Chapter 2 TWO

Chapter 2:

The weight of the door as it clicked shut behind her felt final, as if it sealed her fate. Ava's pulse quickened, but she kept her face neutral, her breaths measured. The high-ceilinged hallway stretched out before her, empty but echoing with the silent tension she carried from the meeting. Each step she took felt heavier than the last, the imprint of Damon Blackwood's words clinging to her mind.

There was something about him, something she couldn't shake. A magnetism, sure, but more than that. A warning.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for her phone, needing to reconnect with the world outside Blackwood Enterprises, needing to escape the suffocating power that seemed to press down on her with every moment spent in his presence. But when her screen lit up, she was met with the same message that had gnawed at her since that morning.

Her mother's health was deteriorating fast. Ava bit her lip, forcing herself to stay composed.

She couldn't lose focus now. There were too many lives depending on her, too many things riding on this opportunity. Her mother. Her future. She could not afford to be weak, not when all they had was on the precipice of being taken away from them. She put the phone down and strode through the building with determination, but the feeling of exposure that had come over her during the meeting stayed with her like a physical sensation of cold.

He was toying with her, trying to find out how much of her he could get. Damon Blackwood wasn't a man who gave anything freely. She had felt it in every glance, every pause before he spoke. The question wasn't if he would challenge her; it was when.

From his office, Damon watched as Ava disappeared into the distance, his hands tightening around the edge of his desk. She was different. That much was evident the first time she came through the door. She had not cowered from him, had not let his prowess intimidate her as most of the ladies would do.

He hadn't expected that.

For a brief moment, he felt like admiring her. But admiration was something he could not afford, not now, not when everything was on the line. The empire he had constructed over the years was not as strong as people might think from the outside. And Lucas Hawthorne's moves in the shadows had only made things worse. A frown settled on Damon's face as he turned back to the window.

Ava Monroe.

The name murmured in his head, a nagging sound he could not dismiss. She had one of the most powerful drives and was one of those people who had an indomitable spirit. She failed to realize that it was going to be way more difficult than she had ever thought. No idea the kind of storm waiting for her, just on the horizon.

But she would soon come to know that.

Returning to her apartment, Ava dropped on the couch and for the first time that day, she felt the exhaustion creeping into her bones. The tightness that had been in her back during the meeting with Damon Blackwood started to dissipate, but it was replaced by a void. She massaged her temples, attempting to get rid of the thoughts that filled her head with him – with his icy stare.

She had not thought he would be like that – so passionate. His public image made him out to be a cold-hearted man, yes, but in real life, he was much more. His physicality was oppressive, and controlling, and yet there had been times, however fleeting, that she had felt something else. A glint of something sinister, something shattered.

She shook her head. It didn't matter. She wasn't here to figure him out. She was here to save her family, to have a life here in a world that had always been beyond her dreams. Blackwood Enterprises was her best chance at achieving her future. She was very close to achieving her dream and couldn't risk losing it now.

Despite being so close to her dream, she could sense that she was about to enter into a trap.

Her phone rang on the coffee table and startled her from her daydreaming as she was deep in thought. It was Claire the only person that she had then turned to regardless of the outcome she was sure Claire would be there for her.

Ava paused for a second before responding. She still was not sure if she wanted to discuss the day but Claire was not going to let her off the hook that easily.

"Hi," Ava replied, attempting to sound calm.

"Ava, how did it go? You're killing me here!" Claire seemed happy during the phone call, but Ava sensed a hint of concern in her tone.

Ava exhaled deeply and settled into the softness of the couch cushions. "It was... intense. He's not what I expected."

"I'm sure he's not," Claire teased. "Well, did you at least try to make a good first impression?"

"I think so," Ava said, though she was not completely sure of it. "But he's... hard to read. There's more to him than the businessman everyone talks about. It's like he's testing me."

Claire's silence spoke volumes. Ava's barriers were always breached by her, even when Ava was unwilling to acknowledge them.

"Cautiously handle him, Ava," Claire whispered, offering a word of warning. "Men like Damon Blackwood-they don't play by the same rules. Just... keep your guard up, okay?"

Ava nodded, even though Claire couldn't see her. "I know. I know I'm not going to relax my guard, believe me."

But as the words came out of her mouth, Ava wasn't sure that she believed them herself. Damon had managed to get into her skin and this feeling was rather uncomfortable for her. She had to remain steadfast, she had to remain goal-oriented. Anything else would only distract her from the most important things.

Across town, Damon strode back and forth in his office, the neon lights of the city shining through the glass. He had spent his life mastering control-control over his business, his emotions, his world. But something about Ava Monroe made that control feel like it was slipping.

He couldn't afford distractions. Not now. Lucas Hawthorne was making moves, and every decision Damon made had to be calculated, precise. One wrong step, and everything he'd built would crumble. And yet, there was Ava, complicating his thoughts, her defiance lingering in his mind like a stubborn echo.

Damon stopped, staring out at the city he'd conquered. His jaw tightened. There was no room for vulnerability in his world. Whatever this was, whatever strange pull he felt toward her, he would bury it deep. He had to.

Because if he didn't, it wouldn't just be his empire at risk. It would be his heart.