About everything I'd lost and everything I was about to take back.
"Nothing," I decided. "I'm going to ignore him completely. Let him wonder. Let him worry. Let him think I'm planning something."
"And while he's worrying?"
"I'm going to be here, building something bigger than anything he could imagine. Learning from the best." I met Damien's gaze. "And when the time is right, when we have everything we need to destroy him completely then I'll respond."
Damien smiled, and it was approving. Proud, even.
"Smart," he said. "Nathan always underestimated you. It's going to be his downfall."
"One more thing," I said, standing. "About us. About Friday night."
His expression shuttered slightly. "Yes?"
"I meant what I said. Business first. No complications. No emotions." I moved toward the door, then paused with my hand on the handle. "But if we're going to do this the strategy, the revenge, the partnership I need total honesty. No games. No hidden agendas. Can you give me that?"
Damien considered me for a long moment, and I could see him calculating, weighing options, deciding how much to trust me.
Finally, he nodded. "Total honesty. You have my word."
"Good." I opened the door. "Then let's burn Nathan's world to the ground."
As I walked back to my office, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:
I know what you did Friday night. Call me or I go public. - E
Elena.
My perfect, innocent step-sister knew about Damien.
Which meant this was about to get very complicated, very fast.
I stared at the message, my mind already spinning through options, consequences, countermoves.
Then I smiled.
Let her try.
I wasn't Nathan's meek fiancée anymore.
I was Aria Chen, Chief Innovation Officer of Titanium Holdings, Damien Cross's secret weapon, and a woman with nothing left to lose.
And I was just getting started.