A click broke the silence. The door to her room swung open.
Damian stepped inside, his tall frame looming, his presence dominating the small space. He closed the door slowly, the sound echoing like a warning.
Elena didn't lift her head.
His voice cut the quiet like a blade.
"Don't test me, Elena." His tone was low, dangerous. "You've been ignoring me all day. Don't piss me off."
Her lips parted, her voice soft but laced with bitterness. "Why does it matter to you? Whether I smile, whether I cry—why should it matter? You don't care."
His eyes narrowed, the muscles in his jaw ticking. "Careful with your words Elena."
Finally, she raised her head, her eyes glossy but burning with pain. "If you cared, you'd let me see my aunt. You know she's all I have left, Damian. And yet you—" her voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue,
"you had her taken away from me like she's some piece on your chessboard."
Damian's face darkened. For a moment, silence stretched between them, tense, suffocating.
Then he scoffed coldly, stepping back toward the door. "We've had this conversation. You don't bring her up again.
You're here, in my house, under my rules. Stop crying over things you cannot change my playtoy."
"You don't have to remind me of that every time"
"Of course I have to remind you, because it seems you forget that you are nothing more but the girl I brought to my house to f**k! Your here to satisfy me Elena"
"You're cruel," Elena whispered, tears spilling freely now.
"You don't understand what it feels like to lose everything and have the one person who matters ripped away."
Damian's hand tightened around the door handle. His voice came out sharp, scolding, final.
"Fix your tone, Elena. I've been more patient than you deserve. Don't push me further."
He pulled the door open and stepped out, slamming it shut with controlled fury.
Tatiana had been on her way upstairs, humming softly to herself, when she froze at the raised voices coming from Elena's room.
Instinct made her stop, pressing herself against the wall. Her cousin's deep, cold voice was unmistakable, but it was Elena's trembling replies that shattered her.
When Damian stormed out, his expression carved from ice, Tatiana straightened where she stood.
He didn't even glance at her. His long strides carried him down the hall, ignoring her presence entirely.
Tatiana's chest burned with anger. She waited until he disappeared around the corner before rushing into Elena's room.
"Elena!" she gasped, slamming the door behind her. She hurried to the bed where her friend sat trembling, cheeks wet with tears.
Elena tried to wipe her face quickly. "Tia, it's nothing—"
"Don't you dare," Tatiana cut in, kneeling in front of her, cupping her hands.
"Don't you dare say it's nothing. I heard everything. What's going on with your aunt? Tell me. Now."
Elena broke, her lips trembling, her voice small. "She's… the only family I had left after my parents died. Damian knows how much she means to me, Tia.
But he had her transferred somewhere—somewhere I can't reach. He won't even tell me where. He just… he just took her from me."
Tatiana's eyes widened, her heart twisting. "Oh my God, Elena."
"I begged him," Elena whispered, tears streaming again. "I begged him to let me see her.
To just—just let me know she's okay. But every time I bring it up, he shuts me down. Like my pain doesn't matter. Like she doesn't matter."
Tatiana pulled her into a fierce hug, stroking her hair as her voice dropped into a furious whisper. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've fought for you. I would've stood up to him."
Elena clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder. "I was scared… I thought if I said something, he'd make it worse. Or take her even further away."
Tatiana tightened her hold, her eyes blazing with determination. "Listen to me, Elena. You are not alone. Not anymore.
Damian might be a monster to the world, but he doesn't scare me. If he thinks he can keep you in the dark forever, he's wrong. I'll help you. Whatever it takes."
Elena shook in her arms, but for the first time that night, there was a flicker of relief in her heart
Minutes later, Tatiana walked down the long hall with steady steps, her footsteps echoing against the marble floor.
Inside, she found him behind his massive desk, dark suit immaculate, eyes scanning documents with cold precision.
"Damian," she began, shutting the door behind her.
Damian didn't look up. "If you're here to waste my time, don't."
Tatiana crossed her arms, her voice firm. "It's about Elena's aunt."
His pen stilled mid-page. Slowly, Damian raised his eyes, the storm already brewing in them. "I said that matter is not to be discussed."
Tatiana didn't flinch. "Do you know what it's doing to her? She's breaking inside. Every time she asks about her aunt, you shut her down like she's some child begging for candy.
This isn't candy, Damian—it's her family. Her blood. The only person she has left."
Damian leaned back in his chair, his jaw tightening, lips curling into a cold half-smile.
"And what? You think I should bend to her tears? To her sob stories? You think I run this empire by giving in to weakness?"
"This isn't weakness," Tatiana snapped, stepping closer, hands pressed flat against his desk. "It's humanity. Something you've been shutting out for years."
The tension in the room coiled like a snake ready to strike. Damian slammed his pen down, the sound sharp and final.
He rose slowly, towering over her, his voice low and dangerous.
"Do not meddle in what you don't understand, Tatiana. This isn't your business."
"It became my business the moment I heard her crying for her aunt," Tatiana shot back, her eyes blazing.
"And if you think I'll stay quiet while you crush her spirit, you don't know me at all."
For a long moment, Damian said nothing. His jaw worked, his chest rising with controlled breaths. Then, with a sharp flick of his hand, he dismissed her.
"Enough. Leave my study before I forget you're family."
Tatiana glared at him, her fists clenched at her sides, but finally she turned on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
The next morning at breakfast, the air was heavy. Elena sat quietly at the table, her eyes downcast, stirring her food without appetite.
Tatiana sat beside her, unusually silent. Damian entered, his presence pulling all attention, and took his seat.
They ate in silence, the clinking of cutlery the only sound filling the dining hall. No teasing from Damian, no chatter from Tatiana, not even a stolen glance from Elena.
Just tension.
Finally, Damian broke it. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and said coldly, "Elena, after breakfast, the driver will take you to meet my mother."
Her fork froze mid-air. She looked up at him, startled. He didn't look at her again, already returning to his food as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb.
Tatiana reached for her glass of juice to cover her surprise.
Elena lowered her eyes again, her chest tightening, unsure whether to be nervous or terrified.