Chapter Seven: FracturesDamon — The Night BeforeThe night air around the mall shimmered with the soft hum of city life — headlights, murmurs, the distant beat of music from a rooftop bar. Damon DeVille wasn't the kind of man who wandered through shopping centers, but tonight was an exception.He had just returned from an eight-month trip abroad — a quiet disappearance under the guise of business expansion. The truth, however, was far less public. He had been closing a deal that would merge two international corporations, a transaction worth billions. His time overseas had been productive, but not peaceful.Now, he was here for one reason only: to meet with a discreet jeweler who handled exclusive commissions — the kind of transactions that never made it to the headlines. A gift. A symbol. Something meant to seal an alliance he wasn't sure he wanted.As he stepped out of the jewelry store, his phone buzzed."Sir," his assistant's voice came through. "The contract draft from the Tokyo division is ready for review.""Send it to my office," Damon replied curtly.He ended the call and adjusted his cufflinks, his amber eyes scanning the parking lot. He had no reason to linger — and yet something made him pause. A strange pull, like static in the air. Then he heard it."Uncle Damon?"The sound of her voice stopped him cold.When he turned and saw her — those snow-white features, that midnight hair — the world tilted for the briefest second. He had told himself he would never see her again, that staying away was for the best. But there she was, standing only a few feet away, looking at him like a ghost from a past he'd buried too deep.For the first time in years, Damon DeVille forgot how to breathe.He didn't even remember what they said to each other, only the sound of her voice, the sharp rush of something dangerous flooding through him.And then she was gone.Just like that — into a cab, out of his sight — leaving behind the faintest trace of perfume and the echo of a heartbeat he couldn't ignore.For a long time, he stood still, watching the car disappear into traffic. Then Ace arrived, loud and oblivious as always, and Damon forced himself to move. But inside, the calm he'd spent years building had cracked.The girl he swore he'd never see again was back.And she was no longer a child.---The Next Morning — AthenaThe sunlight was too bright.Athena groaned and pulled the pillow over her head, her mind heavy from a restless night. Sleep had offered no escape — every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.His voice. His gaze. The way he'd looked at her like she wasn't supposed to exist.She sat up slowly, her heart beating a little too fast. It had been eight months since he left. She remembered the night he'd said goodbye — how her chest had ached, how she'd told herself it was just admiration, not whatever this feeling was.But last night had undone all of that.Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was a text from Clara.> Clara: Hey! You're awake? First class in 20 minutes! Want to walk together?Athena smiled weakly and typed back:> Athena: Sure. Meet you outside.She dressed quickly, tying her long black hair into a loose ponytail. The moment she looked at herself in the mirror, she hesitated. Her reflection looked too flustered, too… alive.Get it together, Athena.By the time she stepped out of her dorm, the cool morning air helped clear her head. Clara waved from across the courtyard, beaming as usual."Morning! You look so fresh today," Clara said cheerfully."Barely," Athena replied with a small laugh. "Didn't sleep well.""First-day nerves?""Something like that."They started walking toward the lecture hall, chatting idly about professors and class schedules. For a moment, everything felt normal again — peaceful, almost light.But that calm wouldn't last long.Because somewhere across the city, Damon DeVille was already reviewing a list of upcoming events for his company's new education investment project — and on that list was the name of the very school Athena Brown attended.And if there was one thing Damon didn't believe in, it was coincidence.
