Ava stood before the full-length mirror in Damien's guest dressing room, the silver off-shoulder gown clinging like a second skin. It wasn't her style,it was too regal, too deliberate, too exposed but maybe that was the point.
Nothing felt like hers anymore.
Not the apartment she couldn't return to.
Not the face plastered across gossip headlines.
Not even the days, they belonged to the press, to Damien's mother, to etiquette tutors and shadowy stylists who never smiled.God!
Her reflection stared back with quiet fury. Who are you now, Ava Morgan? A gold digger? . She joked.
There was a knock, followed by the soft click of the door opening.
Lydia, Damien's assistant, sharp as diamonds, stepped in, holding a black envelope. "Final itinerary. Sunday, 7 PM. The Wolfe estate."
Ava nodded wordlessly.
Lydia hesitated, then stepped closer. "You should know something."
Ava turned, brows raised.
"You haven't checked your business accounts lately, have you?" Lydia asked.
Ava blinked. "My business? No. I haven't even thought about it. I assumed things were... paused."
Lydia smiled faintly. "They were. For a few hours. Then Damien had a small team placed quietly in charge. Handpicked. Your regular clients haven't noticed anything changed. They've been handled professionally , personally."
Ava stared at her, stunned. "He's been running my business? Without telling me?"
"Not exactly running. Just... safeguarding it. Like a vault." Lydia paused. "I think he wanted you to have at least one thing untouched by all this madness."
Ava didn't speak for a moment. Her throat tightened.
So while the world tore her apart, while she questioned every breath, Damien had protected the one part of her identity no one else had touched.
And he hadn't even told her.
Not to gain favor. Not to play savior.
He'd just done it.
***
That night, Ava sat on the rooftop balcony of the penthouse, wrapped in one of Damien's oversized sweaters, the city stretching endlessly below. The stars blinked above, cold and distant.
She heard his steps before he spoke.
"I didn't want you to feel obligated," he said, voice low. "That's why I didn't tell you about the business."
Ava didn't turn. "So you just... handled it behind the scenes?"
"I knew the press would come after everything that made you feel secure. Your work shouldn't be another casualty."
She looked over her shoulder, eyes soft but guarded. "You don't have to play hero, Damien."
"I'm not." He walked closer. "I'm just trying not to be the villain in your story."
A pause.
Then she whispered, "You're not the villain. But you scare me sometimes."
That silenced him.
"I scare myself too," he finally admitted.
The wind pulled softly at her hair as they stood in the dark, alone on their rooftop universe,on the edge of a world neither of them knew how to navigate.
And all she thought about was 'i shouldn't have agreed to this '.
***
Later that night.
Ava called Elena , telling her everything that has been happening.
"I'm tired, Elena , I didn't sign-up for this "
"Hold-up girl , I know it's hard but you needed the money . Don't blame yourself and don't regret this , head's up girl " Elena said , in an attempt to cheer her. Which barely worked.
"I don't think, I wanna meet his mum, Elena. She's tough , and heartless altogether, she seems Soo cruel."
"Common, girl, how can you say such about someone you barely know? , I mean you've not even met her. Just because Damien is like that doesn't mean she is " Elena said whispering.
"She is Elena, she f**king sent thugs to beat the hell out of me! If not for Damien, I doubt if you'd recognize me if you see me."Ava said , ruffling her hair in frustration.
"What !! , she did what ! ? Oh My God girl..." she exclaimed,placing her hand over her mouth.
They talked on and on for awhile before saying their goodbyes , with Elena begging her to be careful.