Nobody spoke for three full seconds.
Elena stood near the staircase holding expensive shopping bags while staring directly at Damian and me.
Or more specifically, at the small distance between us, a distance that had definitely been much smaller two seconds ago.
My face burned instantly.
Damian looked perfectly calm beside me.
Of course he did; the man could probably survive a natural disaster without changing his expression.
Elena slowly lifted one eyebrow.
“Well,” she repeated softly, “this explains a lot.”
“Nothing is happening,” Damian said immediately.
Too quickly.
Elena looked at him with obvious amusement.
“That was a very guilty answer.”
I wanted the floor to open beneath me.
Damian’s jaw tightened.
“Aurora was leaving,” he said calmly.
Elena glanced at me.
“You usually hold women by the waist when they are leaving?”
Oh God.
I looked away.
Damian sighed quietly.
“Elena.”
“No, no,” she interrupted casually.
“Please continue. I have not seen you emotionally unstable in years.”
Emotionally unstable.
The description should not have made me smile, but it did.
Damian noticed immediately, and his eyes narrowed slightly at me.
Elena saw that, too.
Then, her expression changed completely.
The amusement disappeared, replaced by realization.
Her eyes moved slowly between us again, and this time, she understood.
She really understood.
“Oh,” she said softly.
The silence after that single word felt dangerous.
Damian’s expression hardened instantly.
“Elena.”
“You are serious.” Her voice was quieter now, not teasing anymore, just shocked.
I crossed my arms awkwardly.
“This is not helping.”
Elena ignored me while staring at her brother.
“You are actually serious about her.”
Damian’s face became unreadable again.
“That is not your concern.”
Wrong answer.
Elena immediately smiled again.
“Oh my God,” she whispered dramatically.
“You are in love with her.”
“Enough.” The sharpness in Damian’s voice echoed through the hallway.
I stood there silently while my heart nearly exploded inside my chest.
In love?
No, no way.
Damian wanted me.
I knew that already, but love?
The thought terrified me.
Elena placed her shopping bags down near the stairs and looked directly at me.
“Aurora,” she said gently, “how long has this been happening?”
I nearly choked.
“Nothing is happening.”
“Right,” Elena said dryly.
“And I am the queen of England.”
Damian rubbed one hand across his face.
For the first time since I met him, he actually looked stressed.
The sight should not have made me happy, but it absolutely did.
Elena noticed his frustration immediately, then she blinked dramatically.
“Wait,” she said suddenly.
“Ethan does not know, does he?”
The atmosphere changed.
Every bit of warmth disappeared.
Damian stepped away from me immediately.
Reality crashed back hard.
The guilt inside me twisted painfully.
Elena looked between us carefully now.
“Oh,” she whispered.
“This is really bad.”
“No,” Damian said calmly.
“This conversation is over.” He picked up Elena’s shopping bags and handed them back to her.
“You just arrived. Go unpack.”
Elena stared at him in disbelief.
“You cannot seriously expect me to ignore this.”
“Yes.”
She looked at me again, then slowly sighed.
“Well,” she muttered, “family dinner should be interesting tomorrow.”
I blinked.
“Family dinner?”
Elena nodded casually.
“You forgot? Father invited everyone tomorrow night.”
My stomach dropped.
Another member of the Cross family.
Perfect.
Damian’s expression darkened.
“You should have mentioned that earlier.”
“I just remembered.” Elena smiled innocently.
Liar.
She absolutely enjoyed this situation.
“Anyway, I am exhausted. Try not to ruin each other emotionally before dinner tomorrow.”
Then, she picked up her bags and walked upstairs, leaving Damian and me alone again.
The silence became heavy.
I stared at the floor awkwardly.
You are in love with her.
The words repeated inside my head painfully.
Finally, I looked up at Damian.
He was already watching me, and the tension returned all over again.
It was different this time, more emotional, more dangerous.
“Elena talks too much,” he said quietly.
I swallowed hard.
“She seemed serious.”
Damian looked away briefly.
“She enjoys creating drama.”
Maybe, but I did not miss the fact that he never denied her words.
That terrified me more than anything else tonight.
I forced myself to speak normally.
“So your whole family is dramatic?”
A small shadow of amusement crossed his face.
“You have not met my father yet.”
“Should I be scared?”
“Yes.”
I laughed softly before I could stop myself.
The tension eased slightly, but only slightly.
Damian looked tired again now, emotionally exhausted, and somehow I knew I was the reason.
That thought filled me with both guilt and warmth, a dangerous combination.
“I should go upstairs,” I said quietly.
Damian nodded once, but neither of us moved.
The hallway suddenly felt too quiet again, too private.
His eyes slowly moved across my face, then lower, then back to my eyes.
My pulse quickened.
“You should stop looking at me like that,” I whispered.
His jaw tightened.
“I am trying.”
The honesty in his voice nearly destroyed me.
For one second, I almost stepped closer, but this time Damian stopped himself first.
He took one slow step backward.
Distance.
Control.
The walls were going back up.
“I have work,” he said calmly.
There it was.
Cold Damian returning.
I hated how disappointed I felt.
Without another word, he turned toward his office, but just before entering, he stopped.
“And Aurora?” he asked quietly.
I looked back at him. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“Do not go out with Liam again.”
My eyes widened in disbelief.
“You cannot be serious.”
His expression stayed completely calm.
“I am very serious.”
“Why?”
The silence stretched for a second too long.
Then finally, Damian answered.
“Because I know exactly what men like him want.”
The meaning behind his words hit me instantly.
Heat rushed into my face.
Before I could answer, he disappeared into his office and closed the door, leaving me standing alone again with a racing heart.
The next evening arrived much too fast.
I stood inside my bedroom staring at my closet with growing frustration.
Why did choosing clothes suddenly feel like preparing for war?
Because Damian’s family was coming, and I already knew tonight would be emotionally exhausting.
A knock sounded at my door.
“Come in,” I called.
Elena entered carrying a glass of wine and immediately froze.
“You are wearing that?”
I looked down at my black dress.
“What is wrong with it?”
“Nothing,” she said slowly.
“If your goal is giving my brother a heart attack.”
My face heated instantly.
“Elena.”
She laughed softly and sat on the edge of the bed.
“You really have no idea what you do to him, do you?”
I crossed my arms.
“Your brother is perfectly capable of controlling himself.”
The look Elena gave me said she strongly disagreed.
“That man has not looked at a woman properly in years,” she said quietly.
“Then suddenly you move into this house and now he looks permanently angry.”
I tried ignoring the warmth spreading through my chest.
“He is not angry.”
Elena laughed again.
“Oh, sweetheart. That is not anger.”
Before I could answer, another knock interrupted us, and Damian’s voice came through the door.
“We are waiting downstairs.”
Every nerve inside my body reacted.
Elena smirked knowingly.
“See?”
I glared at her before walking toward the door.
Unfortunately, opening it turned out to be another mistake.
Damian stood directly outside wearing a dark suit.
The second his eyes lifted toward me, he completely froze.
The silence lasted only two seconds, but I noticed everything: the pause, the darkening eyes, the way his gaze slowly moved over me before stopping again at my face.
Oh.
Elena definitely noticed, too.
A small smile appeared on her lips immediately.
Damian looked away first, a dangerous sign.
“You look nice,” he said quietly.
Simple words, yet somehow they sounded intimate coming from him.
My heartbeat stumbled badly.
“Thank you.”
Silence again.
Heavy silence.
Then Elena walked past us dramatically.
“Well,” she announced loudly, “this sexual tension is exhausting already.”
I nearly died on the spot.
Damian closed his eyes briefly in frustration.
And for the first time in days, I laughed openly.
Elena is definitely the wildcard we needed!
The tension between Damian and Aurora is reaching a breaking point, and now with the family dinner on the horizon, things are about to get real.
How do you think Damian’s father will react to Aurora?
And are you rooting for Damian to finally drop the act and claim her, or should Aurora keep her distance?
If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote or leave a comment!
Your support keeps the story moving.
Can’t wait for Chapter 10!