From Fantasy to Fear

Lila thought he would step back, give her space to breathe, but instead, he moved closer, closing the small gap between them. And because of his towering height, she felt like a child in front of a stone pillar, completely overpowered.

Her breath caught the moment his body brushed against hers. The heat radiating from him was unbearable, inescapable. One of his arms rested against the shelf beside her head, as if to block her escape. It wasn’t forceful, but it didn’t have to be.

Her pulse roared in her ears, and for a moment she forgot how to blink. The smell of his cologne mixed with something deeper, something purely him, filled her lungs. At this point, Lila thought her heart might burst right out of her chest from how fast it was beating.

“You still haven’t answered my question, kiddo,” he said in that deep voice again.

Lila slowly turned her head, trying to meet his eyes, but his piercing gaze nearly knocked the air from her lungs.

“What are you doing here late at night?” he asked, watching her closely.

“Can you… at least… move back a bit? I’m suffocating,” she whispered, her chest rising and falling with every breath.

But the man didn’t budge. He looked like he would not move an inch until he got the answer he wanted.

“I’m sorry but… I lost my way while looking for my room,” Lila sputtered, avoiding his face as she spoke.

“Your room is downstairs,” Damien replied, voice cold, eyes unblinking.

Oh, fuck me.

There was no escaping this now. Lila knew it. The best thing was to apologize and move on. She thought quickly, then stretched her lips into her biggest, most innocent smile.

“I’m so sorry for wandering around so late, Damien. I hope you can forgive me,” she said, bowing her head slightly.

The coldness on Damien’s face shifted into something less harsh. A frown replaced the icy expression, and there was a flicker of confusion in his eyes. He stepped back just enough for Lila to finally breathe and her chest rose as she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Still smiling, she decided to take advantage of the moment. “I’m Lila Sinclair,” she said, offering a light introduction.

“Damien?” he repeated, clearly not following.

Lila let out a soft laugh. “Of course I know your name. I mean, everyone knows your name. You’re kind of a legend. Especially among the girls at my school. Did you know that?”

Damien scoffed, a sound filled with disbelief, and the frown deepened on his face.

“Did you just call me by name?” he asked, voice low but sharp.

Lila’s eyes widened and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, blinking hard.

Oh no. She had gotten too comfortable. She forgot he was the same age as her  Uncle Lucien and not some school crush.

“Forgive my manners, Uncle D. Wolf,” she said with a nervous laugh.

Damien’s brows drew together as he stared at her.

“Wolf?” he repeated, his voice low and confused.

“How do you want me to address you then?” Lila snapped, already on the edge of losing her patience.

Then Damien smiled. It wasn’t a kind smile. It was warm in the most unsettling way, the kind of smile that sent cold shivers crawling down one's spine.

Lila stepped back instinctively, but Damien stepped forward. His cold, oppressive eyes fixed on her like a predator sizing up his prey.

“Don’t play with me, kid. I’m a fucking dangerous man, and I don’t show mercy to women. If you mess with me, I’ll make sure you regret it. And trust me, your uncle won’t be able to do a shit about it. Got it?”

Lila didn’t fully understand what he meant, but one thing was clear; this man was not someone to provoke.

Fear clamped tight around her chest. She swallowed hard and nodded quickly.

“Now go to bed,” he said, voice clipped and cold.

Without a second thought, Lila turned and bolted out of the study, not daring to look back.

As soon as she was gone, Damien let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

He glanced down at his chest, which was rising and falling faster than it should. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that?” He murmured as he walked over to the chair behind his desk. He sat down heavily, shutting his eyes.

But the image of Lila flashed before he could stop it. Standing with her back to him, her red satin nightwear clinging to her curves, revealing smooth thighs and long legs. Her honey-brown hair swayed around her shoulders, glowing under the soft light like molten gold.

“Dammit,” he groaned, his eyes snapping open. His hands clenched into fists as he fought to regain control.

Are you fucking losing your mind, Damien? he asked himself, grinding his teeth.

She was nothing like he remembered. When Lucien had asked him to look after his niece, he agreed without a second thought. In his memory, she was still a toddler in pigtails and diapers.

But this girl… this woman… she had grown far beyond anything he had imagined. Her figure was ridiculous, curves in all the right places, full chest straining against the material of her top, and a presence that lit up the entire room.

He exhaled sharply, mumbling something under his breath, his hands clenching and unclenching on the armrests.

Meanwhile, in Lila’s room…

Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, refusing to stop since the moment she ran into her room and locked the door behind her.

“No… I can’t stay here, Uncle. I just can’t,” she whispered through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with anger and fear as she searched the bed for her phone.

Her hands trembled as she found it beneath a pillow and grabbed it.

“He looks like he’s going to make my break a living hell, and I don’t want that. I’d rather stay alone than spend another day with Damien Wolfe,” she said to herself, her voice cracking.

She dialed her uncle’s number again and again, each time hearing nothing but silence.

A choked groan escaped her lips. She tried again, and again, but it wouldn’t connect.

Then she paused. Her fingers froze on the screen. She stared down at the phone… and remembered. Remembered why she came here in the first place.

With a growl of frustration, she flung the phone to the far end of the bed.

“God,” she breathed, curling her hands into tight fists, her lower lip trembling with rage.

“Can you do this, Lila?” she muttered to herself, biting down on her lower lip to stop it from shaking.

“He looks so… so dangerous.”

The following day…

Lila refused to leave her bedroom. She stayed tucked under the covers, doing everything she could to avoid Damien. The thought of facing him again made her stomach twist. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t step out until she was sure he had left the house.

“What a terrifying man,” she whispered, shivering at the memory of his cold gaze.

Then her stomach growled loudly.

“Ugh… I’m hungry,” she groaned, clutching her belly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Before she could even answer, the door creaked open.

“Hello. I hope you had a good night’s rest,” the housekeeper greeted with a polite smile as she approached the nightstand and placed the tray she was holding on it.

Lila sat up slowly, her eyes drawn to the tray. It was a croissant, a canned corned beef sandwich with eggs, and a jar of orange juice, exactly the way she liked it.

A slow grin crept across her lips as she swallowed.

“How did you know my favorite, ma’am?” she asked with a soft smile, already sliding out of bed.

“I didn’t know it was your favorite,” the woman replied gently. “Mr. Damien was the one who told me to make it for you.”

Lila froze mid-step, her smile faltering. She stared at the woman with wide eyes, unsure if she had heard her correctly.

“Uncle Wolfe told you to prepare my favorite? But… how did he know that?”