Lena stood in the center of Damian's office, her pulse still unsteady from the intruder's words.
"You don't belong here."
She repeated them in her mind, as if turning them over would reveal some hidden meaning.
Damian had barely spoken since she told him. He stood near the window, his profile cast in shadows as he stared out at the darkened estate grounds. Knight was at his side, murmuring something low and clipped.
Lena exhaled, steadying herself. "Someone broke into your home to deliver a message. Shouldn't we be talking about that?"
Damian turned then, his gaze locking onto hers. "We are."
"You're whispering about it," she corrected, folding her arms. "I'm the one they threatened, Damian. I deserve to know what's going on."
His expression didn't shift, but there was something unreadable in his eyes.
Knight cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "We don't have an ID on the intruder yet, but the security feed caught movement near the east wing. He wasn't alone."
Lena's stomach tightened. "So this was planned."
Damian nodded once, his jaw tight. "It was calculated."
She didn't miss the fury simmering beneath his carefully controlled demeanor. It was different from the icy detachment he usually carried it was personal.
"Whoever they are, they wanted you to be afraid," he continued. "To make you question your place here."
Lena's nails dug into her palms. "And is that what you think? That I don't belong here?"
The moment the words left her lips, the tension in the room sharpened.
Damian crossed the space between them in three slow, measured steps. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, deliberate.
"You're my wife, Lena. You belong to me."
The possessiveness in his words sent an unexpected shiver through her.
But she refused to back down.
"I'm not some asset you can claim, Damian," she said, meeting his gaze with steady defiance. "If I'm going to be part of this whatever this is then I need the truth."
Knight shot Damian a pointed look. "She has a right to know."
Damian exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"There's a man I buried years ago," he said, his voice cold, distant. "At least, I thought I did."
Lena's breath caught.
Knight shifted beside him. "Elias Vaughn."
The name meant nothing to her. But the way Damian's entire body tensed at the mention of it told her everything she needed to know.
Lena's mind raced. "Who is he?"
Damian's jaw clenched. "A mistake from my past. And now, it seems, a problem for our future."
A chill settled over her.
This wasn't just about business.
This was about Damian's past his secrets. The ones he had tried to bury.
And now, they were coming back to haunt them both.