Damian Wolfe
She stepped back slowly, as though she could sense my hesitation, as though she was savoring the control she had over me. "I'm not here for games, Damian. You know exactly what I want. And you're going to give it to me."
Her voice had dropped even lower now, soft and hushed, but there was no mistaking the demand in it.
I watched her, heart hammering in my chest, my mind torn between wanting to drag her closer and wanting to push her away. She was too much. Too sharp, too seductive, too dangerous.
She knew exactly how to make me want.
But she had no idea who she was dealing with.
The silence stretched between us, heavy and thick, before I spoke again, my voice rougher than before. "You think you can control me, Aria? You're wrong."
She tilted her head, a teasing smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Oh, I'm not trying to control you. Not yet."
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
Instead, I watched as she turned, slowly walking back toward the ballroom, the sway of her hips hypnotic. My eyes followed her every movement, unable to tear myself away. And for a moment, I wondered if I was already too far gone.
---
Aria Vale
There are moments in life when you realize that the path you've chosen is no longer something you control.
It becomes a current, pulling you deeper than you ever thought possible.
I was used to control. I thrived on it. Every decision I made, every move I took—it was all calculated. But standing in front of Damian Wolfe, I realized something disturbing.
He wasn't like the others.
The others—those men I had manipulated, used, and discarded—were predictable. But Damian… he was a storm. A force of nature I couldn't entirely understand. And the worst part? I didn't want to.
I wanted to master him. I wanted to take everything he had built and watch it crumble. But there was a part of me that was starting to wonder… if I could burn everything down, would I be left with nothing but his ashes? Or would something inside me—something I wasn't ready to confront—survive?
I ran my fingers over the cold glass of the skyline view, feeling the city's pulse beneath my fingertips. It was past midnight, and the lights outside seemed far away, distant. But not as distant as I felt from myself.
Damian Wolfe had invaded my thoughts like an infection. It wasn't just his presence. It was the things he made me feel—the things he made me question.
He wasn't supposed to do that. I wasn't supposed to care.
But I did.
The phone buzzed on my desk, breaking my concentration.
Jasper: He's reaching out again. Wants you at the office tomorrow morning. They're escalating.
I read the message and let it sit there for a moment. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I typed back.
Aria: I know what to do. He's still in the dark. We keep it that way.
The door to my office opened before I could press send. My body tensed, instinctively sliding my phone out of sight. I didn't need anyone seeing the cracks. Not yet.
Kira stood there, her expression unreadable. "You're not sleeping," she said, almost too casually. "The wolf is already in your head, isn't he?"
I gave her a sharp look. "I'm fine."
"Yeah, fine is when you don't start pacing around the office, replaying every word you said to him like it's a damn record." Kira's eyes softened. "Aria, this isn't just about revenge anymore, is it?"
I felt my chest tighten. Of course it was.
"It's about control," I said, letting my voice settle into the truth I wanted to believe. "It's about making him pay for what he did to my father."
Kira crossed the room, leaning against the desk in front of me. "Then stop letting him get to you." She searched my eyes. "You said you weren't going to be a victim. But this… this isn't just business, is it? You're in deep."
I stared at the wall, refusing to meet her gaze. My jaw clenched. The words were too heavy. Too real.
"He's dangerous," I said, barely above a whisper. "But I'm not afraid of him."
She was quiet for a long moment, before she finally spoke again, her voice softer this time. "Are you sure? Because the way you looked at him tonight..."
I slammed my hand down on the desk, a burst of frustration cutting through me. "It doesn't matter! It can't matter." I shook my head, letting the tension drain from my body. "I have a plan. I've been planning this for years. I'll break him down, make him beg for mercy. And when he does, I'll be the one to crush him."
Kira didn't say anything for a moment. She just watched me, her gaze piercing, understanding the hidden cracks in my resolve. Finally, she sighed.
"Just remember," she said, turning to leave, "you're not just playing with fire. You're playing with something that could burn you alive."
---
The morning came too soon. I didn't sleep—no surprise there. My thoughts were tangled in knots, and the only thing that made sense was getting closer to Damian Wolfe. I didn't know if it was the revenge or the thrill that kept drawing me back, but whatever it was, I couldn't stop.
I walked into the building, the sleek glass-and-steel tower that had always felt like an enemy. The walls hummed with quiet power, and every inch of the space whispered that I didn't belong here.
Not yet.
I made my way to the top floor, where Damian's office awaited. When the doors opened, the man himself was already standing, his back to me, staring out at the skyline.
The silence stretched. He must have known I was there before I even stepped inside.
He turned slowly, his gaze falling over me with that familiar, unnerving intensity. The room felt colder suddenly—his presence sucking all the warmth from the space.
"You didn't waste any time showing up," he said, voice smooth, his eyes dark with something that felt like both challenge and approval.
I crossed my arms, standing my ground. "I told you I'd be here. I don't break promises."
"And yet," he said, stepping closer, the space between us closing with every step. "You're still hiding, Aria. You say you're not afraid of me, but I think you're afraid of what you'll become if you keep going down this path."
I held my breath. Was he right?
I wasn't afraid of him. But I was afraid of losing myself in the game. Afraid of the power he had over me, over everything I'd built.
I'd come too far to back down now.
I stepped forward, my eyes never leaving his. "You haven't seen anything yet, Damian."
He was silent for a beat, then sm
irked, a knowing glint in his eye. "I think you're wrong. I think you've already shown me everything."