Chapter 353: The Choice Is Hers
Damien forced himself to release the tension in his hands and rein in his emotions.
There was nothing he could do about Viktor tonight.
Most importantly, Maya needed to rest. She had already been through enough emotionally that day, and with Jaime still not completely out of danger, the last thing she needed was another devastating truth weighing on her.
He quietly walked over to the closet, where Maya had neatly arranged his clothes.
His eyes settled on a jacket hanging toward the back. He pulled out the hard drive, slipped it deep into an inner pocket, and pushed the jacket farther out of sight.
For now, it would be safe there.
Damien closed the closet and headed into the bathroom to clean up and change for bed.
Not long after, he emerged feeling refreshed and dressed more comfortably in a plain white T–shirt and a pair of lounge pants.
He switched off the lights, plunging the bedroom into darkness, then quietly made his way back to the bed and slipped beneath the covers beside Maya.
Careful not to wake her, Damien wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her closer.
Maya stirred at his touch.
Still asleep, she instinctively shifted toward his warmth. Then she turned in his arms and nestled herself against his chest, her eyes never opening as she tucked her head beneath his
chin.
Damien held her a little tighter.
Her warm breath brushed against his chest as she settled there, her ear resting directly over
his heart as though, even in sleep, its steady rhythm was where she felt safest.
He lowered his head and pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her hair.
“I love you.”
Morning came far sooner than Damien would have liked.
Chapter 153 The Choice Is Hers
+25 Prinds
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, spilling across the bed and slowly pulling him from an uneasy sleep.
The first thing he became aware of was the absence of Maya’s warmth against him.
His eyes snapped open as he sat up and looked around, but Maya was nowhere in sight.
He reached for his phone on the nightstand and checked the time.
7:00 a.m.
He was already pulling up Maya’s number when he heard the bathroom door open.
Maya stepped out, freshly showered, with one towel around her body and another wrapped around her wet hair.
Relief immediately washed over him as he released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Maya stopped when she noticed him sitting upright on the bed.
“Oh! You’re awake.”
She walked toward him with a smile, leaned down, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Good morning.”
Before Maya could straighten, Damien wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.
“Ah!”
Damien caught her securely against him, a mischievous smile spreading across his face as she stared at him in surprise.
“Well,” he murmured, his voice still husky from sleep, “waking up to you wearing nothing but a towel certainly makes it a good morning.”
Heat immediately rushed into Maya’s cheeks.
“Shameless!”
She gave his chest a playful smack and tried to push herself upright.
“Now let me up. I need to get dressed.”
His smile widened, but he reluctantly released her. Maya stood and adjusted the towel around herself.
25
“It seems like you came in pretty late last night. Why don’t you get some more sike? ‘ro going to check on Jaime. You can just meet me there later”
Damien climbed out of bed, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her cheek
“Let’s go together I’ll get ready.”
Maya smiled and nodded.
Damien headed into the bathroom while Maya went to get dressed.
As the bathroom door closed behind him, the last traces of sleep disappeared from his mind.
He stripped off his clothes, stepped into the shower, and turned on the water.
The icy spray struck his skin like a shock, stealing his breath for a second as it poured over his head and down his body.
Damien closed his eyes and stood beneath it, letting the cold water clear his mind and dull some of the anger still simmering beneath the surface.
By the time he finally reached for the faucet, the fury from the night before had cooled considerably.
But no amount of cold water could wash away what he now knew.
The truth was still waiting for Maya.
And once she knew it, everything would change.
Until last night, Damien had been certain of what he intended to do with Viktor.
But this was no longer only about him, or even about settling his own score with Viktor.
This was Maya’s family. Her parents. Her life that Viktor had manipulated from the shadows for years.
Whatever happened next, she deserved a say in it.
He could hunt Viktor down. He could drag every last secret into the light and make damn sure the man had nowhere left to hide.
But when the time came to decide Viktor’s fate, that choice would belong to Maya.
And whatever she decided, Damien would make damn sure Viktor lived with the
consequences.
When Damien stepped out of the bathroom, Maya was already dressed and waiting for him.
The Chore
He quickly got ready himself, and by eight o’clock, they were both ready to leave.
Damien opened the bedroom door, and almost at the exact same moment, the door to Harper’s bedroom opened as well.
Harper stepped out, and directly behind her was Nick.
The unexpected sight brought both couples to an abrupt stop, and for one awkward second, all four of them simply stared at each other.
Before either Damien or Maya could say a single word, Harper immediately raised both hands in defense.
“Whatever it is the two of you are thinking, it’s not what you think!”
Damien’s brow lifted at the unprompted explanation, while beside him, the corners of Maya’s lips began to twitch as she fought back a teasing smile.
“He did not spend the night in my room,” Harper continued quickly, pointing over her shoulder at Nick without taking her eyes off them. “He literally just got here like fifteen minutes ago!”
Nick stared at the back of her head, looking somewhere between amused and offended by how urgently she was defending herself.
Damien still didn’t say a word, and Maya merely shrugged, though she could no longer stop the teasing smile from spreading across her face.
“We weren’t thinking anything,” she said innocently before adding, “You’re just being
defensive.”
Harper blinked, her mouth opening as though she already had a comeback waiting, but nothing came out.
Instead, warmth slowly crept into her cheeks, and that was all it took for Nick to lose the battle against his amusement.
A laugh escaped him from behind her, only to abruptly die when Harper, without even looking back, drove her elbow straight into his stomach. His amused grin instantly twisted into a
pained grimace.
“Oof!”
“Don’t,” she muttered through clenched teeth.
Nick pressed his lips together in an attempt to behave, though the grin slowly creeping back. onto his face suggested he wasn’t particularly sorry.
Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.