Damon sat still on the balcony
His fingers intertwined with Emma's
But his eyes were lost in thought
Emma leaned her head on his shoulder
The stars above them were soft
But his mind was hard as steel
What are you thinking about she asked gently
About what comes next
I thought Lucas was gone
He is
For now
But I know him
He does not lose quietly
Then what do we do
We stay ahead
We strike first
We make sure no one ever tries this again
She looked at him carefully
You sound different
I am
He whispered
I almost lost everything
You
The company
My name
Then don't push yourself into the darkness Damon
He turned to her slowly
His eyes softer this time
Then keep me in the light
I will
The next morning Damon left again
But this time he left Emma with a choice
If you want
You can return to New York
Why
Because things will get dangerous again
And I do not want you caught in it
Then stop trying to protect me like I'm glass Damon
I'm your wife
Not a fragile vase
He stared at her
Then smiled
Then stay with me
Always
While Damon arranged the legal fallout
Emma focused on another plan
She visited an old contact
Her father's old lawyer
She wanted to know something
About a foundation her mother once spoke about
Something hidden
Something secret
The man was old now
But he remembered everything
Your mother had plans
Before she passed
Plans to open a women's education trust
In her name
And yours
Emma felt the weight of that revelation
She had never known
Why didn't anyone tell me
Your father closed the documents after her death
He said it was too painful to continue
Can I open it again
Yes
But you'll need legal authority
I'll get it
That night
Emma told Damon everything
I want to do this
I want to honor her
And I want to build something that isn't just tied to your world
But mine too
Damon sat in silence
Then reached for her hand
Do it
And I'll fund it fully
No
I want this to be mine
Mine and hers
Then I'll stand beside you
Not in front
They shared a long quiet look
One that needed no words
The next few days passed in waves
Damon worked
Emma built her foundation quietly
They still had dinners together
Still held each other close at night
But something was building in the distance
Like a storm that had not yet reached the shore
On the fourth night
Damon received a message
It was from an anonymous number
You took my company
You took my seat
Now I take your wife
Damon's hands went cold
He raced to the living room
Emma was fine
She was reading
But he could barely breathe
What's wrong
He didn't speak
He handed her the phone
She read it
Her face pale
But not afraid
So he's still here
He's watching us
What do we do Damon
We trap him
He called his head of security
No one enters
No one leaves
Triple guards
Check every shadow
Emma stayed calm
Even as her heart pounded
I'm not going anywhere Damon
He won't take me
He won't touch us
That night they didn't sleep
They sat near each other on the couch
Waiting
Around midnight
A sound came from the balcony
Damon rose slowly
Then signaled the guards
They rushed silently
But the balcony was empty
Only a note left behind
You think guards will stop me
She will bleed
Emma's face went stiff
Damon crushed the note in his hand
Enough
He said
What now
I find him
And I end this
Let me come
No
You stay
Promise me
She didn't speak for a moment
Then nodded
But come back to me Damon
Come back whole
I will
He left the next morning
Tracing every thread
Every contact
Every deal Lucas had ever touched
He was like smoke
Present
But hard to grasp
Until he made a mistake
A call from Lucas's former assistant came in
She had been threatened
But she wanted out
I'll talk
She said
But only if you promise I'm safe
You have my word Damon said
She met him in an old bookstore
Hands trembling
She gave him a flash drive
Everything is here
Where he's hiding
What he's planning
Who he's paying
Damon stared at her
You're brave
I'm just tired of being afraid
He returned to the penthouse
Emma waited at the door
Did you find him
Yes
And I know what he's planning
Tell me
He's trying to erase my accounts
Blame me for fraud
Then leak everything to the media
He thinks it'll break us
But it won't
No
It'll end him instead
What now
Now we play the final move