The car ride home was quiet again, but this time, it was peaceful.
As soon as we walked into the penthouse,
"Where is everyone?" he snapped, looking around. The staff usually greeted him, but the place was empty and quiet.
A little girl was running with excitement. "Shh, be careful," the maid whispered, chasing after her daughter.
But it was too late.
The little girl threw her teddy up the air. The toy flew higher than she probably intended, and before I could even blink, it hit the gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
I watched the enormous, priceless chandelier come crashing down, shattering into pieces on the floor. Gold chains, gemstones, and diamonds splintered in every direction, glittering like broken stars.
Startled by the crash, the rest of the staff rushed in, their faces full of panic and confusion.
The room felt silent.
Damian froze. His eyes went cold, and his face became hard in an instant.
"What the hell is going on here?" he said, his voice low, but dangerous.
The maid's face turned pale, and she rushed to her daughter's side. "I-I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't know she would run into the living room. She wasn't feeling well. I had to bring her along, since no one was there to take care of her at home, while I was at work."
" You are fired, all of you. Out. I want everyone gone by tomorrow."
I froze. "What? You're firing them?"
"They're useless," he said harshly, pulling off his jacket and tossing it on the couch. "I've had enough of incompetence."
I stared at him. "That's not fair."
He turned to me slowly. "Excuse me?"
"They're people, Damian," I said, my voice rising. "You don't just throw them away because of a little mistake." You can't just fire people like they're trash!"
His eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone."
"No," I said, stepping closer. "You're cruel. It was an accident. You're just angry, and you're using them to let it out. That's not okay."
He blinked, like he didn't believe what he was hearing. No one ever talked back to him. Not like that.
"You don't know what it's like to build something from nothing and have people ruin it," he said, low and angry.
"And you don't know what it's like to work for someone who treats you like you're nothing," I shot back. "I may be stuck in this contract, but I still have a heart. And if you don't, then maybe I don't want to be anywhere near you."
He didn't say anything. He just stared, his chest rising and falling. His face was hard again, cold, angry, like the man I first met.
Then, without warning, he pushed me out of the way. I stumbled and fell to the floor with a gasp.
He grabbed the maid roughly by the arm, shouting for the guards. 'Lock them in the guest room until I decide what to do,' he snapped."
The little girl started crying. The maid begged him to stop, but he didn't even flinch. He turned away like he didn't hear her at all.
I couldn't take it, I turned and ran to my room. I shut the door behind me, but the tears had already started falling. I hated how mean he could be. I hated that I saw a soft side of him today, just a small one, and then this.
I sat on the bed, wiping my face, but the tears wouldn't stop. My chest hurt.
A few minutes passed. Then I heard a knock.
I didn't answer.
The door opened anyway. Damian stepped in, slower than usual. He looked unsure. For the first time, he didn't look like the powerful billionaire. Just… a man.
"Elena," he said softly.
I looked away.
He walked closer. "I… I didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't scare me," I said, but my voice cracked. "You hurt me."
He sighed and stood by the edge of the bed. "I'm not used to people questioning me. I lose control when I'm angry."
I got up and stood in front of him. "That's not an excuse."
"I know."
I didn't know what came over me, but I hit his chest gently, once, then again. "You're such a jerk sometimes. You act like no one else matters, like nothing touches you."
He didn't stop me. He just stood there, watching me cry, like he couldn't believe it was real.
"I care about people. I care when they're hurting. And today… you scared me. Because I thought maybe you'd never change. That maybe you'd always be this cold, heartless guy."
His expression softened, just a little.
"I want to help you," I whispered. "But you keep shutting the door. I don't want to feel this way. I don't want to care about someone who doesn't care back."
My voice broke again, and I pressed my forehead against his chest, trying to stop the tears. He slowly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. His touch was gentle, careful.
We stayed like that for a moment.
Then he lifted my chin with one hand, trying to look into my eyes.
I looked up at him.
And suddenly, our lips brushed.
It wasn't planned. It just… happened.
For a second, everything stopped.
The air between us felt calm. My heart pounded. His breath mixed with mine, and I felt his hand tighten slightly around me.
Neither of us moved right away. We just stared at each other, wide-eyed, both trying to figure out what just happened.
Something dangerous had sparked.
And there was no turning back.
He kiss me gently, and my heart melted as i responded. Eyes closed, our whole bodies felt the electricity, the softness of our lips and the warmth of our embrace. It felt like the whole world had stopped.
I opened my eyes and his arms still wrapped around me. We stared at each other, feeling something deep. Then I whispered to him in a soft voice. " Please let the woman and her daughter stay."