The dining room felt colder than usual.
It was not because of the air conditioning.
It was because Damian sat directly across from me, looking dangerously handsome in a black suit while pretending not to notice me at all.
Elena sat beside me, smirking every five seconds like she knew a secret that nobody else did.
Which, unfortunately, she did.
I reached for my water slowly, trying to ignore the tension building in the room.
“You both look nervous,” Elena said casually.
Damian did not even look at her.
“You talk too much.”
“And you avoid your emotions too much.”
I nearly choked on my drink.
Damian’s eyes narrowed slightly at his sister.
“Elena.”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“I am just observing.”
The front doors opened before Damian could answer.
A deep male voice echoed through the hallway.
“If this family dinner is boring again, I am leaving immediately.”
Elena smiled brightly.
“There he is.”
A tall older man walked into the dining room wearing an expensive dark coat.
His silver hair and sharp features made the family resemblance painfully obvious.
It was Richard Cross, Damian’s father.
Judging by the powerful presence surrounding him, Damian clearly inherited his intimidating personality naturally.
Richard stopped walking the second he noticed me.
“Well,” he said slowly, “who is this?”
Damian answered immediately.
“Aurora Hayes.”
Recognition crossed Richard’s face.
“Ethan’s daughter?”
I nodded politely.
“Nice to meet you, sir.”
Richard studied me for another second before smiling slightly.
“You look exactly like your mother.”
“Hopefully with less attitude,” Elena muttered.
“I heard that,” I replied instantly.
Elena grinned.
Richard laughed quietly before sitting at the head of the table.
Even Damian seemed slightly more controlled around his father—not afraid, just respectful.
That alone told me a lot about the Cross family.
Dinner started normally enough, which surprised me.
For the first fifteen minutes, the conversation stayed focused on business, travel, and Elena complaining about online shopping problems.
I almost relaxed.
Then, Richard looked directly at Damian.
“You seem tense tonight.”
My heartbeat stopped.
Damian remained calm.
“I am working on several projects.”
Richard hummed softly.
“That is not the reason.”
Elena looked down at her plate to hide a smile.
Traitor.
Richard’s sharp eyes shifted toward me next, then back to Damian.
Suddenly, something dangerous appeared in his expression.
It was not judgment; it was awareness.
My stomach tightened.
This man noticed everything.
“How long is Aurora staying here?” Richard asked casually.
“A few more weeks,” Damian answered.
“And how is that going for you?”
Damian took a slow sip of wine before replying.
“Fine.”
Elena made a strange choking sound beside me.
Richard noticed immediately.
“So,” he said slowly, “not fine.”
I wanted to disappear.
Damian’s expression became colder.
“Elena enjoys creating problems where none exist.”
“That sounds defensive,” Elena replied cheerfully.
Richard leaned back in his chair, now clearly interested.
“Am I missing something entertaining?”
“Yes,” Elena answered immediately.
“No,” Damian said at the same time.
The tension became painfully obvious.
Richard looked between all of us carefully.
Then, his eyes landed on Damian and stayed there.
A long silence followed.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Then Richard smiled very slowly.
“Oh,” he said quietly.
My face burned.
Damian’s jaw tightened hard.
“Elena,” he warned calmly.
But it was too late.
Richard understood completely, and that felt even worse.
His gaze moved toward me again, thoughtful now.
Finally, Richard spoke.
“Well,” he said calmly, “that certainly complicates things.”
Nobody answered because nobody could.
The atmosphere became thick with tension.
Damian looked ready to end the dinner immediately.
Then, unexpectedly, Richard laughed softly.
“I suppose this explains why my son suddenly looks emotionally unstable.”
I nearly inhaled water.
Elena burst into laughter.
Damian looked deeply offended.
“I am perfectly stable.”
“Of course,” Richard said dryly.
“That must explain why you have been glaring at your phone for three days.”
Elena looked delighted.
“You noticed too?”
“I raised him,” Richard replied calmly.
“The boy has the emotional control of a machine until feelings become involved.”
Damian rubbed one hand across his face.
“Can we please discuss literally anything else?”
“No,” Elena said happily.
Richard ignored both of them and looked directly at me.
“Aurora. Are my son’s terrible moods exhausting you yet?”
I blinked in surprise, then accidentally laughed.
Damian looked betrayed.
“Elena, you are clearly his favorite child.”
“She understands humor,” Richard answered.
The tension eased slightly after that, but I noticed something important: Richard was not angry.
If anything, he looked amused and curious.
That should have relieved me, but instead, it made everything feel more real.
If other people could already see this connection between Damian and me, how long before my father noticed too?
The thought instantly killed every bit of happiness inside me.
Damian noticed immediately.
His eyes shifted toward me carefully, and the warmth disappeared from his face.
He knew exactly what I was thinking. New chapters come out on g.com first.
The rest of dinner passed quietly.
Elena still teased Damian every chance she got, while Richard watched all of us with knowing eyes.
Damian became even more protective.
Every time I reached for something, he handed it to me first.
Every time I stood up, his attention followed me.
Small things, but impossible not to notice.
Apparently Richard noticed too, because near the end of dinner, he suddenly asked, “Damian, are you planning to stare at Aurora all night?”
I almost died.
Elena laughed so hard she nearly dropped her fork.
Damian looked completely unamused.
“You are both incredibly irritating.”
“Ah,” Richard said calmly, “there is the emotional instability again.”
I bit my lip hard to stop smiling.
Damian noticed that, too.
For one dangerous second, the irritation in his face softened completely while he looked at me.
The moment felt intimate and private.
Richard saw it happen.
So did Elena.
The room went strangely quiet.
Then, Richard leaned back slowly and folded his hands.
“You love her.”
The words landed heavily across the entire room.
No teasing now.
No jokes.
Just truth.
Damian froze completely.
So did I.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed properly.
Richard’s eyes stayed on his son.
“Well?”
My heart pounded painfully.
Damian looked away first, which somehow answered everything.
The silence felt endless.
Then quietly, carefully, Damian spoke.
“It does not matter.”
The pain in his voice shocked me.
Richard watched him for a long moment.
“And why exactly does it not matter?”
Damian laughed once without humor.
“You already know why.”
My chest tightened.
I understood something terrifying: Damian was not fighting his feelings because he was ashamed of me.
He was fighting them because he truly loved my father, and betraying him was destroying him inside.
Richard became quiet.
Even Elena stopped smiling.
The emotional weight inside the room changed completely.
Finally, Richard sighed softly.
“Well,” he said calmly, “unfortunately for you, feelings rarely care about morality.”
Nobody answered because there was nothing left to say.
For the first time since this dangerous situation began, I realized something that terrified me: this was no longer attraction.
This was no longer temptation.
Damian Cross was falling in love with me, and I was already too deep to escape him.
Richard is finally onto them!
Things just got a thousand times more complicated with the revelation of Damian’s internal conflict.
It’s not just about them anymore, it’s about loyalty and betrayal.
How will Aurora handle knowing she’s the one tearing him apart between his feelings for her and his loyalty to her father?
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Can’t wait for Chapter 11!