Elena woke before the sun, heart restless, mind spinning. The events of the past few days played on repeat—Clarissa's venomous glare, the way Damien had stood by her at the press conference, and most of all, that lingering look he'd given her after her impromptu speech.
It wasn't part of the script.
She dressed in a simple sweater and jeans and wandered into the kitchen. To her surprise, Damien was already there, dressed down in a dark T-shirt and sweatpants, barefoot, coffee in hand.
"You don't sleep either?" she asked, her voice breaking the morning stillness.
"I sleep when I'm dead," he said, sipping without looking at her.
"How poetic."
He finally turned. "You handled yourself well yesterday."
"Is this another one of your near-compliments?"
He cracked a smile. "Maybe."
Elena moved toward the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't easy either. It felt like standing at the edge of something.
She finally asked, "Who's really after you, Damien?"
He didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"You think this is about Clarissa?" he asked.
"I think she's the surface. And the deeper I go, the more I realize… I don't know anything about you."
He leaned against the counter, arms folded. "Do you want the truth?"
"Yes."
He hesitated, then nodded once. "My father built Cross & Vale from dirt. He clawed his way up, made enemies, took deals he shouldn't have. When he died, I inherited both the empire and the blood it was built on."
Elena's fingers tightened around the mug.
"There are men who'd rather see me fall than rise higher. Rivals. Enemies. Shareholders who smile in my face and wait for a crack."
"And Clarissa?"
"Her family owns Vale Industries. We were almost merged once. She thought sleeping with me guaranteed a ring. When I ended it, she vowed to ruin me."
Elena swallowed hard. "Why bring me into this? Why fake a fiancée?"
"Because a man who's in love is harder to target than a man who's alone."
"Is that what I am?" she asked quietly. "A human shield?"
His voice dropped, serious. "You're more than that. You're my illusion of stability. And right now, the illusion is saving both of us."
Her stomach twisted. Part of her wanted to be angry, to storm out. But the other part—the part that had seen her brother suffer on a hospital bed—reminded her why she agreed to this.
And maybe… just maybe… there was something more growing beneath all this.
Something neither of them could name yet.
---
That afternoon, Elena visited Liam at the hospital for the first time since the gala. He sat propped up in bed, flipping through a gaming magazine.
"El!" he beamed. "You look like you walked out of a Vogue cover!"
She laughed, hugging him tight. "That's because rich people like dressing me up like a doll."
He studied her face. "You okay?"
Elena hesitated. "I'm surviving."
"Is the plan working? Damien still playing knight in dark armor?"
"Something like that," she said with a small smile.
Liam lowered his voice. "I saw the photos. You looked... happy."
She didn't answer right away.
Then softly, "It's a lie, Liam. But it doesn't always feel like one."
He tilted his head. "Is that dangerous?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But if it is, I'm already falling."
---
Back at the penthouse that night, Elena found Damien on the rooftop terrace, staring out at the skyline, wind tousling his hair.
"You always brood this dramatically?" she asked, approaching him.
"Only on Thursdays."
She smiled, then stood beside him, watching the city with him. The silence between them this time felt different—like neither of them needed to talk to be heard.
He turned toward her. "Do you regret it?"
"This?" she asked. "The contract?"
He nodded.
"I regret that I didn't have better choices," she said honestly. "But not this."
His gaze lingered on her lips for a fraction too long.
"Elena…" he began, but stopped himself.
She didn't push.
Not yet.
Because something was coming—something bigger than either of them—and deep down, they both knew:
This was no longer just about lies.
It was about everything they were starting to feel… and everything they were about to lose.