Aurora didn't move.
Behind the door, Damien stood like a shadow from a past she'd buried too deep to handle face-to-face in her home. Her heart thudded against her ribs. This wasn't the boardroom. This was her safe space. This was Noah's world.
She glanced back at her son, still humming quietly as he pressed another sequin into his makeshift spaceship. Oblivious. Precious.
She had exactly two seconds to decide: open the door… or pretend she wasn't home.
Another knock—quieter this time.
"Aurora," Damien's voice came, low and smooth. "I know you're there."
Of course he did.
She cracked the door, her body blocking most of the view.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, keeping her voice firm and level.
His brows lifted slightly at the sight of her in a soft sweatshirt and leggings, her hair pulled into a loose bun. Different from the sleek, guarded woman at the office. Real. Raw.
"I was on my way home," he said, casual but alert, "and I found myself in your neighborhood. Thought I'd return your copy of the Zenith file."
She stared at him, then at the folder in his hand. "You don't make unscheduled drop-offs."
"No, I don't."
There was a charged silence between them.
"You had me followed?" she asked, the words coming out sharper than she intended.
His jaw tensed. "My assistant confirmed your address. I came here on my own."
"You shouldn't have."
"I know." He paused. "But I did."
She could feel it—the moment tilting. He wasn't just here for business. Damien Blackwood didn't waste time. He didn't make house calls. Unless…
Unless he was interested.
"Thank you," she said tightly, reaching for the folder, trying to end it there.
But Damien didn't let go.
His hand brushed hers—warm, deliberate—and his eyes searched hers like he was looking for something more.
"There's something about you," he said, voice lower now. "Something I can't shake."
Aurora's throat tightened. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?"
She stepped back. "I have company."
He hesitated, then nodded once. "I'll see you in the morning, Aurora."
She closed the door, her hand still resting on the knob. Her entire body buzzed with adrenaline, with guilt, with the electric pull of something she couldn't afford to feel.
Noah peeked around the corner. "Who was that?"
Aurora turned with a practiced smile. "Just someone from work."
He narrowed his eyes in his serious five-year-old way. "He sounded tall."
She laughed despite herself. "He is."
---
Across town, Damien sat in the back of his black town car, staring out the window but seeing none of the glittering skyline.
He wasn't impulsive. He didn't chase women. And yet here he was, standing outside Aurora Lane's apartment like some lovesick intern.
It wasn't just attraction. He'd been with beautiful women before. But this... this pull was different. It was in the way she held herself. Like someone who had been through fire and walked out forged, not broken.
And those eyes. Deep, guarded—like she was protecting something far bigger than herself.
What was it?
He picked up his phone and sent a text to Lena:
Find out who Aurora Lane lives with. Quietly.
---
The next morning, Aurora stood in the elevator of Blackwood Enterprises, her heart still tangled in the chaos of last night. Damien hadn't pushed, but she could feel it coming. The pressure. The questions.
The truth.
She had to make a choice—tell him everything, or find a way to keep her secret buried.
But secrets had a way of coming to light.
And Damien Blackwood had just taken the first step toward uncovering the one that would change both their lives forever.