The Warehouse – The Final Clash
Lin Hao stood frozen for a brief second before his face twisted into a scowl. He quickly pulled out a gun, pointing it straight at Damien.
"You think I didn't prepare for this?" Lin Hao sneered, his finger hovering over the trigger.
Damien didn't flinch. His stare was unyielding, a silent promise of death.
Liyana's breath hitched. From her position, she could see the cold precision in Damien's stance—he wasn't afraid. He was calculating.
"You made a mistake," Damien said coolly, taking a slow step forward.
Lin Hao's grip on the gun tightened. "And what mistake is that?"
Damien's lips curled into a chilling smirk.
A gunshot echoed through the warehouse.
Liyana gasped. But as the smoke cleared, she saw that Damien hadn't been hit. Lin Hao had.
A gaping wound bloomed on Lin Hao's shoulder, his face contorted in agony as he staggered back. The gun clattered to the floor, and before he could reach for it, Damien was already in front of him.
The next thing Lin Hao saw was Damien's fist.
A brutal punch landed across Lin Hao's face, sending him crashing to the ground. Damien didn't stop. He grabbed Lin Hao by the collar and slammed him against a metal beam.
"This is what happens," Damien growled, his voice laced with pure menace, "when you touch what's mine."
His grip tightened, his fingers pressing against Lin Hao's throat. The man clawed at Damien's wrist, gasping, struggling. But Damien didn't care.
He wanted Lin Hao to suffer.
Liyana, still bound to the chair, stared at Damien in shock.
This wasn't the calm, composed Damien she knew. This was a predator. A man pushed past his limits.
His gaze was no longer that of a businessman or a calculated strategist. It was territorial. Possessive. Deadly.
MINE!!!! MINE!!!! MINE!!!!
The words played in her mind, echoing his unspoken obsession.
She should have been afraid. But she wasn't.
She was entranced.
"Damien," she called, her voice steadier than she expected.
His body tensed. Then, slowly, his dark eyes flicked toward her.
In that moment, something in him snapped back into place.
'LIYANA'
His hold on Lin Hao loosened before he released him altogether. Lin Hao slumped to the floor, coughing violently.
Without another glance, Damien turned to Liyana, his entire demeanor shifting in an instant.
The monster was gone.
Only her Damien remained.
Damien crouched down, his fingers brushing against Liyana's wrists as he carefully untied the ropes. She felt the heat of his skin against hers, his touch gentle—so different from the ruthless force he had just displayed.
Her gaze lingered on him.
"You came," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
His hands stilled for a second before he met her eyes.
"Did you ever doubt it?"
Her chest tightened. She wanted to say something—anything—but words failed her.
Instead, as soon as her hands were free, she did the one thing she hadn't expected.
She reached for him.
Her fingers curled around his wrist, anchoring him to her.
Damien stiffened at the sudden contact, his breath hitching. But he didn't pull away.
He let her hold onto him.
For the first time, neither of them spoke.
They didn't need to.
Outside the Warehouse – The Arrival of Reinforcements
The distant sound of approaching sirens cut through the silence. Within minutes, multiple black SUVs surrounded the area, security forces stepping out in formation.
Gao Wei rushed toward Damien, his face pale. "Sir—"
Damien raised a hand, silencing him. His focus remained solely on Liyana.
He removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Let's go home."
Liyana nodded, exhaustion washing over her. But even as she leaned into him for support, she couldn't ignore the realization creeping into her heart.
She should have been terrified.
She should have hated him for what he had done.
But instead—
She felt safe.
And that scared her more than anything else.