Lila Chen stood at her desk, the small white note trembling between her fingers like it had its own heartbeat.
"I know who you really are, Lila Chen… and soon everyone else will too."
She read the line again, then again, the neat handwriting blurring as her eyes moved over it. Her other hand came up and pressed flat against her mouth, fingers trembling against her lips like she could keep the words from sinking any deeper.
She folded the note once, twice, three times, shoved it into the pocket of her pencil skirt, and walked straight to Damien's office without knocking.
The door clicked shut behind her with a soft final sound.
Damien Blackwood looked up from his laptop, gray eyes sharpening the second he saw her face. He was leaning back in his big leather chair, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top buttons of his white shirt open exactly the way she had left them after their last stolen moment.
"Lila," he said, pushing the chair back and standing in one smooth motion. "What's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost."
She pulled the note out of her pocket and slapped it down on his desk, right between them. "Read it," she said, voice low but shaking at the edges. "Read it out loud, Damien. I want to hear you say the words."
He picked up the paper, eyes scanning it fast, then slower. His jaw tightened, the muscle jumping under the skin. "I know who you really are, Lila Chen… and soon everyone else will too." He looked up at her, fingers still gripping the note. "Who left this on your desk?"
Lila stepped closer, palms flat on the desk, leaning toward him. "You tell me. Because it sounds like someone knows something about me that I don't even know. Something big. Something you might already know and haven't told me."
Damien dropped the note, reached across the desk, and caught her wrist, tugging her around the side until she stood right in front of him. "Lila, listen to me. Whatever this is, it's just another sick message. Just like the panties. Just like the photo. Someone's trying to mess with us."
She yanked her wrist free, but stayed close, chest rising and falling fast. "Don't do that. Don't smooth it over and call it nothing. Look at me, Damien. Look at my face and tell me you don't already know what this note is talking about."
He cupped her face with both hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks, eyes searching hers. "Baby, I swear to you. If I knew something important about you, something that could hurt you, I would have told you. You're my wife. My secret wife. I don't keep things from you."
Lila's hands came up and covered his, pressing them harder against her cheeks. "Then why does this note feel like it's pointing at something huge? Why does it feel like someone out there knows my real story and you might already know it too?"
Damien exhaled hard through his nose, forehead dropping to hers. "Because someone is playing games with us. Someone who wants to get between us. But they can't. Nothing can get between us. You hear me?"
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, fingers still wrapped around his wrists. "Then prove it. Right now. Tell me everything you know about me. Everything. Even the parts you think I don't want to hear."
He kissed her then, hard and deep, hands sliding into her hair, loosening the sleek bun until dark strands fell around her face. "I know you're the woman I fell in love with before I ever saw your face," he murmured against her mouth. "I know you're the only person who makes me forget the whole damn company when we're alone. I know you're my wife, Lila Chen-Blackwood, and that's all that matters."
Lila moaned softly into the kiss, hands fisting in his shirt. "Say my full name again," she whispered, tugging his shirt open, buttons popping. "Say it while you're inside me. I need to hear my husband say it."
Damien walked her backward until her hips hit the desk, then lifted her onto it in one smooth motion. "Lila Chen-Blackwood," he said, voice rough as he shoved her skirt up her thighs. "My wife. My secret wife."
She reached for his belt, fingers working fast, pulling him free. "Again. Say it while you fuck me. Make me believe nothing else matters."
He pushed into her with one deep thrust, hands gripping her hips, pulling her right to the edge of the desk. "Lila Chen-Blackwood," he groaned, hips snapping forward. "My wife. The woman I married in secret three years ago because I couldn't stand another day without calling you mine."
Lila's head fell back, nails digging into his shoulders through his open shirt. "Harder, Damien. I need to feel you. I need to feel my husband claim me right here where anyone could walk in."
He thrust deeper, faster, one hand sliding between them, thumb circling exactly where she needed it. "You feel that?" he panted, forehead pressed to hers. "That's me inside my wife. That's me reminding you who you belong to. Say it back to me, baby. Say your name while I'm fucking you."
"Lila Chen-Blackwood," she gasped, legs locking around his waist. "Your wife. Your secret wife. Only yours, Damien. Even when notes try to tell me otherwise."
They moved together rough and desperate, the desk creaking under them, mouths crashing, hands everywhere until they both came hard, her crying out his name, him groaning hers against her throat.
Afterward he stayed inside her, arms wrapped tight around her back, breathing against her neck.
"You're my wife," he whispered, kissing the corner of her mouth, her jaw, her temple. "Nothing changes that. Not notes. Not secrets. Not anything."
Lila pressed her face into his shoulder, fingers stroking through his dark hair. "I believe you," she murmured, kissing the side of his neck. "I believe my husband. I believe the man who just took me on his desk because he couldn't stand the thought of anyone coming between us."
Damien pulled back just enough to look at her, thumbs brushing her flushed cheeks. "Good. Because I love you, Lila Chen-Blackwood. I love my wife more than anything in this world."
She smiled softly, leaning in to kiss him slow and deep.
They stayed like that for long minutes, tangled together, whispering soft words and stealing gentle kisses until their breathing finally slowed.
Damien helped her down from the desk, hands gentle as he smoothed her skirt back into place and tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. "You okay?" he asked, pressing one last kiss to her forehead.
Lila nodded, adjusting the collar of his shirt, fingers lingering on his skin. "I'm okay now. Because I have you. My husband. The only person I need."
He kissed her once more at the door, slow and sweet, hand cupping the back of her neck.
As they stepped out of his office and walked back toward her desk, Damien's phone lit up on the corner of her workspace where he had left it earlier.
The screen glowed with a new message from an unknown number.
A photo filled the screen a woman standing outside the Blackwood building, dark hair streaked with silver, sharp eyes looking straight at the camera.
Under the
photo, one line of text:
"Your wife's real family sends their regards."