HER OBSESSION

Rain slapped against the towering glass windows of Hart Industries like angry fingers. The city below was blurred, soaked, and cold-much like the man watching it.

Damian Hart.

CEO. Billionaire. A face carved from marble and a heart frozen long before Lila Grey ever stepped into his world.

But today, she would.

Lila stood in the lobby of the corporate empire that bore his name, soaked through, hair clinging to her neck, heels echoing too loudly on the polished marble. The receptionist had offered her a towel. She refused. She needed him to see the mess she had become. She needed him to see her pain, raw and unfiltered.

The elevator ride was painfully slow, her heart louder than the music playing from the speaker. She didn't belong in a place like this-gold-plated floors, high-end scent in the air, everyone dressed like they were about to close million-dollar deals.

She clutched the manila envelope tighter.

Inside it was the reason she was there.

Betrayal.

Her sister's name on the hospital admission form. The date of the accident. And Damian Hart's signature at the bottom of the transfer order. The same Damian who had once held her hand under streetlights, who had whispered promises into her skin, who had vanished without a word the day everything crumbled.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened.

Lila stepped out onto the top floor. The walls were glass, the view was endless, but what really made her freeze was him-leaning against a desk, phone in hand, eyes glancing lazily over spreadsheets like empires weren't crashing around him.

He didn't notice her at first.

He looked... the same.

Tailored black suit. Clean-cut jaw. Eyes as unreadable as ever.

"Mr. Hart?" the assistant whispered, nudging him gently and motioning toward her.

His eyes finally landed on her.

He didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Didn't react.

"I need to speak to you," Lila said, voice shaking but firm.

Damian tilted his head. "You should've made an appointment."

"I tried. For two weeks. You blocked every one."

Now there was a flicker-almost invisible-but she saw it.

"Ten minutes," he said, dismissing the assistant.

She stepped into the office.

"You disappeared, Damian," she hissed. "You abandoned me, left me to deal with everything alone. Then I find out you were paying for my sister's hospital bills behind the scenes like some silent savior? Why? What game are you playing now?"

He walked behind the desk, calm. Too calm.

"You weren't ready to know."

"Know what?" she snapped. "That you're the reason my family fell apart?"

He opened a drawer and pulled out a file.

He tossed it onto the desk.

She opened it.

Photographs. A woman-her sister-wrapped in another man's arms. A signature matching her father's, signing away their mother's property. Documents proving everything they'd worked for was a lie.

"What is this?" she whispered.

"The truth," he said coolly. "The accident wasn't random. Your father had enemies. Your sister knew. I kept you out of it because you would've been the next target."

Her knees gave out slightly. She caught herself against the chair.

"You left me without telling me any of this..."

"Because loving you made you weak," Damian said coldly. "And I needed you to survive."

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes but didn't fall.

"You had no right to decide that for me."

He stepped closer, suddenly too near.

"Look around you, Lila. You came into my world. You want answers? They come at a cost."

She stared at him. This wasn't the boy who once sketched stars on her palm. This was a man built from steel and secrets.

"And what's the cost?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.

He smirked. "Your silence. And your loyalty."

She slapped the file back on the desk.

"I'm not yours to command."

Damian stepped forward, fingers brushing her jaw.

"You were. You still are. And whether you like it or not... this obsession?" His gaze darkened. "It's mutual."