"Most people would feel some guilt. Some remorse. Some.....something."
"I'm not most people, Aria. I thought you understood that by now." He shifted so he could look down at her. "I did what needed to be done to protect you. To ensure Victoria would never bother us again. I don't feel guilty about that. I feel satisfied. Relieved. Maybe even a little proud that I handled it effectively."
"Proud," she repeated faintly.
"Yes. Proud."
The casual way he said it....like Victoria was a problem to be solved rather than a person he'd tortured....made something twist in Aria's stomach.
But it also made her understand something fundamental about Damien Blackwood.
He didn't see people as people when they became obstacles. Didn't allow empathy or conscience to interfere with what he believed needed to be done.
He compartmentalized. Shut off his humanity when it was strategically necessary. Became the cold, calculating CEO who'd built an empire through ruthless business practices.
