Chapter 11: Shadows of the Past
Evelyn stared at the photograph, her hands trembling. The young Alexander in the picture looked different—lighter, freer, as though the weight he now carried hadn't yet found him.
But it was the man standing beside him that shook her to her core. Damian Carter.
What did it mean? How had these two men, seemingly bitter enemies, once been so close?
The sound of footsteps snapped her out of her thoughts. She barely had time to slide the photo back into the drawer before Alexander appeared in the doorway.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his tone sharper than she'd ever heard it.
Evelyn turned slowly, her mind racing. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to…understand."
Alexander's gaze dropped to the drawer she hadn't fully closed. His jaw tightened. "Understand what, Evelyn?"
"The truth," she said, standing her ground. "Who is Damian to you? What aren't you telling me?"
For a long moment, Alexander said nothing. Then he walked to his desk, pulled the photo from the drawer, and held it up.
"You found this?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
"I had to," she replied. "You keep shutting me out, Alexander. If you want me to trust you, I need to know what I'm fighting for."
Alexander let out a bitter laugh, sinking into his chair. "You think you're fighting for me? Evelyn, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."
"Then tell me," she urged, stepping closer. "I'm not afraid of the truth."
The Truth
Alexander stared at the photo for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Damian and I grew up together," he began. "We were like brothers—closer than family. Our fathers were business partners, and for a time, everything was perfect. We had the world at our feet."
He paused, the weight of the memories pulling at him.
"But then everything changed. Our fathers' partnership fell apart, and with it, our families. Damian's father accused mine of sabotage, said he'd ruined their business on purpose. Whether it was true or not, I'll never know. But the fallout was…devastating."
Evelyn listened intently, her heart aching at the pain in his voice.
"Damian lost everything," Alexander continued. "His family's fortune, their reputation—it was all gone. And he blamed me. Said I was complicit, that I stood by while my father destroyed his life."
"Is that true?" Evelyn asked softly.
Alexander met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "I didn't know what my father was doing back then. I was just a kid. But Damian didn't care. All he saw was betrayal."
Evelyn sat down across from him, trying to process everything. "So this feud…it's personal."
"It's more than personal," Alexander said darkly. "Damian's spent his entire life trying to rebuild what he lost. But instead of starting fresh, he's been tearing me down piece by piece. He doesn't just want revenge—he wants to erase me."
The Next Move
The revelation left Evelyn reeling, but it also gave her a sense of clarity. For the first time, she understood the stakes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"Because I didn't want you to get involved," Alexander said. "Damian's ruthless, Evelyn. He'll use anything and anyone to get what he wants. I couldn't risk putting you in his crosshairs."
"Well, it's too late for that," she said firmly. "I'm already involved, whether you like it or not. And if we're going to survive this, we need to face it together."
Alexander studied her for a moment, a flicker of something like admiration crossing his face. "You're braver than I gave you credit for."
"And you're more stubborn than I gave you credit for," she shot back, a small smile tugging at her lips.
For the first time in days, the tension between them eased, replaced by a sense of solidarity.
Damian's Game
Meanwhile, Damian wasn't idle. He had his own plans in motion, and Evelyn's visit to The Raven had only confirmed what he already suspected: she was Alexander's weakness.
"She's curious," Damian said to his assistant as he reviewed a dossier on Evelyn. "That's good. Curiosity can be…useful."
"What's the next step?" the assistant asked.
Damian smiled, cold and calculating. "We wait. Alexander will make a move soon, and when he does, we'll be ready."
The Cliffhanger
Later that night, Evelyn found herself unable to sleep. She wandered the mansion, her mind racing with everything Alexander had told her.
As she passed his office, she noticed the light was still on. Peeking inside, she saw Alexander on the phone, his expression tense.
"No, we can't wait any longer," he was saying. "It's time to end this, once and for all."
Evelyn's stomach twisted. Whatever Alexander was planning, it sounded dangerous.
She didn't know what scared her more: the idea of him confronting Damian, or the possibility that he might not come back