The drive to Ariana's apartment was quiet, but not the comfortable kind. It was a silence full of things unsaid—fear, uncertainty, tension that pressed thickly between them. Damian's hand gripped the steering wheel with barely contained restraint, knuckles pale against the leather. The streetlights washed in and out of the car interior, casting fleeting strokes of gold across his face, carving his expression into something harder than she had seen before.
Ariana sat still, her bag clasped in her lap, trying to steady the rhythm of her heartbeat. Every so often, Damian would glance her way. Not the glances of a boss checking on an employee—but of a man assessing danger around someone he wasn't prepared to lose.
She kept her eyes on the passing city, but the memory of Vanessa's words echoed sharply in her mind. Predictions. Threats. A confidence that didn't belong to someone innocent.
They reached her building in under fifteen minutes. Damian stepped out before she could unbuckle, moving around to open her door. The gesture startled her—it wasn't something CEOs did for their staff. But tonight, Damian wasn't just her CEO.
He was her shield.
Ariana stepped out slowly, her legs slightly unsteady. "Thank you… for driving me."
Damian didn't respond immediately. He scanned the parking area, posture alert. Only when he confirmed there was no one lurking did he turn back to her.
"Let me walk you in."
"It's okay," she said quietly. "I'll be fine."
"Ariana." His voice was low, final. "I'm not asking."
Her chest tightened. She nodded, walking with him to the elevator. The silence between them felt different now—closer, warmer, heavier.
Inside the elevator, the door slid shut, enclosing them in a small box of dim lighting and unspoken emotion. Ariana stared at the floor, feeling Damian's gaze on her, steady and piercing.
When the elevator chimed at her floor, she stepped out, but Damian caught her wrist gently—not forcefully, just enough to stop her.
"Ariana."
She looked up.
"Be careful. Until we find out who's targeting you… don't take any chances."
"I won't." Her voice came out softer than intended.
He released her hand slowly, as though letting go meant something more. "Call me if anything seems off. Even the smallest thing."
"I will."
He didn't leave immediately. He waited until she was at her apartment door. Only when she inserted her key did he step back.
"Goodnight," he said quietly.
"Goodnight."
Ariana closed the door, leaning back against it, her breath catching in her throat. She listened for his footsteps fading down the hallway before sliding down to the floor, covering her face with trembling hands.
Everything was spiraling.
And Damian… he was becoming a part of the spiral.
---
The next morning, Blackwood Corp felt colder than usual. Ariana walked in with her shoulders squared, trying to ignore the faint stares tracking her movements. Damian had instructed her to keep her routines normal—to avoid rousing suspicion—but it was hard when the entire building seemed to buzz with whispers.
She reached her floor and sat at her desk. Jordan rushed over the moment he saw her.
"Hey. Are you okay? You look like you barely slept."
Ariana forced a small smile. "Long night."
"I heard about Vanessa cornering you yesterday," Jordan muttered darkly. "That witch needs to chill."
Ariana sighed. "It's fine. I'm not letting her get into my head."
Jordan sat on the edge of her desk. "Well, news flash—she's in everyone's head. People are saying crazy things. That you sabotaged the file, that Damian is protecting you because you—"
Ariana looked up sharply. "Because I what?"
Jordan hesitated. "You know how gossip is. They're spinning things. Acting like you and Damian…"
Her stomach dropped. "No. No, that's ridiculous."
"Of course it is." Jordan placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But rumors don't care about truth. Just be careful, okay?"
Ariana nodded.
Before she could respond further, Damian stepped out of the executive elevator, his presence slicing through the buzzing office like a blade.
Jordan stiffened. "Speak of the devil."
Ariana followed his gaze. Damian was dressed in a charcoal suit, his expression unreadable, walking with the steady force of someone who had no time for nonsense.
His eyes found hers instantly.
A flicker.
Barely a second.
But enough.
Jordan whistled under his breath. "He's in full CEO mode today. Be careful."
Damian disappeared into his office, his assistant following with a tablet.
Ariana took a steady breath and focused on her laptop, but she could feel the tension crawling along her skin.
There was no avoiding the storm coming.
---
Two hours later, Damian's assistant approached her desk.
"Miss Lewis, Mr. Blackwood wants to see you. Immediately."
Ariana's throat tightened. She stood, smoothing her blouse before walking to his office. The moment she stepped inside, Damian closed the door behind her.
She froze.
His office was quiet, but the air was thick—like it held the aftermath of an explosion she hadn't witnessed yet.
"Damian?" she asked cautiously.
He didn't answer. He paced behind his desk, jaw clenched, eyes sharp.
Finally, he said, "We have a problem."
Ariana's pulse spiked. "What happened?"
He turned to her, his expression fierce. "This."
He tossed a folder onto the desk.
Ariana opened it slowly.
Inside were printed emails—emails she had supposedly sent to a competitor company. Confidential drafts. Financial estimates. Clauses from contracts she worked on.
Her heart slammed painfully.
"I didn't send these," she whispered.
"I know." Damian's voice was a low growl. "Someone fabricated them."
Ariana stared at him, shocked. "Why would someone go this far?"
"Because," Damian said, stepping closer, "someone wants you destroyed. And they want it to look like espionage."
She felt her legs wobble. "Damian—"
He caught her arm before she could stumble completely.
"Sit," he said softly.
She sank into the chair, hands shaking.
Damian crouched in front of her—something she never imagined the CEO of Blackwood Corp doing. He looked up at her, expression softer now, concern breaking through.
"Listen to me. Don't panic. These emails were flagged before they left the internal server. They never reached anyone."
"But they could've," Ariana whispered. "If no one caught it—"
"Yes," he said, "which means someone wants to frame you as a corporate spy."
Her breath trembled. "This is too much. Files altered, surveillance tampered with, fake emails… Why me?"
Damian held her gaze.
Because it's not just about you, Ariana. Because someone is using you to get to me."
The words hit her like a cold splash.
She swallowed. "You really believe that?"
"I know it," Damian said, standing slowly. "Someone inside my company is trying to create chaos. And you're the easiest target because I…" He stopped himself.
Ariana looked up. "Because you what?"
Damian exhaled. "Because I've made it clear—too clear—that I trust you. That I value you."
Her heart stuttered.
Before she could respond, a knock hit the door. Damian straightened instantly, posture shifting into CEO mode.
"Come in."
Mr. Harlan stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "We have another issue," he said. "IT found traces of a login attempt to Ariana's profile from the 12th floor."
Ariana blinked. "But we don't have any offices on 12. It's storage."
"Exactly," Harlan said. "Someone was using a hidden device."
Damian's jaw flexed. "I want that floor searched immediately."
Harlan nodded and left.
The moment the door closed, Damian turned back to Ariana.
"Until this is resolved," he said, "you are not to stay late. You are not to go anywhere alone in this building. And you do not touch any file without confirming with me."
Ariana frowned. "Damian—this is too much. I can handle—"
"No." His voice wasn't loud, but it stopped her instantly. "This is no longer about handling things. This is about safety."
Her heartbeat skittered painfully.
He took a slow breath, stepping closer until he stood directly in front of her.
"I am not losing you to some snake hiding in the walls of this company."
Her eyes widened faintly. "Damian…"
His expression softened just a fraction, a crack in his iron composure.
"We'll fight this," he said quietly. "But you don't fight alone."
Ariana felt her breath catch in her throat.
She nodded.
He reached out as though to touch her cheek—then stopped himself, withdrawing his hand sharply as if remembering who he was.
"Go back to your desk," he said, voice tight. "I'll call you later."
Ariana wanted to say something—something grounding, something that made sense—but her voice wasn't cooperating. She walked out quietly, her mind spinning with fear and something dangerously close to longing.
As the door shut behind her, Damian stood completely still.
Hands clenched.
Eyes full of a storm.
He knew one thing with certainty now:
Whoever was targeting Ariana wasn't just bold.
They were desperate.
And desperation meant they would strike again.
---
Ariana barely made it through the next few hours. She tried focusing on her work, but her hands kept shaking every time she touched her keyboard.
Jordan kept checking on her, worry etched across his face. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes," she lied.
But she wasn't.
Every sound, every shadow, every glance made her feel watched.
By noon, Vanessa approached her desk again—this time with a file in hand.
"Mr. Harlan said you needed to review this," she said sweetly.
Ariana didn't touch it. "Leave it."
Vanessa smirked. "Careful, Ariana. Refusing assigned tasks doesn't look good."
Ariana stood slowly. "And sabotaging co-workers looks worse."
Vanessa's expression didn't change, but her eyes flashed. "Still pointing fingers at me?"
"I'm not pointing," Ariana said quietly. "But your guilt is showing."
Vanessa leaned in, whisper-soft. "You think Damian can protect you forever?"
Ariana held her stare. "He doesn't have to. The truth will."
Vanessa stepped back, her smile fading just slightly—ever so slightly.
It was the first true crack in her composure Ariana had seen.
And it confirmed more than any footage ever could.
---
At 4 p.m., Ariana received another message from Damian:
D: Stay where you are. I'm coming.
She barely had time to process before the power flickered—just a second, barely noticeable, but enough to send goosebumps crawling across her skin.
A second later, the fire alarm blared.
People jumped to their feet.
"What's happening?"
"Is this a drill?"
"Someone check the hallway!"
Ariana's pulse skyrocketed.
She stood slowly, looking around as panic rustled through the department.
Jordan grabbed her hand. "Let's go—"
Before he could pull her, Damian appeared at the end of the hallway, scanning the chaos.
His eyes landed on her instantly.
"ARIANA!"
She froze.
He pushed through the crowd like a force of nature, reaching her in seconds.
"Come with me," he said breathlessly.
"What's going on?" she managed.
"Someone triggered the alarm deliberately. That's not the problem." He lowered his voice. "Your office door was found open."
She stiffened. "I locked it."
"I know," he said, pulling her with him. "Which is why this is bad."
They reached the elevator, but Damian shook his head. "Stairs."
He guided her down quickly, his hand firm on her back, shielding her from the people rushing past.
When they reached the lobby, security guards rushed toward Damian.
"Sir! We found this outside the employee entrance."
One guard handed him a small item.
Ariana's blood ran cold.
It was her ID card.
But she still had hers.
Damian stared at it, jaw clenched so tight the muscle twitched.
"That's a duplicate," Ariana whispered.
"It's bait," Damian said darkly.
He turned to her, expression fierce.
"Ariana—someone is escalating."
Her breath trembled. "What do they want from me?"
His answer was immediate.
"To break you."
Her chest tightened painfully.
Damian stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"But they'll have to go through me first."
She swallowed, unable to breathe properly.
He continued softly, firmly—
"I told you I wouldn't let anyone harm you."
Ariana nodded weakly.
"But now," Damian finished, "I'm realizing something else."
Her eyes lifted to his.
"What…?"
His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"You matter to me more than you should."
Ariana's heartbeat spiraled.
The alarms blared.
The building buzzed with confusion.
Security scrambled.
But in that moment, nothing existed except the truth hanging between them—
raw, fragile, impossible to take back.
And the threat wrapping tighter around Ariana's world…
was about to strike again.