Chapter 328: Were You Scared?
Maya blinked, having been so focused on admiring the gift that she hadn’t properly heard Damien’s question.
“Hmm? What was that?”
She looked up at him and immediately noticed the unmistakable displeasure on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I said, what exactly happened last night?” Damien repeated, his deep voice low and cold.
It wasn’t until Maya glanced down at the gift in her hands that she realized exactly what he was asking
about.
“Oh…”
Damien’s eyes narrowed at her reaction. Whatever had happened last night, Maya clearly knew what the mam was referring to, and judging by the sheepish look slowly appearing on her face, it was something she had neglected to tell him.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Maya said.
“I haven’t told you what I’m thinking,” Damien replied coldly.
“No, but I know that face.” She gave him a small smile, hoping to ease the sudden tension. “It really wasn’t a big deal.”
Harper, on the other hand, had gone unusually quiet. She knew exactly what had happened last night, and more importantly, she knew Damien well enough to know he wasn’t going to be happy when he found out.
The gears in her head were already turning as she tried to think of the best way to explain everything without making the situation sound worse than it was.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Nicholas leaned closer to her.
“Uh–oh. He’s not happy.”
“No shit!” Harper snapped.
Nicholas’s gaze then shifted toward Hiro. “Who’s that guy anyway?”
Before Harper could answer him, she noticed Hiro’s brows rise at Maya’s attempt to dismiss what had happened. He opened his mouth, clearly about to correct her.
Harper’s eyes widened.
“Ah! Hiro!” she suddenly exclaimed with an awkward laugh, cutting him off before he could get a single word out. “What the hell? You come running over here calling for Maya without even greeting everyone else? What are we, ghosts?”
Hiro blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden accusation.
Clany
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He rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. “Right. Sorry.”
He turned toward Damien and bowed respectfully before extending his hand.
“I’m Hiro. It’s nice to finally meet you, Damien.”
Damien stared at the offered hand for a moment.
So this was Hiro.
At least that answered one question. The man clearly wasn’t a threat as far as Maya was concerned.
Damien finally accepted his hand and gave it a firm shake. Unfortunately, knowing who Hiro was did absolutely nothing to improve his mood. He was still waiting for an explanation from Maya.
As Damien and Hiro released each other’s hands, Nicholas stepped forward and offered his own.
“Nicholas Ashcroft.”
Hiro accepted it, but before he could respond, Nicholas added with a shameless grin,
“Harper’s boyfriend.”
Hiro’s eyebrows shot up. He clearly hadn’t seen that coming, but the surprise quickly gave way to amused understanding.
His gaze immediately shifted toward Harper, whose cheeks had already begun turning pink.
A slow, knowing smile spread across Hiro’s face before he looked back at Nicholas.
“Hiro,” he introduced himself.
He paused deliberately, his smile turning almost smug.
“Nice to meet you… Harper’s boyfriend.”
Harper’s blush deepened, and she immediately reached over and pinched Hiro hard on the arm.
“Shut up!”
“Ouch!” Hiro quickly released Nicholas’s hand and rubbed the spot she had pinched. “What was that for?”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic! I barely even put any effort into it.”
Hiro laughed and shook his head.
“Anyway, I only came to find Maya to deliver the gift. I should get going. Part of the eastern border was damaged by the flooding, and I still need to check the situation over there.”
He took a step back, but before leaving, he turned toward Maya once more and bowed deeply, the gesture noticeably more respectful than before.
“Thank you again, Maya.”
Maya gave him a small nod. “Take care.”
Clam
Hiro straightened and quickly headed off in the direction he had come from.
The moment Hiro was out of earshot, Damien turned his attention back to Maya.
“Care to explain what happened last night?”
Maya and Harper exchanged a quick glance. Harper looked noticeably nervous, something Damien’s observant eyes immediately picked up on, but he chose not to call her out.
Maya took a deep breath before turning to him
“I saw Harper sneaking out last night, so I followed her.”
Nicholas’s head immediately snapped toward Harper.
“What were you doing sneaking out?”
Harper shot him an irritated look. “Shh! Don’t start. This isn’t about you.”
Damien ignored their exchange, his eyes remaining on Maya.
“And?”
“The next thing I knew, I was underground. I hadn’t even realized where I was going until I was already there,” Maya explained. “I was about to turn back when Harper appeared. Turns out, she already knew I was following her.”
She paused.
“Then I insisted on knowing what she was doing down there.”
Something in Damien’s expression shifted, as though he was beginning to put the pieces together.
“And what exactly was she doing there?”
Maya met his eyes.
“Delivering justice.”
Damien’s expression changed instantly. His gaze snapped toward Harper.
“What?!”
Maya immediately reached for his arm.
“Don’t blame her. I wanted to see it. I insisted.”
“But, Maya-”
“No buts, Damien.” Her voice was firm. “It was my decision. Whether you like it or not, I’m part of this world now. And the only way I’m ever going to understand everything is if you stop shielding me from it.”
Damien said nothing. His jaw clenched, but Maya could see the argument sitting behind his eyes.
Her expression softened.
Chapter
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“know you want to protest me. But the day I accepted you, I accepted your world too. Keeping the ugly parts of it hidden from me will do more harm than goud.” She held his gaze. “I want to understand everything. I want to learn.”
For several seconds, Damien ‘simply stared at her.
Maya closed her eyes briefly and drew in a slow breath, calming the emotions rising inside her. When she looked at him again, the intensity in Damien’s gaze remained, but the frustration had faded, replaced by something far more concerned.
“Were you scared?”
Maya shook her head, a small smile touching her lips.
“No.”
Damien remained silent, his eyes searching hers for several long seconds.
Then, without warning, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest.
Maya immediately wrapped her arms around him in return.
“I know you’re worried,” she murmured. “But I can handle it. I need you to trust me.”
Damien didn’t answer right away. Instead, his arms tightened around her, holding her even closer as though the simple reassurance wasn’t quite enough to ease whatever fear had taken hold of him.
After a long moment, Damien finally pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
For several seconds, neither of them moved. Then his brows slowly pulled together as his gaze shifted toward Harper before returning to Maya.
“Now, I’m genuinely curious what exactly my wife did last night to make those widows
Thenjiwe Mofokeng