Great! Here's Chapter 12 of *The
The next morning came with an eerie silence.
Nora stood by the massive window in Damien's penthouse, sipping the coffee he had awkwardly made for her. The tension from last night still lingered like a storm cloud. Damien hadn't said much after she caught him standing in her room like some lovestruck fool, though he'd never admit it. He muttered something about a "misplaced file," but Nora had only arched an eyebrow, half-smirking as she turned away and climbed back into bed. The truth was written all over his face. He was falling, and falling hard.
And he hated it.
She was supposed to be temporary. Just a distraction. A problem he could manage, like a malfunctioning prototype or a late investor report. But now… Damien Voss couldn't get Nora Grayson out of his head.
He walked into the kitchen now, all broad shoulders and sharp glares, pretending not to look at her in the sunlight. But he noticed everything. The way her curls were messier in the morning. The way she hummed quietly while sipping her coffee. The faint trace of exhaustion beneath her eyes, she hadn't slept well. Neither had he.
He walked past her and picked up his tablet, pretending to read the latest updates on the Helix security breach and missing Team 3. But Nora's presence burned like a flame next to him, impossible to ignore.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, voice neutral.
"You mean after finding my boss standing over me in the dark? Like a serial killer? Oh yeah, great sleep."
Damien sighed. "I told you I needed a file."
"You don't even keep files in my room."
"You don't know that."
She shot him a look. "You're a terrible liar, Voss."
He smirked. "And you're too nosy for your own good."
Nora rolled her eyes and moved past him, brushing his arm slightly. That small contact sent a jolt down his spine. He clenched his jaw. This was bad. This was really, really bad.
And it only got worse when they arrived at Vortex that morning.
The lab on floor 42 had been completely wiped.
Gone.
Every trace of Nora's Whirlybird prototype—her pride, her entire future—was missing. The security cameras had been disabled during the night. No fingerprints. No logs.
Damien stood beside her, his arms crossed, jaw tight, fury dancing in his cold eyes. Nora felt like she might cry, but she refused to show weakness in front of him. Not when she was just starting to prove herself.
"They stole it," she whispered.
"No," Damien said, voice like ice. "They declared war."
He turned to her. "Do you still have your blueprints?"
"Yes. Saved them in three drives. One on me, one in the cloud, one mailed to my mother."
His eyes lit with approval. "Smart."
She looked up at him. "Who would do this?"
Damien didn't answer. But his mind was already running through every possibility. Helix. One of their VPs. Maybe even someone in R&D. Someone didn't want Nora succeeding.
That evening, back at the penthouse, Nora paced the living room, agitated. Damien stood at the window, staring out over the city like a brooding statue.
"I'm not backing down," she said.
He turned slowly. "Good. Because I'm not letting them take what's mine."
Something in the way he said it made her freeze. She met his eyes.
"Your company?" she asked.
But he didn't answer. He just kept looking at her. Like she was the thing they'd stolen.
Nora blinked. "Damien…"
He closed the distance in two steps, standing close enough that she could see the flecks of steel in his dark eyes. "I told myself I didn't care," he murmured. "That you were a liability. An annoyance. But you built something I've never seen before. And you've made me feel things I haven't felt in years."
Her heart thudded. "What kind of things?"
He gave a low laugh. "Weakness. Fear. Longing. All the inconvenient emotions I've spent my life avoiding."
Nora's breath caught.
"But you scare me more than Helix," he whispered. "Because I can't predict you. And I can't stop thinking about you."
Just then, her phone buzzed. Another anonymous message.
Her hands trembled as she read it:
"The Whirlybird was just the beginning. They're coming for you next."
She showed it to Damien.
He stared at it, face hardening. "It's Helix. They know we're getting too close."
"I don't understand," Nora whispered. "Why are they targeting me?"
"Because you matter," Damien said. "Because someone finally came to this company and dared to be more than just a pawn."
His words stunned her.
And in the silence, he stepped forward, fingers brushing her cheek.
"I'm not letting them take you," he said. "Not now. Not ever."
But before she could respond, the entire penthouse went dark. The power had been cut. Then came the sound.
A soft click.
Like a gun being loaded. Nora spun around. "Damien…" He reached behind the sofa, pulling out a secured case and opening it to reveal a handgun.
"Stay behind me," he said grimly.
The front door creaked open.
And a familiar voice called out:
"Hello, Damien. I didn't come alone this time."
Victoria.