Chapter 6 Chapter 6

The door to the room slammed shut behind me, the sound reverberating through the cold, empty hallway. I could still feel Damien’s eyes on me, even though I was no longer in his presence. The weight of his ultimatum clung to me like a second skin, suffocating and unrelenting.

I walked briskly, my heels clicking against the marble floor, though my mind was anything but steady. My heart pounded in my chest, my thoughts a blur of conflicting emotions. Claudia. Damien. The phone call. The words replayed in my head, over and over, Damien’s icy command to bring her in, Claudia’s faint, whispered warning before the line went dead.

I reached my room and shut the door behind me, leaning against it as I tried to collect myself. The walls here were no safer than the ones I’d left behind. Cameras. Microphones. Damien’s presence lingered everywhere, even when he wasn’t physically there.

I moved to the window, my fingers brushing against the heavy curtains. The city lights flickered in the distance, blurred by the fog of my own panic. I couldn’t trust Damien, but I couldn’t fully trust Claudia either. And yet, here I was, trapped between them, with no clear way out.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Lisa,” a deep voice called. “It’s Marcus. Open up.”

Marcus. Damien’s right hand. His shadow. If Damien was the storm, Marcus was the steady rain that came before it, relentless and unavoidable. I hesitated, but I knew better than to ignore him.

I opened the door, keeping my expression neutral. Marcus stood there, tall and imposing, his dark eyes scanning me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, his presence filling the room instantly.

“Damien’s orders,” he said, his tone flat. “I’m to stay with you. Wherever you go, I go.”

I forced a tight-lipped smile, though inside, my stomach churned. Damien didn’t trust me. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but the reality of it still stung.

“Fine,” I said, my voice clipped. “But I don’t need a babysitter.”

Marcus didn’t respond. He simply crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, his expression unreadable.

I turned away, pretending to busy myself with the papers on my desk. My mind raced, trying to piece together a plan. If Marcus was glued to my side, there was no way I could warn Claudia without him reporting back to Damien. And if I didn’t warn her…

I shoved the papers aside, the frustration boiling over. I didn’t have time for this.

“Something bothering you?” Marcus asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

I forced myself to breathe, to steady my hands before turning back to him. “I don’t appreciate being treated like a prisoner,” I said, meeting his gaze.

“You’re not a prisoner,” Marcus said evenly. “But Damien doesn’t take chances.”

His words were a reminder, a warning. Damien was always ten steps ahead. If I so much as stepped out of line, he’d know.

The rest of the night passed in tense silence. Marcus stayed in the corner of my room, his presence a constant reminder of the noose tightening around my neck. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with possibilities.

If Claudia really wasn’t alone, who was with her? And why had she sounded so afraid?

The questions gnawed at me, but there were no answers, only more uncertainty.

The next morning, Damien summoned me. Marcus escorted me to his office, his hand resting lightly on my back, a subtle but firm reminder of his authority.

Damien sat behind his desk, the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows casting sharp angles across his face. He looked up as I entered, his expression unreadable.

“Sit,” he said, gesturing to the chair across from him.

I obeyed, my hands gripping the armrests tightly.

“Claudia isn’t who you think she is,” Damien began, his voice calm but pointed.

I frowned, the words catching me off-guard.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice steady despite the unease creeping into my chest.

Damien leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. “She’s not just running. She’s been planning this for months. Stealing from me. Undermining me.”

I shook my head, the denial instinctive. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would she—”

“Because she’s not the victim you think she is,” Damien interrupted, his voice sharp. “She’s been feeding information to my enemies. Selling me out. And now, she’s trying to drag you down with her.”

The words hit me like a slap, but I forced myself to stay calm. He was lying. He had to be. Claudia wasn’t perfect, but she wouldn’t do something like that.

Would she?

Damien studied my face, his eyes narrowing. “You didn’t know, did you?”

I shook my head, my throat tightening.

“Then consider yourself lucky,” Damien said, leaning forward. “Because if I find out you’ve been helping her, there won’t be a next time.”

His words hung in the air, a chilling reminder of the stakes.

When I returned to my room, I felt the walls closing in even more. I couldn’t trust Damien, but now, doubt had crept into my thoughts about Claudia too.

As I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the phone in my hand, it buzzed. A voicemail.

I hesitated before playing it, my pulse quickening as Claudia’s voice filled the room.

“Lisa,” she said, her voice low and urgent. “I know you’re working with him. Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing. If you come near me, I swear, I’ll—”

The voicemail cut off abruptly, leaving me frozen.

She thought I was working with Damien.

The phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud. My chest tightened, the weight of it all threatening to crush me.

I had no idea who to trust anymore.