After an hour of long conservation, some snacks, and a few harmless jabs at the ballroom's over_ the_ top decoration, Sharon finally stood to leave.
"I've got thirty minutes, and if I'm late, my boss will explode. But you_" she pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me _" are not off the hook forever."
I managed a small smile. " I know."
She gave me a long look, one that softened at the edges. "Seriously though, I wish you'd told me sooner. About him."
I looked down, fingers twisting in the hem of my sleeve. " There wasn't really a "sooner ". You were already gone."
Sharon blinked. "I guess.....yeah. I left just after we finished sophomore year."
"Exactly,"I said quietly. " You went off to study in London. I didn't even meet Damian until months after you left."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Wait, that recent?"
I nodded. "Yeah. We kept it quiet at first. I was going to surprise you when you come back _ introduce you to my 'mysterious guy' after graduation. I forced a bitter smile. "But things didn't go the way I planned."
Sharon's expression shifted _ surprised but thoughtful. "So that's why I never heard his name. Why didn't I even know you were..... you know."
"In love ?" I said, the word tasting both sweet and sour. "Yeah. That was the plan. You'd come home, I'll show off my perfect boyfriend, and we'd all live happily ever after."
She sat down briefly, her voice softer." But instead, you vanished too."
I nodded. "I couldn't stay. Not after what happened."
A heavy silence fell between us.
She didn't ask what happened.
She didn't have to.
Instead, she reached out and gave my hands a squeeze. " You didn't have to explain. Not now. I get it."
I squeeze back. "Thanks for understanding."
Sharon smiled gently. "Always. You've got me now. For real this time."
Then she stood again, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. "Text me if you need anything. Even if it's just meme or a reason not to text him."
"I won't be texting him," I said quickly.
She gave me a look. "Famous last words."
And then she was gone.
Damian pov
The morning light cut through the glass windows of my penthouse like a blade.
I'd been up since five.
Not by choice.
Sleep had been useless _ restless, shallow and broken by flashes of sienna's face. Her voice. The look in her eyes when she saw me last night. Cold. Sharp. Accusing.
It struck with me more than I cared to admit.
I poured myself a black coffee, walked barefoot in the marble floors, and stared out over Manhattan. The city looked small from up here. Manageable. Like everything was in its place.
Except her.
Sienna's wasn't supposed to be part of this life anymore. I'd buried that chapter a long time ago_ or tried to. But last night tore it open again like it had never really healed.
I dressed in silence. Chocolate grey suits. Black shirt. Silver cufflinks. Everything tailored to precision, just like the world I built after she left. The world I had to build when everything else came crashing down.
By seven, my driver was already waiting downstairs.
The car to the office was smooth. No traffic dared slow us down _ morning routes cleared like clockwork for people like me. The perks of money, power, and influence.
But none of that silenced my thoughts.
The second I stepped into the lobby of Damson company, a chorus of "Good morning, Mr Damion," followed me through polished marble floors and high glass walls.
I nodded curtly, moving through the space with practiced ease.
Power. Presence. Control.
That's what they saw when they looked at me.
What they didn't see ?
The flash of red silk in my mind.
The feel of her slipping through my fingers.
The ache I'd taught myself to ignore.
I stepped into my private elevator, the door sliding shut behind me. Alone again.
And for a moment, just a moment _
I let my mind crack.