The room went completely quiet, Amelia’s fingers slowly loosened around the phone in her hand.
Rain kept tapping softly against the huge glass windows behind them, but somehow the sound now felt colder, Sharper and More dangerous.
Damien stood right in front of her, watching her face closely, “My father is coming for me.”
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
Damien’s eyes darkened instantly, not surprised, prepared.
Like this was exactly what he had expected from Richard Laurent.
“Did Sophia hear anything else?” he asked calmly.
Amelia lifted the phone back to her ear, “Sophia?”
“I’m here,” Sophia whispered quickly.
“Amelia, I think you should leave the city for a while.”
Amelia swallowed hard, “Did my father say where he was sending people?”
“I don’t know.” Sophia sounded scared.
“But Victor looked serious. They’re angry that you chose Damien in front of everyone.”
A bitter laugh almost escaped Amelia Choose as if tonight had really been about choice.
Sophia lowered her voice again, “And Amelia,”
Amelia’s stomach tightened immediately, “What?”
“I think someone followed me after I left the banquet.”
Fear slid down Amelia’s spine like ice water.
“What?!”
“I’m not sure,” Sophia said quickly, her breath uneven.
“Maybe I’m just imagining things.”
Damien held out his hand silently for the phone.
Amelia hesitated for half a second before handing it over.
Damien put the phone to his ear calmly, “Sophia.”
His voice stayed controlled, cold and Professional.
“I want you to listen carefully.” Sophia went quiet right away.
“Go somewhere with lots of people,” Damien continued.
“Do not go home tonight.”
Amelia’s chest tightened, this was becoming real too fast and too dangerous.
“If anyone approaches you,” Damien said calmly, “call this number immediately.”
He grabbed a pen from the table and scribbled something quickly on a piece of paper before continuing.
“And Sophia?” “Yes?”
“Don’t trust anyone connected to the Laurent family.” The warning landed heavily in the room.
Sophia breathed shakily.
“Okay.” Damien ended the call, then he looked at Amelia, “she’ll be watched.” Amelia stood up immediately.
“We need to bring her here.” “No.” The answer came fast and firm, Amelia stared at him, “What?”
Damien set the phone down slowly.
“If your father suspects she contacted you, bringing her here would put a target on her back.”
Amelia’s heartbeat became uneven again.
Everything suddenly felt bigger than she had imagined, this wasn’t just family drama anymore, It was a strategy too Control and Power.
And Richard Laurent clearly wasn’t planning to lose.nAmelia wrapped her arms around herself tightly.
“He wouldn’t actually hurt me,” she whispered softly.But the moment the words left her mouth,
She stopped believing them herself.
Damien noticed.
“You’re trying to convince yourself.” Amelia looked away, Because he was right.
The memory of her father’s face inside the ballroom flashed through her mind again, Cold, Furious and humiliated.
Not the face of a father, the face of a man protecting his power, Damien walked toward the large window slowly.
The city lights reflected faintly across his sharp features.
“He already destroyed your reputation in public within one hour,” he said quietly.
“What exactly do you think he’ll stop at?”
Amelia had no answer, her silence said enough.
Damien turned toward her again, “You can stay here tonight.”
Amelia blinked slightly, “Tonight?”, “For now.” The words sounded careful and Measured.
Almost like he was giving her space to run if she wanted.
Amelia suddenly became aware again that she was standing inside Damien Vale’s private home after kissing him in front of the whole country.
Nothing about tonight felt real anymore, a staff member entered quietly.
“Sir, security has been doubled around the property.”
Damien nodded once, “any movement outside?”
“Not yet.”
The man’s eyes briefly flicked toward Amelia before he lowered his head respectfully and left.
The large room became quiet again, Amelia rubbed her forehead slowly.
A headache had started building behind her eyes.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Damien studied her silently, “You’re exhausted.”
“I’m angry.” “You’re both.” Amelia laughed weakly.
The sound had no happiness in it, “I spent years trying to become worthy of Laurent Group.” Her eyes looked far away now.
“And tonight I lost everything in just a few hours.”
Damien stepped closer slowly.
“You didn’t lose everything.” Amelia looked at him tiredly.
“Didn’t I?”,
“You still have leverage.” She frowned slightly.
“What leverage?” Damien’s expression stayed calm.
“You.”
The answer confused her immediately, Amelia shook her head slightly.
“I don’t understand.”
“Your father expected you to obey tonight.” Damien’s voice stayed low and steady.
“Instead, you humiliated him in front of everyone.”
The memory flashed sharply again.
The ballroom, The kiss and Her father shouting her name.
A strange mix of fear and satisfaction twisted inside her chest.
Damien continued quietly.
“Men like Richard Laurent survive on control. The moment control slips away…” His eyes darkened faintly.
“They become reckless.”
Amelia stared at him silently.
“You really hate him.”
Something cold flickered across Damien’s face.
“Yes.” That single word carried years inside it.
Years of resentment, history and war.
Amelia suddenly wanted to ask why.
What happened between them?
Why did her father hate him so deeply?
Why did Damien look at Richard like an old wound that had never healed?
But before she could ask her phone buzzed violently again, Unknown number, Amelia’s stomach dropped instantly.
Damien noticed her hesitation.
“Answer it.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone before she slowly accepted the call.
“Hello?” Silence.
Then, “Enjoying your little rebellion?” Richard Laurent’s voice.
Ice flooded through Amelia’s body instantly.
Damien’s expression sharpened the moment he saw her face change.
Amelia stood completely still.
“Father.”
“You embarrassed me tonight.”
His voice sounded calm now.
That scared her more than shouting ever could.
Amelia forced herself to speak steadily.
“You embarrassed yourself.”
A dangerous silence followed, then Richard laughed softly, Cold and disappointed.
“You really think Damien Vale cares about you?”
Amelia glanced briefly toward Damien, he watched her carefully without interrupting.
“At least he doesn’t treat me like a piece of property.”
Richard’s voice hardened immediately.
“You are my daughter.”
“No,” Amelia whispered painfully.
“Tonight you made it very clear that I’m just a business asset.”
Her hand trembled slightly around the phone.
Years of pain pushed against her chest now.
Years of trying.
Years of failing.
Years of wanting love from a man who only valued what she could do for him.
Richard spoke again.
“That man is using you.”
Amelia’s eyes slowly lifted toward Damien again.
Maybe he was, maybe this whole thing was truly just revenge.
But somehow Damien still treated her with more kindness than her own father ever had.
“Even if he is,” Amelia said quietly, “at least he asked.”
Silence, Heavy silence, then Richard’s voice dropped lower.
“Come home.” The words almost cracked her heart open.
For one dangerous second.
Part of her wanted to say yes, because despite everything, a daughter still lived somewhere inside her, still wounded, still desperate.
Still hoping.
Amelia’s lips parted slightly, then she remembered Edward Kane smiling at her like an owner.
Victor taking her future, her father grabbed her wrist, public humiliation.
And suddenly the weakness disappeared again.
“I don’t have a home there anymore.” Richard’s breathing became loud through the phone now.
Anger, Barely controlled anger.
“You are making the biggest mistake of your life.”
Amelia’s eyes filled slightly, but her voice stayed steady.
“No, Father.” Her fingers tightened harder around the phone.
“The biggest mistake of my life was believing you loved me.”
Silence crashed heavily between them.
Then a loud crashing sound exploded through the phone.
Like glass breaking violently somewhere near Richard.
When he spoke again, his voice sounded terrifyingly calm.
“You think Damien Vale can protect you?”
Amelia’s stomach tightened painfully.
Richard continued softly.
“Let me remind you what happens to people who stand against me.”
The call ended, Amelia slowly lowered the phone.
Her breathing had become uneven.
The room suddenly felt much too quiet again.
Damien walked toward her immediately.
“What did he say?” Amelia swallowed hard.
“He threatened me.” Her voice cracked softly at the end.
The fear finally arrived fully now.
Real fear, not anger, not rebellion but fear.
Damien took the phone gently from her shaking hand and placed it on the table.
Then his eyes lifted toward her face again.
Cold fury burned underneath his calm expression now.”He won’t touch you.”
Amelia laughed weakly through the pressure building in her chest.
“You sound very sure of yourself.”
“I am.” The certainty in his voice startled her.
Amelia looked at him carefully.
“Why?” Damien stepped closer, Close enough that she could see the sharpness in his dark eyes.
“Because if Richard Laurent wants a war…” His voice dropped dangerously.
“I’ll give him one.”
A shiver ran slowly down Amelia’s spine.
No fear this time, something else and Something intense.
The fireplace crackled softly behind them.
Neither moved.
The tension between them felt different now.
Less like strangers.
More like two wounded people standing on the same battlefield.
Then suddenly.
The lights outside flashed.
Bright headlights appeared through the huge front windows.
Several black vehicles stopped right outside the gates.
Amelia’s breath caught instantly.
Security voices echoed faintly downstairs.
Fast and Urgent.
Damien turned toward the windows sharply.
His expression hardened immediately.
Another staff member rushed into the room.
“Sir”, “What happened?”, “The Laurent family security team is outside.”
Amelia’s blood turned cold.
The employee swallowed nervously.
“And they are demanding that Miss Laurent be returned immediately.”