By the time Ava reached the hotel, the lobby was quiet, the night staff busy at their stations. No one paid her any attention as she slipped toward the elevator that led to the penthouse suites.
The top floor was dimly lit, hushed.
She stepped onto the terrace, the city lights a blurry smear against the dark sky.
Damian was waiting.
He didn't look surprised.
"I wasn't sure you'd come," he murmured.
Ava exhaled shakily. "I wasn't going to."
He stepped closer. "Then why are you here?"
She swallowed hard. "Because someone keeps sending me messages. Watching me. And Bryan… he's getting worse."
Damian's face darkened. "What messages?"
Ava showed him her phone. The texts. The warnings. The anonymous numbers.
His expression turned sharp, calculating.
"I'll handle it," he said, his voice like steel.
Ava shook her head. "No…. You keep saying that. But it just keeps getting worse."
He took another step toward her, the space between them electric.
"I can't protect you if you don't let me."
"I don't need a knight in shining armor, Damian."
"No," he agreed, voice low, rough. "You need a man who'll burn down anything that threatens you."
The words shouldn't have made her heart race.
But they did.
Damian's gaze dropped to her lips for a fraction of a second before he forced himself back.
"I won't touch you," he murmured. "Not unless you ask me to."
Ava's chest tightened, torn between sense and something far more dangerous.
"I need answers first," she whispered. "Who's watching us? Why?"
Before Damian could respond, a noise from the shadows behind them made both their heads snap up.
A figure.
Not Bryan.
Not security.
Someone neither of them recognized, lingering just out of reach.
Ava's phone buzzed again.
"You should have stayed away."
The figure slipped away into the darkness.
Damian cursed, pulling out his phone and barking orders.
Ava's hands trembled.
Who was that?
And why did it feel like everything was spiraling faster than either of them could stop it?
"I'm leaving Damian"
"Nowhere is safe yet"
"I need to go and nothing can stop me".
Ava left before Damian could stop her, with fears of the unknown.
Ava could still feel the heat of Damian's gaze hours after leaving him on the terrace. The quiet hum of traffic outside her window did little to steady the frantic beat of her heart. Sleep didn't come easy that night; every creak of the floorboards, every distant voice outside seemed amplified, feeding the unease curling in her stomach.
Her mind replayed everything—the ominous message, the figure lurking in the shadows, and the way Damian's expression darkened when she showed him the text. There was something in his eyes, something fierce and unspoken. It terrified her how easily she could still feel it.
By the time dawn broke, her nerves were frayed.
The streets outside her apartment glimmered with early sunlight, but the weight of the previous night clung to her like a storm cloud. She sipped lukewarm tea, staring blankly at the television without really watching it.
Her phone sat on the table, silent. No messages. No unknown numbers. Not from Damian either.
The quiet felt more unsettling than any threat.
Later that morning, at the hotel, things were different.
Staff members whispered behind cupped hands. Ava caught glances being exchanged, conversations abruptly stopping when she entered a room. The air had shifted. Tasha gave her a pointed look as soon as Ava clocked in.
"I was hoping you'd call in sick today," Tasha muttered under her breath, not looking up.
Ava frowned. "Why?"
"Because your name's been on everyone's lips since last night. Word is, Cross lost it on security. Someone's already out of a job."
Ava's heart skipped. "Why would he…?"
Tasha shot her a sharp glance. "They said someone unauthorized got onto the executive floor last night. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
The question hung heavily between them. Ava's throat tightened. Should she admit what happened? Would it only drag her deeper into whatever mess this was becoming?
"I didn't see anyone," Ava lied quietly.
Tasha didn't seem convinced but let it go.
"Nobody knows who. But everyone's guessing."
Ava could fathom on anything.
It had to be the person from the terrace. The one who sent that final message.
She didn't want to ask, but the words tumbled out before she could stop them. "Do they know who it was?"
"No." Tasha gave her a sharp look. "And honestly, Ava, you should stay away from all this. Powerful people don't play fair. If you get in the middle, you won't come out the same."
Ava knew she was right. But it was already too late for warnings.
At midday, a message arrived at the staff desk.
No envelope this time. Just her name, scrawled neatly on a white card.
"Private event setup. Executive Suite. Now."
Ava's heart raced. Only one person could have sent it.
For a moment, she considered ignoring it. Pretending she never saw the message. But something in her gut told her it was pointless. Damian Cross didn't make requests. He made statements, and people obeyed them.
Reluctantly, she made her way upstairs.
The corridor leading to the executive suites was eerily silent. No maids with carts, no passing guests. The heavy door to the suite was slightly ajar. Ava pushed it open slowly, her fingers trembling.
Inside, Damian stood by the window, phone in hand, his tailored jacket discarded on a nearby chair. The room smelled of fresh flowers and expensive cologne. He turned as she entered, eyes sharp, unreadable.
Ava crossed her arms. "You summoned me."
He gave a faint smile. "I don't summon, Ava. It was an invite."
She rolled her eyes. "Could've fooled me."
He gestured toward a chair. "Sit."
"I'd rather stand."
He studied her for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. You're here because I need to know everything. About Bryan. About the messages. About the man you saw last night."
Ava hesitated,
The last thing she wanted was to unravel her messy personal life in front of this man. Yet, hiding the truth now felt even more dangerous. Part of her screamed to leave, to slam the door on this madness. But the other part — the part that remembered the look in that stranger's eyes — needed answers too.
So she told him.
About Bryan's drinking. The violent outbursts. The threats. The way he followed her sometimes, only to deny it later. About the texts, the notes, the silent phone calls that would hang up as soon as she answered.
Damian listened, expression hardening with every word.
When she finished, the room felt heavier somehow, as though her confessions had filled every corner.
"I should have known it was worse than you let on," Damian said quietly.
Ava swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter. I can handle him."
"No," he said flatly. "You can't. Not alone."
He picked up his phone and tapped something into it.
"I've hired someone," he added. "Private security. Discreet. They'll keep an eye on you, and on Bryan."
Ava's spine stiffened. "I didn't ask for that."
"I didn't ask for your permission."
"You don't get to control my life."
He moved closer, his presence suffocating in its intensity. "I'm not trying to control you, Ava. I'm trying to keep you breathing."
She stared at him, heart pounding.
"I don't need saving," she whispered.
"Maybe not," Damian murmured. "But I need you safe."
The words hung between them, charged.
Ava looked away first.
By late afternoon, things grew stranger.
While arranging a display in the lobby, she felt it. The prickling sensation of eyes on her back. She turned, and there he was—the same man from the terrace. Leaning against a column, pretending to check his phone.
Her stomach flipped.
She grabbed Tasha's wrist. "Him. Over there. See him?"
Tasha glanced discreetly. "That guy?"
"Yes," Ava hissed. "He was outside my apartment last night too. I think he's following me."
Tasha's face tightened. "You need to tell someone. Or better yet, call the police."
"I… I can't. Not yet."
But by the time Ava looked again, the man was gone.
By late afternoon, things grew stranger.
While arranging a display in the lobby, she felt it. The prickling sensation of eyes on her back. She turned, and there he was—the same man from the terrace. Leaning against a column, pretending to check his phone.
She grabbed Tasha's wrist. "Him. Over there. See him?"
Tasha glanced discreetly. "That guy?"
"Yes," Ava hissed. "He was outside my apartment last night too. I think he's following me."
Tasha's face tightened. "You need to tell someone. Or better yet, call the police."
"I… I can't. Not yet."
But by the time Ava looked again, the man was gone.
Later that evening, she returned to her apartment cautiously, checking over her shoulder the entire way. The building felt too quiet, the hallway dimmer than usual.
She double-locked the door.
And yet, when she entered the living room, she froze.
A single envelope sat on the coffee table.
No address. No stamp.
Someone had been inside.
Her skin crawled.
Hands shaking, she tore it open.
"He knows everything. You should have stayed away."
No name. No signature.
Ava dropped the letter, backing away as if it might explode.
Her phone buzzed.
Damian.
"Are you home?"
She fumbled to reply.
"Yes. Someone left another message."
A beat.
"I'm coming over."
"Don't. If Bryan sees you…"
"I don't care."
Ava stared at the screen.
Another message appeared, this one from the same unknown number.
"I warned you."
A crash from the hallway outside made her jump.
Footsteps.
Heavy…. Purposeful.
Coming straight toward her door.
And this time… she wasn't sure it was Damian.