The next morning, She went down to the dining room and found Damian already there.
He didn't look up when she entered; she gave the polite morning greeting but he didn't answer, his gaze still on his food.
A nervous habit of hers betrayed the turmoil inside she bit her lip, then he glanced at her and the corner of his mouth tilted.
"If you keep doing that," he said, voice low and casual, "I'll have you here and now." The words landed like an order more than a threat, and Elena flushed, heat rising to her face.
She stopped, embarrassed and ashamed of how quickly his presence bent her reactions.
Damian rose from the table as though the conversation had ended. "I'm leaving," he added. "There's a business that i must handle. I'll return in a few days."
He gathered his coat like wrapping himself in armor and, without another look, left.
Elena watched him go, a hollow tightness forming in her chest. He had that effect on her now even his absence was heavy.
She fumbled for her phone one more time and dialed her aunt's number. The line went to silence: off. Hope and panic wrestled inside her.
Please let it be a dead battery, she thought foolishly, but the thought did nothing to soothe the ache in her gut.
A few hours later, he sat in his private jet, Damian made a call he'd planned in the back of his mind.
He knew his absence would unsettle Elena especially and he wanted her kept comfortable in his way.
He selected Tatiana with a small, calculated cruelty wrapped in habit.
"Tatiana," he said when she answered,
"I'm traveling. Do me a favor go to the house. Keep my female guest occupied.
Tatiana squealed on the other end like a girl who'd found a secret. "Oooh, the mansion has a new guest? How scandalous! I'm there.
But you have to bribe me Damian"
"I will get you the birkin bag" he said to her. Tatiana has always asked him to get her a birkin bag and with that he knew she wouldn't say no.
"Consider it done," she sang. "I'll be there by afternoon."
***
Few hours later, Tatiana burst into damian's mansion, The sound of her heels echoed across the marble floor as she called out in a sing-song voice,
"Elenaa! Elenaaa!"
The voice echoed down the wide marble hall, cheerful and lilting like a song.
Elena froze in the middle of the living room, clutching her phone to her chest. Hardly anyone in this mansion ever called her name—at least, not like that.
She stepped toward the staircase, and there at the bottom stood a young woman. Stunning.
Draped in a silk blouse the color of rose gold, her hair spilling in perfect waves, her lips curved in a mischievous smile.
"You…" Elena's brows furrowed. "You know my name?"
The stranger grinned, folding her arms like she had been expecting this question. "Of course I do. You're Elena, right?"
Elena hesitated on the last step, wary. "Yes. But… who are you? How do you know me?"
The woman let out a laugh that rang through the room. "Relax,. I'm not a stranger. I'm Tatiana Volkov—Damian's favourite cousin." She tilted her head proudly, as if expecting Elena to be impressed.
Elena blinked, stunned. "He told you that?"
"Of course not," Tatiana rolled her eyes dramatically. "He doesn't tell anyone anything. But I know."
Elena gave a shy smile. "I'm Elena."
"I know," Tatiana teased with a wink, stepping closer. "And you're prettier than I imagined."
Elena flushed instantly. "No… you're the pretty one, Tia. I mean, just look at you."
Tatiana gasped playfully, clutching her chest as though Elena had shocked her. "Did you just call me Tia? Oh, I adore you already.
And don't even try to tell me I'm prettier—you've got that shy, innocent beauty men would kill for." She looped her arm through Elena's before Elena could protest.
For a moment, Elena's suspicion lingered. This girl was too friendly, too fast. But Tatiana's energy was disarming, warm in a way Elena hadn't felt in weeks.
Soon they were seated in the sunlit sitting room, Tatiana kicking off her heels like she owned the place. She asked about Elena's favorite colors, her skincare routine, whether she liked dresses or jeans better.
Elena admitted she'd never worn anything fancy, that she never had time for makeup.
Tatiana gasped like it was a crime. "That settles it. Tomorrow, I'm dragging you out for shopping. Trust me—you'll thank me later."
Elena laughed, surprised by how much she wanted to say yes.
"Anyway," Tatiana said, leaning back against the cushions with an exaggerated sigh, "I'm not going home tonight."
Elena blinked. "You're… staying?"
"Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I left you all alone in this museum of a house while Damian's away? I'll have my things sent over. Tonight, we're staying up late, gossiping, and doing face masks. You and me, darling. Deal?"
For the first time in days, Elena's lips curved into a real smile. "I'd love that."
The heaviness she'd carried since stepping into Damian's world lightened—just a little. For once, she wasn't a captive or a plaything.
She was just a girl, with another girl, talking and laughing.