Lena's pulse thrummed in her ears as she absorbed Damian's words.
They cut the power to the east wing.
This wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't a prank or a security oversight. Someone had wanted access to this part of the estate. And that someone had been standing just outside the door, close enough to reach for her.
Damian's jaw tightened, his gaze distant for a fraction of a second before snapping back to her. "You're coming with me."
Lena stiffened. "Where?"
"My study." His tone allowed no argument. "It's the most secure room in the house."
She hesitated, a thousand unspoken questions pressing against her lips, but the gravity in his voice left no room for defiance.
Without another word, he took her hand—an instinctive, almost unconscious gesture and led her swiftly down the dimly lit corridor. His grip was firm, not forceful, but there was a tension beneath his touch, a silent urgency that set her nerves on edge.
The mansion felt different now. Every shadow seemed deeper, every corner a potential hiding place.
She swallowed hard. "Damian, who would do this?"
He didn't answer immediately. When he did, his voice was quieter, more measured. "I have enemies."
Lena exhaled a dry laugh. "Shocking."
His eyes flicked toward her, something unreadable in his expression. "This isn't a joke, Lena."
"I know that." Her frustration flared. "But if I'm in danger, I deserve to know why."
He didn't respond. Instead, he pushed open a heavy wooden door and ushered her inside.
The study was different from the rest of the estate. Where the mansion was grand and ostentatious, this space was all sharp lines and controlled chaos. Shelves lined the walls, filled not just with books but with files, ledgers, and Lena's stomach tightened a small but well-secured gun safe.
A world within a world.
Damian shut the door behind them, locking it with a sharp click. Then, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message.
Lena folded her arms. "Are you calling security?"
"I don't trust my security," he muttered.
That made her pause. "What?"
He looked up, his gaze darker than she'd ever seen it. "Whoever got into this house either bypassed them or is one of them."
Lena's breath caught.
An inside job.
She watched him pace for a moment, his mind clearly running through a dozen possibilities. Then, with a frustrated exhale, he turned back to her.
"You need to stay here," he said, moving toward one of the bookshelves.
Lena frowned. "And where are you going?"
He pressed something along the edge of a shelf, and with a soft click, a hidden compartment slid open, revealing a small but advanced-looking security panel. "To find out who's betraying me."
Her pulse quickened. "You're just going to walk into a trap?"
He glanced at her, something flickering in his gaze. "This is my problem to handle, Lena."
She took a step forward. "Not anymore."
He stilled.
For a long moment, they simply looked at each other. Then, to her surprise, Damian let out a low, humorless chuckle.
"You really don't know when to back down, do you?"
Lena lifted her chin. "Not when my life is on the line."
His lips pressed into a thin line. Then, with a reluctant sigh, he reached for one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a sleek, black object.
A phone.
He handed it to her. "If anything happens, call the number labeled 'Knight.' He'll know what to do."
Lena glanced down at the screen. "Knight?"
"One of the only people I trust."
That alone told her more than Damian probably intended.
As he turned to leave, she tightened her grip on the phone and called after him.
"Damian."
He stopped.
For a second, she considered all the things she wanted to say—how reckless this was, how she hated being left in the dark, how she wasn't just another business deal to be protected and controlled.
Instead, she said, "Be careful."
His gaze softened just a fraction.
Then, with a final glance at the locked door behind her, he disappeared into the shadows.
And Lena, alone in the dimly lit study, was left with a single, chilling thought.
Whoever was after Damian Blackwood wasn't just coming for him anymore.
They were coming for her, too.