"Blessed with the sight of your presence Your Highness."
She met his intense gaze, his eyes blazed with anger as they bore into her. Irene couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him so enraged. Yet, her laughter only seemed to stoke the flames of his fury further. He seized her arms tightly, prompting her laughter to bubble up even more. Suddenly, he pressed the barrel of his gun against her chin, causing Irene to fall silent and lock eyes with him, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. With a swift motion, she grasped his hand, guiding the gun away from her chin and halting his movement.
"You don't have to use this to kill me, Damien, your eyes are enough."
Damien clenched his fist, a gesture that he was too familiar with. Her unpredictable behavior was nothing unusual to him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, trying to keep his calm as much as he could.
"Just to give a sweet visit to my sweet Enola."
Damien's teeth gritted together at the sound of her name escaping Irene's lips. Without hesitation, he grabbed Irene, pulling her forcefully with him, almost dragging her away to his awaiting car. With a swift motion, he slammed her against the harsh metal of the car door, the force of his actions causing her to wince. Yet, despite the roughness of his grip, Irene didn't resist; instead, a knowing smile played across her lips as she observed his desperation. There was something undeniably captivating about the way he looked at that moment, a mixture of frustration and longing that made him more sensual that only served to ignite a playful glint in Irene's eyes.
"I wondered how she survived Damien." Irene faked her surprised act, watching as Damien's eyes flashed with rage at her saying. Despite the intensity of his emotions, Damien remained eerily composed, his hand steady as he brought the gun to rest directly against her temple, eliminating any semblance of distance between them.
"I won't even think for a second Irene."
Irene felt a glimpse of fear arising in her, as she realized the irrationality of Damien's actions, knowing all too well that he was capable of pulling the trigger in that very moment.
"Damien Adler, still obsessed with his..." She halted mid-sentence, her taunts dripping with each word, inflicting further agony upon his already wounded psyche.
"Good for you Damien, she had lost her memory."
She uttered, fully aware of the impact they would have on him, and Damien couldn't ignore the underlying meaning she stated. Surprisingly, instead of erupting in anger or attempting to intimidate her, he simply chuckled in response to her taunts. Irene furrowed her eyebrows, taken aback by his unexpected reaction. Damien released his grip on her, tucking his gun away, and regarded her with a playful glint in his eyes, leaving Irene to wonder about the shift in his demeanor.
"We are on the same note isn't it Irene?"
"what do you mean by that." Irene was puzzled hearing him saying that.
"Run away from Russia, hid yourself, and then suddenly Irene came here on the same path I am walking."
Damien turned towards her eyes blazing with undefined playfulness as if he knew many unrevealed truths of her.
"Do not play with me Irene, life may not be grateful to you as it was that night."
Damien's voice dripped with menace as he spoke, his words sending shivers down Irene's spine. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she felt the weight of his threat sinking in. Unable to find her voice, Irene's lips remained tightly sealed, the realization of his intentions settling heavily upon her.
With a sadistic smirk playing on his lips, Damien leaned in closer, observing the fear reflected in Irene's eyes. The intensity of his gaze made it clear that he derived pleasure from her discomfort. Sensing her terror, Irene made no attempt to hide it.
Finally, with a lingering glance filled with malice, Damien released her and retreated to his car. As the engine roared to life, he drove away, leaving Irene alone to grapple with the aftermath of their chilling encounter. She dialed a call with her trembling hand.
"Meet me tomorrow."
_______
"Irene is here?
"Hmm..."
"So, you knew she would be there?"
"No..." Damien uttered unbothered by his straight answers.
"So you do not have any idea that she would be there, but both of you met there. What were you doing there?"
Austin's gaze threw a question that caught Damien's attention, prompting him to lock eyes with his companion.
"Why Irene was there anyway?"
Damien rose from his seat and strolled over to the table, pouring himself a drink before taking a sip, deliberately brushing off Austin's inquiry.
"You went there for Ragis?" Damien was silent again.
Austin pressurized his brain, trying to unravel the answer to Damien's silence. Questions swirled in his mind, each one more perplexing than the last. How had Damien ended up at the Saint colony, and what was Irene doing there? The pieces of the puzzle refused to fit together, leaving Austin grasping at elusive answers. A nagging feeling tugged at his thoughts, hinting at a revelation he wasn't prepared for. It was becoming increasingly clear that Damien held the key to unlocking the truth, yet his silence spoke volumes. Austin realized that pressing further would only lead to frustration; Damien's lips were sealed, and he had no intention of revealing his secrets. He changed his question...
"Why did you let Irene go."
"For Ryan."
"Ryan?"
"She definitely going to contact him, she had her work undone here." Damien smiled it was not something sane, but rather a facade masking something altogether more sinister.
"Keep your eyes on her from now, do not miss even a single detail of her. Make her your new target"
Austin nodded
"There is a new tenant at Alfred Ragis's house." Austin provided this piece of information, causing Damien to turn his gaze towards him.
"He is some random guy, but new to this city. Our people checked into his background but didn't find much. Even details about his family seem sketchy. It's raising some suspicion, so we're digging deeper."
Damien listened to the details about the new guy, but it didn't seem to hold much interest for him. His mind was solely fixated on one person, Enola. he closed his eyes, the restlessness within him was evident, even to Austin. Downing the portion of his glass in one swift motion, Damien rose from his seat, grabbed his car keys, and departed without a word, leaving Austin bewildered and drowning in unanswered questions...
_______
In the dead darkness of night, Damien stood against the pillar which was exactly visible through Enola's window. Clad in a black jacket, his turtleneck sweater pulled up to conceal the lower half of his face, as if shielding himself from the darkness of night. Each breath he took seemed to crystallize in the bone-chilling air, tinting his eyes and nose with a haunting shade of red, adding a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.
His gaze remained fixed on her window, silently amidst the darkness. Many unspoken desires, and memories, both flickered through his mind, tormenting him with their relentless persistence. The desire to shatter the barrier between them, to catch even a fleeting glimpse of her, clawed at him with unrelenting fervor. Yet, he held himself back, knowing the fragility of her peace, the delicate balance of her newfound happiness that he dared not to disturb. For he held her innermost secrets close, guarding them with a fierce devotion, even as they threatened to consume him from within.
A heavy sigh escaped Damien's lips as he prepared to depart. Just as he turned to leave, the rustle of footsteps and murmurs from the shadows stirred him to attention. With a sudden alertness, he scanned the darkness, his sharp gaze piercing the veil of night as he sought the source of the hustles.
Stepping cautiously forward, Damien moved towards the sound, his senses attuned to the slightest hint of movement. But to his surprise, he found only a cat darting through the bushes, its little paws created a rustling whisper in the night.
As he prepared to leave, a sudden flash of light pierced through his vision, causing him to shield his eyes instinctively. Slowly, he adjusted his vision to discover where from the light came, his gaze then falling upon a man, similar to his age, clad in work attire and holding a torch aloft. In that brief moment of uneasy eye contact, both men stood frozen in confusion. The man opened his mouth to break the silence.
"Do you live here?"
Damien heard him as he looked at him with his utter silence. Getting no reply from him the man strode close to him. Both of their eyes were firm against each other. Seeing the uneasiness building inside them the man again opened his mouth extending his hand that turned things more unusual for them.
"It's Erick Fernandez"