Emma's POV
If I thought I was ready for this, I was wrong.
Damian Cross didn't just walk into a room, he owned it. His presence was magnetic, dark, and sharp enough to slice through my exhaustion.
He was tall, dressed in a crisp black shirt that stretched across his chest, and his gaze carried the weight of someone used to getting what he wanted.
He stopped a few feet from me, his hands in his pockets, and tilted his head slightly. "You look like you've been through hell."
A humorless laugh escaped my lips. "That's one way to put it."
He studied me for a long, unsettling moment before speaking again. "Good. I prefer my subjects unfiltered."
Subjects? The word made something inside me twist. "I'm not sure what you mean by that," I said carefully.
He smirked, walking past me and stopping near the edge of the bed. "You accepted my offer, didn't you?"
"I… yes." I hesitated. "But I still don't know what exactly I agreed to. Your message was vague."
He turned to face me, his expression unreadable. "That's because I wanted to see if you would trust me without knowing."
"Trust you?" I let out a short laugh. "I barely know you."
"Then let's change that," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, motioning for me to do the same.
I didn't move. The last thing I wanted was to sit next to him when every instinct screamed danger.
He sighed. "Emma, if I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't be standing."
That wasn't exactly comforting, but his tone was calm enough to make me inch closer. I sat down at the very corner of the mattress, keeping my eyes on him.
"Tell me," he began, leaning back, "why did you agree to come tonight?"
I frowned. "You offered payment. I needed the money."
His lips curved slightly. "Money isn't enough reason to show up at a stranger's mansion, especially not after midnight. You could've refused."
"I didn't have a choice." My voice cracked despite my effort to sound strong. "I lost my place tonight. My so-called best friend kicked me out."
He nodded slowly, as if he already knew. "Jessy?"
My head snapped up. "You know her?"
"I know of her," he said, his tone chillingly casual. "Let's just say she's been trying to get close to people she shouldn't."
I stared at him, the confusion in my chest tightening. "What does that mean?"
Instead of answering, he stood and walked toward the large window. The moonlight spilled across his face, softening nothing. "You're smarter than you think, Emma. That's why I chose you."
I blinked. "Choose me for what?"
He turned back, and for a moment, the silence between us stretched thin. "For something more important than you realize. But first, I need to know I can trust you."
The word trust again. It sounded like a trap each time he said it.
"You brought me here for a test?"
He smiled faintly. "You could call it that."
I crossed my arms. "Look, Mr. Cross, I'm not here to play games. You said there would be a session. Tell me what this is about, or I'm leaving."
He didn't move for a long second, then he finally said, "Fine. You want the truth?"
I nodded.
He walked toward a small cabinet in the corner, opened it, and pulled out a file. The moment he placed it on the bed, I felt my stomach twist. My name was printed across the front.
"Where did you get that?"
He ignored the question and opened it. "Emma Lawson, age twenty eight, a high paid therapist, recently promoted but still living in debt, lives with a friend, Jessy Blake until tonight."
My throat tightened. "You had me investigated?"
He closed the file with a quiet thud. "I needed to be sure you were clean."
"Clean?" I repeated, my voice rising. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"The man who can make your problems disappear," he said smoothly, stepping closer. "Or make them worse."
I shot up from the bed, my pulse racing. "You're insane."
"Sit down." His tone dropped, it was low, commanding and dangerous.
Something about the way he said it froze me. Against my better judgment, I obeyed.
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes piercing into mine. "You have talent, Emma and ambition but you're trapped in a world that doesn't see your worth. I can change that."
"And in return?" I whispered.
He smiled, slow, deliberate. "Loyalty."
I stared at him, trying to make sense of the storm of words. "You want me to work for you?"
"Eventually," he said. "But first, you'll learn how my world operates."
"Your world?"
"The world of people who don't play by rules. The ones who make them."
I swallowed hard. "And if I say no?"
He paused, then smiled again, softer this time. "Then you'll leave tonight, and I'll pretend this conversation never happened."
It was an easy choice or it should've been. But something in his eyes made me hesitate.
There was no threat, not directly, but a kind of promise.
I looked away, focusing on the chandelier above us. "I just wanted a way out of my mess," I said quietly.
"And that's exactly what I'm offering," he replied.
A knock came on the door, breaking the tension. "Sir," Mr. Johnson's voice called. "Your guests are leaving."
"See them out," Damian said without turning.
When the door closed again, he faced me once more. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll explain everything."
I nodded, mostly to end the conversation, but as I stood to leave for the adjoining room, he caught my wrist.
His touch wasn't rough, just firm enough to make my heart jolt.
"Don't answer any calls tonight," he said, his tone unreadable. "Especially from Ethan."
My breath caught. "How do you....."
"Just trust me."
Then he let go and walked out, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, shaken and confused.
I sat on the bed again, staring at the door he'd just closed. The silence that followed wasn't peaceful, it was heavy, humming with questions I wasn't ready to ask.
Outside, the night stretched endlessly over the Cross Estate.
Somewhere beyond those high walls, my old life was unraveling but here, in this strange, dangerous palace, something else was beginning.
I lay back slowly, the chandelier lights blurring above me as exhaustion finally dragged me under.
And the last thought I had before sleep claimed me was simple, chilling, and certain....
Whatever I'd stepped into tonight, there was no going back.