Chapter 007

"Jemma."

Even though I hadn't heard his voice in months, it was there, piercing the boardroom's quiet with its distinct coldness. My throat tightened each breath. It was as though the room's air had been drawn out.

Slowly, fearing what I knew was coming, I turned. Damien was standing in the entryway, surrounded by the gleaming office glass of the building. He was no longer the man I had married, the one who had previously held my heart with every word and whispered promises in the dark. No, this was a whole different person. There was no improvement in him; he had changed.

Damien's face was a mask of quiet strength and control that was impossible to interpret. However, I could make out a glimmer of the man he used to be in his eyes. The man I believed I knew, the man I had dated for years.

I forced the word out, "Damien." It sounded stiff and strange, like I hadn't spoken in days.

He murmured, his lips twisting into a smile that stopped short of his eyes, "You look… well." "Have you missed me?"

I forcefully swallowed, ignoring the emotional upheaval his unexpected homecoming had caused. I did everything I could to keep from backing away and showing him how uneasy I still felt about him. How it shook the well-built barriers I had erected around myself.

"No," I said firmly. "You weren't missed."

Unspoken history weighed heavily on the quiet that hung between us. Even though Alex hadn't spoken since Damien came in, I could still feel him behind me. That was just the way he had always been—quiet when it counted. I knew I didn't have to justify myself, but I couldn't say I appreciated it now. Not to Damien.

Damien's voice became sharper as he replied, "I see you're still with him." "You were unable to remain away, were you?"

I didn't answer. I didn't want to show it, but the thought of Alex simply made my stomach turn.

Damien glanced at Alex, evaluating him as though he were just another barrier in his way. Then he returned his focus to me with equal speed.

Damien said, "I've come to take back what's mine," in a tone that chilled me with its finality and absoluteness.

I was powerless to control the rage that surfaced. Which is yours? Damien, you don't own me. You didn't. That privilege was taken away from you the once you—

He interrupted me, his voice dark with a subdued menace that raised the hair on the back of my neck. "Don't," he said. "Avoid adding more complexity to this situation. This is still something you can avoid. from me.

The words threatened to escape from my clinched fists, but I suppressed them. I couldn't allow him to push me around the way he used to, but I also didn't know where this conflict would go.

"Damien," I continued, my voice more steady now, "you're a fool if you think you can just walk back into my life." "You ruined everything." You're trying to be the hero now? It's pitiful.

His eyes clouded, and I briefly caught a glimpse of the old anger that I had grown so familiar with. I had made an effort to ignore it, a part of him that I wished to never see again. However, it was there, waiting to emerge from beneath the surface.

With a low, menacing voice, he declared, "Jemma, I'm not here to play games." "I have something you want, which is why I'm here. And if you ever desire what's rightfully yours again, you're going to need me.

With my heart thumping in my chest, I stepped forward. "Damien, I'm done with your games. I am not in need of you, and I most definitely do not wish to be associated with your perverted notion of justice.

There was no humor in his laugh. "You believe you can defeat him by yourself? Do you believe Alex can keep you safe? Jemma, you're playing a risky game. You won't win one.

I refused to let him realize how painful the words were. I refused to show him the depth of his treachery.

"Damien, I don't need you. And I can acquire what's mine without your assistance. I responded sharply, "I'm not the woman you left behind." "I've gained strength."

Damien's smile turned into something sinister as his eyes narrowed. "We'll check on that."

As he stepped closer and met my eyes, the tension in the room increased. I could feel the power he used to have over me, but this time I wasn't the weak woman he had abandoned.

Damien's voice was dangerously calm as he said, "Jemma, you have no idea what you're up against." You believe you have all the answers and have been playing smart. But in a far larger game, you are but a pawn. And you are unable to see it, are you?

I didn't answer. He was attempting to entice me and influence my response. However, I had gained too much knowledge from my earlier errors. I had developed the ability to control my emotions and remain proactive.

"You wish to defeat me?" Despite the adrenaline pumping through my blood, I spoke steadily. "Take action. But be aware that you won't escape unharmed. You are not alone in your ability to play dirty.

A knowing, icy smirk curved Damien's lips. "We'll check on that."

I felt the weight of everything that had brought us to this point as I stood there and stared down at him. In this one space, every betrayal and every bit of suffering comes to a head. This confrontation seemed like a bomb waiting to go off, even though I had thought I was prepared for it.

I turned reflexively, expecting to see security or someone from the corporation hurrying in, but the door behind me suddenly banged open. It wasn't just anybody, though.

Alex was the one. His look was gloomy and his face was pallid.

"Jemma," he said sharply as he moved forward. "We must depart. Right now.

I looked between him and Damien, trying to figure out what was going on, and my heart skipped a beat as panic overcame me.

"Alex, what—"

However, Damien's icy, malevolent voice interrupted me before I could say anything more.

"You believe you've triumphed?" Damien scoffed. "You're only now starting to realize how much justice costs."

And I knew then that this was just the beginning. Whatever had happened previously, whatever I believed to be true, was about to fall apart because the game had shifted.

Alex's voice was suddenly urgent as she said, "Jemma." "We must leave. Believe me.

However, I was unable to. Not quite yet. Not with everything hanging in the balance.

I knew that nothing would ever be the same when I gave Damien one last glance while he stood there observing me with that same icy grin.

The lights flickered and the power went off before I could say anything. It grew dark in the room.

And then I heard the distinct sound of footsteps in the ensuing silence.

There was another person present.