Chapter 6 SIX

Chapter 6:

The sound of the city outside was barely audible as Ava sat in front of her laptop screen. Her fingers were on the keys, but her thoughts were far away. The room was too silent, too motionless. She felt that there was something that was going to happen and she was not ready for it.

Damon had been right. He always seemed to be right, and it gnawed at her. He had warned her earlier, not with the usual arrogant tone he used but with something close to concern. It had thrown her off, leaving her questioning his motives even more. What did he imply when he said that there was more to it?

She shut the laptop and got up from the chair, walking back and forth in the living room. The tension from their earlier meeting was still present with her, though it was like electricity that could be felt but not touched. Damon's admission about the budget had surprised her. It wasn't like him to back down so easily, but there was something in his eyes when he'd said it-something deeper than pride. And it scared her how much she wanted to understand it.

Her phone buzzed on the table, breaking through her thoughts. She picked it up, expecting to see Claire's name or perhaps an urgent work email. Instead, it was Damon.

Meet me at the office. Now.

She looked at the message and her heart raced for a second. It was not a request, but a command, with no reason given. Typical Damon. But despite her better judgment, her fingers moved to respond.

Why?

His reply came within seconds.

You will know when you get here.

Ava thought for a moment and then she was overcome by the desire to know what was going on and the voice in her head that told her not to go. She should not pay attention to him, and let him play his games all by himself. But there was something in his voice, or maybe the way he had glanced at her before, that made her want to go. Nevertheless, she took her coat and left the house through the door.

When Ava got to the office it was still rather early and the only light on in the office was the one on Damon's desk. He was standing with his back to her, looking out of the window, the outline of his figure clear against the luminosity. He did not look at her when she came in and for a moment or two she thought of going without speaking a word.

But then he spoke.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

His voice was low, almost resigned. She hated how it made her heart race.

"I shouldn't have," she replied, keeping her distance. "What's this about, Damon?"

He didn't answer immediately. He just stood there with his hands in his pockets staring at the city. They just stared at each other for a few seconds and then he shifted in his chair to face her and the silence was palpable. He didn't say a word, but his face was blank and she could notice the insanity in his glare.

"I don't trust anyone," he said, his tone strong and low. "Not anymore."

The admission caught her off guard. Damon Blackwood didn't do vulnerability. He was cold, calculating, and always in control. But now, standing before her, he looked...different. As if the weight of his empire, his secrets had started to oppress him at last.

"What does that have to do with me?" Ava inquired; she spoke so softly that I barely heard her.

His gaze didn't waver. "Everything."

She felt her heart beating in her chest but she could not afford to be nervous. Damon had this ability to drag her into his universe, to make her experience emotions she did not wish to. She couldn't let him get to her, not again.

"I don't have time for your games," she snapped. "If you called me here for this-"

"It's not a game," he interrupted and stepped closer to her. He looked deep into her eyes and for the briefest of moments, the tough exterior he always had was not present. She saw it, the fear, the uncertainty. It was a short time, however it was enough to make her stay.

"Then tell me what's going on," she demanded, trying to ignore the feeling of him being much too close to her. "Why am I here?"

Damon sighed deeply, running a hand through his black hair. He looked like a man who had not slept for several days. "Lucas is making his move."

When she heard the name, it was like receiving a punch in the stomach. Lucas Hawthorne; the man who had been following Blackwood Enterprises like a hawk eye its prey, hoping for the best chance to attack. There had been some talk around and some whispers about his plans to take over the company and become its CEO but Ava hadn't thought that he was this nearby.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was barely steady. "What is he doing?"

Damon's jaw tightened. "He's been buying up shares through proxy companies. Slowly, quietly. Before anyone knew what he was up to, it was already too late."

Ava's stomach twisted. "Why did you allow this to happen?"

"I didn't let it happen," Damon said angrily, making his eyes look like two burning coals. "I have been handling this for months now, trying to ensure that it does not go viral." But now..."

He stopped abruptly, and for the first time, Ava noticed that there was weakness in him. He wasn't invincible. He was not the invincible millionaire that she used to believe he was. He was a man fighting to avoid the failure of all that he had tried so hard to accomplish.

"You need my help," she said softly, and the truth set in for her.

Damon looked at her, and the air between them changed. It was no longer about power or control, as it used to be. It was about survival.

"I can't do this alone," he said, with his voice shaking as he struggled. "Not this time."

"I don't know if I can trust you," she whispered, and the words were filled with rancor and weighed upon her tongue. Damon looked her in the eye and for a moment she saw not the cold killer whose life had already been measured in winters. "I don't trust easily," he said, his voice low. "But I trust you."

His tone was heavy with what was left unsaid. Ava only felt that in her something had shifted in some way she was not ready to face. But she couldn't walk away. Not now.

She breathed in deeply and then nodded. "Then we fight."

lit by only the city lights, Lucas Hawthorne sat back in his chair and took a sip of his whiskey in the darkness of his penthouse. His lips pulled back over his teeth in a satisfied smile as he looked at the numbers on his screen. Damon Blackwood was slipping, and soon, everything he had worked for would be Lucas's.

The game had only just begun, and Lucas had every intention of winning.