“That’s why I stay alive.”
God.
Even his answers sounded dangerous.
Damien turned toward another guard.
“Double security around Serena.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And nobody enters this building without my permission.”
The guards immediately scattered to obey.
Adaeze watched all of it silently.
The power.
The fear he inspired.
The complete obedience.
Damien Black didn’t just control companies.
He controlled people.
And somehow she was now standing in the center of his world.
The thought unsettled her deeply.
“You should change clothes,” Damien said suddenly.
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because you’re not boarding my jet looking like you survived a hostage situation.”
Despite everything—
A tiny laugh escaped her.
Small.
Broken.
But real.
Damien went still at the sound.
Like hearing her laugh affected him more than it should have.
Then his expression darkened slightly again.
“What?”
“You finally laughed.”
Adaeze blinked.
“That surprises you?”
“Yes.”
Something dangerous softened briefly in his eyes.
“It sounds better than fear.”
Her heartbeat stumbled.
The silence between them thickened again.
Too intimate.
Too charged.
Then—
Chioma reappeared.
And immediately ruined it.
“The London security team confirmed arrival clearance,” she said coldly.
Her eyes flicked toward Adaeze briefly.
Sharp.
Jealous.
Damien nodded. “Good.”
Chioma hesitated before speaking again.
“Sir… may I speak with you privately?”
Adaeze instantly looked away.
“Sure. I’ll go pack.”
But before she could move—
Damien’s voice stopped her.
“Stay.”
Chioma’s expression tightened immediately.
Adaeze noticed.
Interesting.
Whatever existed between Damien and Chioma clearly wasn’t mutual.
“Say what you need to say,” Damien told her calmly.
Chioma inhaled slowly.
Then looked directly at him.
“This is becoming reckless.”
The room went silent instantly.
Damien’s face remained unreadable.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re risking too much for her.”
Adaeze stiffened slightly.
Chioma continued anyway.
“You’re emotional around her.”
That made Damien’s eyes narrow dangerously.
“I don’t do emotional.”
“You do now.”
Silence exploded across the room.
Adaeze suddenly felt like she shouldn’t be hearing this.
But she also couldn’t move.
Because Chioma wasn’t entirely wrong.
Damien had changed since she entered his life.
Even she could see it.
Chioma’s voice softened slightly now.
“Sir… I’ve worked beside you for six years.” Pain flickered briefly across her face. “I know when something is affecting your judgment.”
Damien’s expression turned cold enough to freeze the room.
“My judgment is not your concern.”
Chioma looked hurt.
But she hid it quickly.
Then her eyes moved toward Adaeze.
And the bitterness there made Adaeze uncomfortable instantly.
“She’s dangerous.”
“No,” Damien said quietly. “She’s hunted.”
The words hit Adaeze unexpectedly hard.
Because nobody had defended her like that before.
Not publicly.
Not without hesitation.
Chioma noticed too.
And somehow that made her angrier.
“She’s changing you.”
Damien’s gaze darkened slightly.
“Maybe.”
The single word stunned everybody.
Including Adaeze.
Because Damien Black just admitted it openly.
Chioma looked devastated.
Without another word, she turned and walked away quickly.
The silence afterward felt strange.
Heavy.
Personal.
Adaeze folded her arms awkwardly.
“She really hates me.”
Damien barely reacted.
“She’ll survive.”
“She loves you.”
His expression remained unreadable.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Adaeze stared at him.
“You say things that make you sound like a villain.”
A faint shadow of amusement crossed his face again.
“I never claimed to be a hero.”
No.
He definitely wasn’t.
Heroes didn’t threaten people with murder so calmly.
Heroes didn’t look at women like obsession wrapped in human skin.
And yet—
Adaeze still felt safer beside him than anybody else.
That terrified her most of all.
Damien suddenly stepped closer.
Too close.
Always too close.
“You’re overthinking again.”
“How do you keep knowing that?”
“You wear emotions all over your face.”
“That’s unfair.”
His eyes dropped briefly toward her mouth.
And the atmosphere changed instantly.
Heat crawled slowly up Adaeze’s neck.
Because suddenly—
She remembered how his hands felt on her waist.
How he looked at her when she touched his injured wrist.
How his voice sounded when he promised to protect her.
Dangerous thoughts.
Very dangerous thoughts.
Damien noticed the shift in her breathing instantly.
Of course he did.
His gaze darkened slightly.
“Adaeze…”
The low warning in his voice made her pulse quicken.
Then his phone rang.
The moment shattered instantly.
Damien answered without looking away from her.
“Yes?”
Silence.
Then his entire expression changed.
Cold.
Deadly.
“What do you mean he escaped?”
Adaeze’s stomach dropped.
Escaped?
Damien’s jaw tightened violently.
“When?”
Another pause.
Then slowly—
His eyes lifted toward her.
And something about the look on his face made fear return immediately.
“Richard is gone,” Damien said quietly.
Adaeze stopped breathing.
Because if Richard escaped—
Then London was about to become a nightmare.
- Writer
