The clock on Liyana's office wall ticked with the late hour. The city lights outside glimmered in the distance, but inside, the room felt heavy with silence. Liyana was bent over her desk, scribbling something on a report. Her exhaustion was evident, but she couldn't stop. Not when so much was at stake. Her fingers felt numb from the hours of paperwork, and yet, she didn't feel like stopping.
A soft knock echoed at the door, breaking her concentration. She didn't look up, assuming it was just another employee needing something from her. But then she heard his voice. Deep, calm, but with that unmistakable edge.
"I brought dinner."
Liyana's breath caught in her throat. She finally looked up, finding Damien standing in the doorway, holding a couple of takeout bags. His gaze locked onto hers, unreadable, as always. But tonight, there was something different in the way he looked at her. Almost possessive.
"You didn't have to do this," she said, her voice neutral, but the faintest hint of something deeper lingered—maybe it was reluctance, or maybe something else.
Damien stepped into the office and placed the bags on her desk. "You haven't eaten anything all day," he said, his tone soft but insistent. He looked at her as if he could see through the walls she'd carefully built around herself.
Liyana hesitated, then pushed her chair back and stood. She crossed her arms, standing a few feet from him. "What's this really about, Damien? You think a meal will make this engagement feel less like a transaction?"
His jaw tightened. "Is that what you think this is? A transaction?" He moved closer, his voice lowering. "It's more than that, Liyana. You know it. This is not just some business deal. Not for me."
She stepped back slightly, trying to distance herself. "Then what is it for you, Damien? What do you want from me?"
He paused, his eyes darkening with a mixture of frustration and something more intense. "I want honesty. No games. Not this cold façade you've built around us. We both know there's more here than just business."
Liyana's eyes narrowed. "You really think that? After everything that's happened?" Her voice was laced with disbelief.
"Yes," Damien said firmly. He stepped forward, closing the space between them. "You act like this is some kind of game, Liyana, but it's not. I'm not just doing this because our families expect it. I'm doing this because I want to."
She shook her head, trying to understand his intensity. "You want this engagement, you want me, and yet you're the one who keeps throwing it back in my face. You're the one who can't even accept it. You can't even accept us."
His frustration boiled over, and he gripped her arm, his touch firm, not quite gentle. "I'm not throwing anything in your face. What do you think I've been doing, huh? You think I'm trying to control this?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "No. What I'm trying to do is make you understand that this—what's happening between us—it's not something I can just ignore. Not anymore."
Liyana's pulse quickened as she met his gaze, the weight of his words sinking in. Her breath hitched. This wasn't just about the business. It never had been.
"Then what?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "What do you want from me, Damien?"
Damien's frustration boiled over into something more raw, something more dangerous. His lips crashed onto hers in a fierce, desperate kiss. It was like the last thread of control had snapped, and now there was nothing left but the need to claim her.
Liyana gasped, caught off guard by the intensity of the kiss. She tried to pull away, but his grip on her waist was unyielding. He kissed her again, harder this time, as though trying to burn every bit of himself into her. He wanted her to feel it—how much he needed her.
When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathless. His eyes were wild with something that was almost too much to bear. "Mei Mei," he murmured against her lips, his voice thick with a mixture of possessiveness and longing. "You think you can push me away? You think I'll just let you walk away like this?"
Liyana's heart hammered in her chest. She wasn't sure what to say. Her mind was spinning, the taste of his kiss still lingering on her lips. But one thing was clear: he wasn't backing down.
Damien's breath was ragged as he stepped back just enough to look at her. "I can't imagine anyone else in your place. Not now, not ever," he said, his voice low and almost guttural. "You've got me by the leash, Liyana. And I'm not walking away. Not now. Not ever."
Liyana felt something shift within her, a rush of emotions she couldn't quite understand. Her mind was spinning, but her body was still responding to him—his touch, his kiss, his words. She had always kept him at a distance, but now, standing there with his confession hanging between them, she wasn't sure if she could anymore.
"You think you can just claim me like that?" she asked, trying to steady her breathing. But there was a small tremor in her voice, the crack that betrayed how affected she really was.
Damien stepped closer again, his eyes dark with something almost dangerous. "I don't need to claim you," he said, his voice softer now, but still firm. "You've already got me. And you always have."
Liyana swallowed, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. She didn't know how to process everything that had just happened. She didn't know how to deal with the sudden surge of emotions, the heat that had flared between them. The engagement—this whole situation—was getting too real, too fast.
"I'll be here when you're ready to talk," Damien said, his voice softer now, but the possessiveness never left his eyes. "But you need to know something—I'm not going anywhere."
Liyana didn't respond immediately. Her mind was still spinning from the kiss, from everything he had said. She couldn't deny the pull she felt toward him, even if she tried to. It was there, undeniable, and it was only getting stronger.
Damien turned to leave, but not before glancing back at her one last time. "I'll wait," he said quietly before walking out of the room, his footsteps echoing in the silence.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Liyana standing in the stillness of the room, her heart racing.
She wasn't sure what had just happened. She wasn't sure what Damien was trying to say. But she knew one thing for sure: nothing was going to be the same between them ever again.