Elena sat in Damian's study, her nerves stretched tight as the clock on the wall ticked away the seconds. The weight of his world was pressing down on her, suffocating, inescapable. She had known he was dangerous, but knowing and seeing were two different things.
Tonight, she would see.
Damian stood by the large window, his silhouette outlined against the city lights. He was speaking in hushed tones into his phone, his expression unreadable. Whatever the conversation was about, it wasn't good.
She shouldn't be here. She should have run the moment she had the chance. But something about him—about the way he moved, the way he spoke—kept her anchored. Trapped.
When he hung up, his gaze flickered to her. "Come with me."
Elena hesitated. "Where?"
He didn't answer, only extended a hand. After a long pause, she took it, letting him lead her through the house. They walked down a long corridor, past guards who averted their eyes the moment they saw Damian. It only reinforced what she already knew—he wasn't just powerful. He was feared.
They stopped at a heavy steel door. Damian entered a code into the keypad, and the lock disengaged with a loud click. He pushed it open and gestured for her to step inside.
Her stomach clenched as she hesitated at the threshold. The room was dimly lit, the air thick with tension. A man sat tied to a chair in the center, his face bloodied and bruised. His breathing was ragged, his head hanging low.
Elena froze. "Damian…"
"This is what I do, Elena," Damian said, his voice devoid of emotion. "This is what you need to understand."
She turned to him, horror creeping into her veins. "You're going to hurt him?"
Damian stepped forward, his presence suffocating. "He stole from me. He betrayed me. What do you think should happen to people who betray me?"
Elena's throat tightened. "You don't have to do this."
He tilted his head, studying her. "That's where you're wrong."
The bound man let out a weak chuckle. "Don't waste your breath, sweetheart," he croaked. "Costa doesn't do mercy."
Damian's jaw tightened. Without warning, he landed a brutal punch to the man's gut, making him gasp in agony. Elena flinched, her entire body recoiling at the sudden act of violence.
This was the side of Damian she had only glimpsed before. The one people feared. The one that reminded her exactly who he was.
And yet, what terrified her most wasn't what he was doing.
It was the way he looked at her after, watching her reaction, waiting to see if she would run.
She wanted to. Every part of her screamed at her to run.
But she didn't.
Instead, she held his gaze, her own hands trembling as she forced herself to breathe. This was Damian Costa. This was the world he lived in. And she was standing right in the middle of it.
His lips curled into something almost like satisfaction. He stepped away from the broken man, wiping his knuckles with a handkerchief. "Now you understand."
Elena swallowed hard. "I understand that you're a monster."
Damian smirked, tucking the handkerchief into his pocket. "And yet, you're still here."
She hated that he was right.
But it was far too late to turn back now.