Chapter 1: The Man Who Refused to Die
The moment Damien Rowe stepped into the marble hall, the air changed.
It wasn’t just fear—it was recognition.
Power had arrived.
His presence cut through the glittering room like a blade. Conversations died mid-breath. Phones slowly lowered. Even the arrogant laughter of the elite froze into silence.
Damien’s dark eyes swept the room once—cold, calculating—until they landed on the marble floor.
On her.
“Maren.”
Her name left his lips like a vow.
Everything else ceased to exist.
Maren lay curled on the floor, her hands wrapped protectively around her belly, her breath uneven. For a heartbeat, she thought she was hallucinating—grief playing tricks on her broken mind.
But then he moved.
Fast.
Too fast for anyone to react.
He dropped to his knees beside her, his expensive suit hitting the marble without hesitation.
“Look at me,” he said, his voice no longer cold—but raw. “Maren, look at me.”
Her eyes fluttered open.
“Damien…?” she whispered.
The room gasped.
“He’s dead,” someone murmured.
“No,” another voice trembled. “That’s him.”
Damien’s hand hovered over her stomach, afraid to touch, as if she might disappear again.
Then he saw it.
Her belly.
His child.
Something inside him broke—and reformed into something far more dangerous.
“Who did this?” he asked quietly.
No one answered.
But Chloe Ashford took a step back.
Too late.
Damien stood slowly, towering, his silence far more terrifying than any scream.
“Lock the doors,” he said.
May you like
The sound of metal sliding into place echoed like a death sentence.
“No one leaves.”
