A Meal of Memories.
Later
Damian took Eva to La Lumière, a Seven Star rooftop restaurant that glittered like a crown atop the city's skyline. Crystal-like chandeliers dripped light over silk-draped tables, each adorned with a blush rose in a beautiful slender vase. The scent of warm bread and delicate spices floated through the air, mingling with the quiet murmur of a live string quartet. From their table near the glass railing, the city lights shimmered far below, like fallen stars scattered across the night.
Eva sat opposite him, her gaze wandering slowly over the golden glow of the room, though Damian's eyes never left her. Something about watching her take it all in stirred a strange, restless warmth in him.
"Have you ever been on a date?" he asked gently breaking the silence.
Her focus drifted to some faraway memory before she answered softly, "Yes, once. You?" She asked
His lips curved slightly. "Once too."
He reached for the menu, his eyes briefly scanning the options before flicking back to her.
"What would you like to eat or drink? Anything."
"I don't really know." She gave a small, self-conscious laugh.
He studied her for a moment, something knowing in his gaze. "You remind me of someone I used to know, she said whenever she went to a high-class place, she'd pick the most exotic-sounding thing on the menu, pretending she knew exactly what it was."
Eva hands suddenly shook violently under the table when she heard what he said. That was the Tyler version of her. But she quickly masked it up with a smile as her lips twitched in amusement. "Sounds dangerous."
"Are you going to do the same? Or do you have something in mind?"
"Oh, no. Picking at random could end badly. I might end up with something I'm allergic to, or a dish that keeps me running to the bathroom all night."
Damian chuckled low. "So you're saying it's not a good idea?"
"Not today. Why don't you pick instead?"
"Alright then." His tone turned playful as his eyes danced over the menu."Oh, okay then, for the food, it'll be truffle risotto," he said.
But almost instantly, his smile faded, replaced by a shadow of something darker, sadness laced with irritation. The sudden shift made Eva's throat tighten; she swallowed hard, her nails unconsciously digging into the wooden edge of the table.
Without another word, he lifted the glass in front of him and drained it in one swift, almost aggressive gulp.
"Are you okay?" Eva managed to asked nervously and Damien replied groggily, "You reminded me of a past mistake." He suddenly said with a paused, his jaw tightening, teeth grinding audibly. "...and the only one I'll ever make."
His face was carved in stern lines, his eyes locked on her with a weight that made the air feel heavier.
The rest of their time there felt heavy, his presence colder, his eyes distant. And he didn't touch his meal one bit. It was as if something unseen had soured the air, and Eva knew, without a shred of doubt, that she was the cause of it, that it was the Tyler Ross version of her that's responsible for everything.
After they left the restaurant, the drive to the office was wrapped in an uneasy silence. Damien's jaw stayed clenched, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, a quiet storm brewing beneath his calm exterior. Eva sat beside him, stealing glances, with a knotted stomach.
The moment they reached the company, he stepped out without a word and strode straight into his private elevator, leaving her in the lobby's echoing quiet. She chewed nervously on her thumb, a restless energy gnawing at her. Back at her desk, she could barely focus, her chest felt tight, as if she'd been holding her breath since the ride.
Her mind kept circling back to that instant in the restaurant, how his mood had shifted like a dark cloud rolling in the second Tyler Ross's name surfaced. A cold dread crept in as she wondered just how deep the wound she'd caused two years ago still cut.
Later that afternoon, clutching a stack of documents, Eva approached his office. And she was shocked with what she saw. The air inside felt heavy. Damien sat at his desk, his tie slightly askew, his expression carved in frustration. For a heartbeat, she hesitated. Then, with a tentative step forward, she reached out, perhaps to fix the tie, perhaps to bridge the invisible gap between them.
But the moment her fingers brushed the fabric, his body reacted before his mind did. He pushed her away, almost instinctively. The sudden force sent her stumbling, landing her butt hard on the floor. Pain flared, but it was nothing compared to the sting in her chest.
Damien's eyes widened, regret flashing across them. He started to rise, a hand half-extended to help. But Eva was already on her feet, refusing the gesture. Without a word, she gathered what was left of her dignity and hurried out, leaving him staring after her in silence.
Guilt gnawed at her so fiercely that even breathing felt like a chore. She had to make it right, at least in some small way. Without thinking twice, she darted to the company's kitchen. The memory of Damien quietly pushing his plate away at the restaurant flashed in her mind, my tohe hadn't eaten a bite.
She threw herself into preparing something he could stomach, moving with the urgency of someone racing against time. Minutes later, with a steaming thermos in hand, she hurried to his office.
But the moment she stepped inside, her breath caught.
A line of workers stood stiffly along the walls, their eyes glistening with unshed tears. Eric lingered in the corner, shifting his weight like a man standing on burning coals. Papers lay scattered across the floor like fallen leaves after a storm—he must have flung them in one of his tempers. His tie hung loose and crooked, his sleeves slightly rolled, but it was the blazing fury in his eyes that made him look like a walking volcano about to erupt.
"I asked for an innovative prototype, something revolutionary, and you couldn't give me a single decent line of code!" His voice was venom, each word sharp enough to cut steel. Clearly, something more than their work had triggered this volcanic rage.
"You're all a bunch of lazy, unimaginative parasites. You're all fired!" His tone cracked through the room like a whip. The workers' eyes darted toward Eric, silently begging for a lifeline, but Eric quickly looked away, the nervous flicker in his eyes betraying the fear dancing on his face.
Damien dismissed them with a sharp wave of his hand, barking for the next batch. They shuffled in, clutching their presentations like fragile shields. One by one, he tore into them, sometimes literally tossing their reports to the floor.
"I can't believe this is the so-called talent I've been paying for. You're painfully dull. Get me the floor manager, NOW! I refuse to burn money on incompetence. And someone find Logan immediately!"
Eva froze at the edge of the room, her fingers tightening around the thermos when her gaze snagged on a familiar face. Cathy, her good friend, stood among them, eyes red and brimming. Eva's heart sank. If Damien didn't spare them, Cathy would be out of a job by the end of the hour.
Damien grabbed yet another report, scanning it with quick, ruthless eyes before shaking his head like a judge passing a death sentence.
"Even worse than I thought. Out. All of you. Now!"
The room broke into sobs. Who would willingly let go of a job with a salary this good? But Damien's gaze was ice, there would be no mercy today.
Cathy, trembling like a leaf in the wind, clung to Eric's arm, her voice low and desperate as she begged him to step in. But Eric only slid his hand out of her grip, inching away as if her plea carried the plague. Save his own head first, that was his only plan.
The moment they stepped out of the office, Eric's stomach twisted. He knew the noose could tighten around his neck next. His palms were already clammy when Damien's sharp gaze cut toward him, predatory, dangerous. But before the verbal lash could land, Eva's voice broke through.
"Hubby! I brought you lunch!"
Her words tumbled out in a rush, sweet yet calculated, and like water dousing a raging fire, the storm on Damien's face faded... vanished, almost unnervingly fast.
Damien's gaze softened just enough to look away from Eric.
"You can go for now," he said coolly. "But you owe me an explanation."
Eric's relief was instant, his gratitude toward Eva clear as he mouthed a silent thank you before bolting out of the office like a man escaping execution.
Damien grumbled under his breath, moving to his chair. With one smooth motion, he lit a cigarette. But the first curl of smoke hadn't even settled before Eva coughed sharply, her chest shaking with the effort.
Damien frowned. "What is it? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Eva said quickly, covering her nose with the back of her hand.
His eyes narrowed. "You seemed fine earlier. What's wrong?"
"I don't like the smell of cigarettes," she replied softly.
"Then maybe you should leave," he muttered, drawing in another slow drag, smoke curling lazily from his lips.
For a moment, Eva just stood there, staring at him, and something dark flickered in her lingering cold gaze. Something unreadable, perhaps anger, or maybe defiance. She turned toward the door, but after taking three steps, she stopped for a bit. She paused as she takes in one slow breath. Then another.
Then without a word, she turned back.