Chapter 5 - The Trap is Sprung
I held Lily so tightly my arms began to ache.
My daughter was trembling against my chest, terrified by the sudden shouting and the harsh presence of the security guards.
Damian stood in the doorway of our small room, staring at the velvet box in Marcus's massive hands.
The silence that followed Selene's vicious demand was absolute and terrifying.
"I didn't do this," I whispered, looking directly into Damian's dark eyes.
"Someone put that box in my drawer while I was working."
Selene let out a harsh, theatrical laugh that echoed off the cinderblock walls of the staff quarters.
"Thieves always have an excuse, darling," she told Damian, her hand resting possessively on his shoulder.
"She is a desperate woman who got caught."
"Let the police handle it."
Damian did not look at his fiancée.
He kept his gaze locked on my face, studying the raw, unfiltered terror in my expression.
He looked down at Lily, who was hiding her face in my apron, quietly crying.
"Marcus," Damian said, his voice deadly calm.
"Yes, Boss," the security chief replied instantly.
"Take Miss Vale to my private study and wait for me there."
Selene frowned, her perfectly manicured eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
"Your study?" she asked, her voice losing some of its confident edge.
"Damian, we need to call the authorities immediately."
"We will discuss the authorities in my office, Selene," he commanded coldly.
"Marcus, escort her."
Marcus placed a heavy, unyielding hand on Selene’s elbow and practically dragged her down the hallway.
Damian waited until they were out of earshot before he stepped fully into my small room.
He closed the door behind him, sealing us off from the prying eyes of the rest of the staff.
He walked over to where I was kneeling on the floor with Lily.
He crouched down so he was at eye level with my terrified daughter.
"Lily," he said softly, his deep voice incredibly gentle.
"Nobody is going to take you away from your mother."
"I promise you that."
Lily peeked out from behind my apron, her dark eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears.
"They think my mom is a bad lady," she sniffled.
Damian reached out and gently wiped a tear from her small cheek.
"Your mom is a very good lady," he assured her.
"And I know exactly who the bad lady is."
He stood up, his massive frame dominating the small bedroom.
He looked down at me, extending a strong, calloused hand.
"Come with me, Elena," he ordered quietly.
I took his hand, pulling myself up from the floor, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"We are going to end this," Damian stated.
He led me out of the staff quarters and down the long, opulent hallway toward the East Wing.
I realized then that Damian had not been fooled by the stolen diamonds for a single second.
He was a man who had built an empire by reading the true intentions of liars and thieves.
We reached the heavy oak doors of his private study, and Damian pushed them open without knocking.
Selene was pacing the floor nervously, while Marcus stood by the door like a stone gargoyle.
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"Sit down, Selene," Damian commanded, walking behind his massive mahogany desk.
The trap had been sprung, and the heiress had no idea the jaws were already closing around her.
