g the city move beneath him. Even at this hour, it never truly slept. Streetlights bathed t

ed into a steady rhythm. Damien loved watching the city in its element.

ng figures scurrying from one place to another, chasing things that didn't mat

that truth, it was the foundation of everything he built. People, after all, were easy. They could be

ng that mattered. Some were born into it, shaped by it. Others spent their

d always preferred solitude, the quiet control of watching rather than being among the masses. He didn't

rp cutting through him with the precision of a blade. Not because of the act itself, he had been betrayed before. People w

him. Ryan Hastings. The name was laughable, a name that Ryan used to bury the past. As

im access to a world most men could only dream of. And how had he repaid him? By sinking a knife

The boy had made choices. And Ryan had thought he could just disappear? Thought he could es

windows. He placed his glass down as he settled onto a couch, opening his laptop. Damien's lips curved into somethin

he had destroyed with his own selfishness. She had been an unexpected opportunity, one he hadn't planne

he fact that he had been watching. He had known exactly who she was, the golden girl of Be

ared before him, unknowing and vulnerable, the opportunity was too perfect to ignore.

eceived the confirmation that Chloe Bennett would be representing Bennett Industrie

ting. A seasoned player like James sending his daughter? What had he been thinking? Did James thin

gacy from the ground up and clawed his way to the top of the industry. But even the sh

, it was a fatal miscalculation, because Chloe wasn't going to sway him. She was going to be his. Not

fate had handed him the perfect leverage. She was about to walk into his world. She would sit across from him t

aptop, sinking into the soft embrace of his luxurious cou

__

ng windows of his penthouse. Sleep was a luxury, one he rarely indulged in. He preferred the quiet hours b

't remember getting here. The last thing he recalled was the couch. The warmth of whiskey burned down his th

is skin. The room was silent except for the distant hum of the city below. Atlanta. After three years.

the bed and rose, the marble floor cool beneath his feet. He glanced at the clock. 5:13 AM. His us

owel wrapped around his waist, his haze of sleep had lifted completely. Dressing was a ritual in itself, tailored black suit, silver cufflinks,

but Damien didn't glance up, he knew wh

an Graves remarked, st

ee. Ethan was one of the few people who had clearance to ent

too perceptive for his good. Ethan leaned against the coun

ion remained unr

g Bennett Industries himself, it's onl

quiet cough. "Mr. Cross,

ed at him, lifting

. It makes sense for me to handle the negoti

s he spoke. "You think s

of the shadows for this. People are speculating why. If your first

on didn't change.

Bennett," Ethan emphasized. Ethan held h

again, letting the silence

furrowed. "No?

e Bennett myself.

ll. A muscle twitched in Ethan's jaw. "Damien if James s

him exactly what

king this

't waver. "It's al

his hand. He knew that. The moment Ryan Hastings - Ryan Cross- had ma

y knew. He was here to ensure that Cross Corp didn't fal

conversation already over in his mind. "Make

gave a curt nod before turning for the door. "Of co

ttling into his chest. Chloe Bennett was walking into his world. She had no idea