CHAPTER 19 — WHISPERS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
The walk back into the mansion felt longer than usual, not because of the distance, but because of the thick silence between Mara and Damian. Every shadow seemed darker, every hallway too quiet, every distant echo too sharp. It was as if the entire mansion held its breath, waiting for something neither of them understood yet.
Damian placed a protective hand at the small of her back as they stepped into the main hall. She felt the tension in his touch—the unspoken dread he was trying to hide beneath his usual cold control.
When they reached the grand staircase, he stopped.
"Mara," he said softly, "until we figure out who is behind this, I want you to stay close to me or inside my office. No wandering. No exploring. Not even short walks unless I'm with you."
She nodded without arguing. For once, she understood the gravity. This wasn't just someone jealous or petty. This was someone bold enough to cross security lines in a billionaire's mansion.
Someone desperate.
Someone dangerous.
Damian led her to his office, opening the door and guiding her inside. The room carried his scent—clean, masculine, tinged with wood and something darker. Shelves filled with documents, law books, private files. A large desk dominating the center. A wide leather chair behind it.
But there was something else.
The office felt tense, as if the walls themselves had overheard secrets too heavy to hold.
Damian closed the door gently, then turned to her.
"I'm strengthening the security team. I won't allow another mistake like last night."
Mara sat down on the sofa near the far wall. "Did the intruder leave any clue?"
His silence answered before he spoke.
"Yes." His voice was low. "And the clue worries me more than the intrusion."
She straightened. "What was it?"
Damian walked to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a printed still-frame from a security camera. He brought it to her.
Mara's heart thudded as she stared at the image.
It showed the back of a person wearing a dark jacket and gloves. Hood up. No face visible. But the figure was slim—slimmer than most of the guards. The shape… the posture… it struck her as familiar somehow, though she couldn't place why.
"Do you think it's someone I know?" she whispered.
Damian hesitated before answering. "I think it's someone who knows you."
The distinction chilled her even more.
Before she could ask more, a soft knock sounded at the door.
Damian tensed instantly. "Come in."
The door opened, and Lucas, his right-hand assistant, stepped inside. Tall, composed, always immaculate, Lucas rarely showed emotion, but today his expression was tight with concern.
"Sir," Lucas began, "we've—"
His eyes briefly flicked to Mara, then back to Damian. "—found something in the west corridor."
Damian's jaw clenched. "What is it?"
Lucas stepped further inside, lowering his voice. "Another note."
Mara's stomach dropped.
Damian moved toward Lucas, his movements tense. "Show me."
Lucas handed him a small sealed evidence bag. Inside was another piece of paper—folded.
Damian didn't open it immediately. Instead, he turned to Mara with a warning in his eyes. "You might not want to see this."
She stood anyway. "I have to."
After a long pause, Damian opened the bag, took out the paper, and unfolded it.
Mara inhaled sharply.
The words were shorter this time. Sharper. Crueler.
"You're getting too comfortable."
Damian's hands tightened around the paper. "This person is watching you closely. Too closely."
Mara wrapped her arms around herself, fighting a sudden wave of dizziness. "This is my fault… If I hadn't married you—"
"No." Damian stepped forward immediately, gripping her shoulders. "This is not your fault. Someone is using you as leverage. They're trying to intimidate me."
Lucas cleared his throat quietly. "There's more, sir."
Damian turned. "What else?"
Lucas hesitated—something he almost never did. "The cameras in the west corridor were disabled manually. Not hacked."
Mara's eyes widened. "Manually? But that means—"
Damian answered for her. "Someone was physically there. Someone who has access to the circuit panels."
Lucas nodded. "Yes, sir. And only seven staff members have that clearance."
Seven.
Seven potential suspects.
Seven people moving freely around the mansion.
Seven people who could walk past her at any moment.
Damian's face darkened. "Lock down all secondary exits. And bring me the list of those seven names."
Lucas nodded, leaving quickly.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Mara sank back onto the sofa, feeling her world tilt with every revelation. The air in the office felt thick, pressing against her ribs, making it hard to breathe.
Damian sat beside her, not touching her, but close enough that his presence anchored her.
"You're safe with me," he murmured. "I'll find who's behind this."
"But what if they get closer?" Mara whispered. "What if they hurt someone else to get to me?"
"They won't." His voice was firm, absolute.
She looked up at him. "How can you be so sure?"
Because I will kill them before they touch you"—she expected him to say that. To deliver something cold and brutal as he always did.
Instead, he said something much more dangerous.
"Because I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered. "Not while I'm breathing."
Her pulse stumbled.
For a moment, neither of them looked away. His eyes held hers with a fierce protectiveness she had never seen directed at her before. Not from him. Not from anyone.
Then another knock sounded abruptly at the door—sharp, quick, and anxious.
"Enter," Damian called.
The door opened, revealing one of the younger maids. Her face was pale, her hands trembling slightly.
"Sir… Madam…" she stammered. "You need to come to the east side. Right now."
Damian stood instantly. "What happened?"
The maid swallowed hard, eyes darting between them.
"There was a break-in… in the storage wing. And… and…"
"And what?" Damian demanded.
The maid's voice cracked.
"And they left something behind. A message for her."
Mara's blood ran cold.
Damian moved without hesitation. "Mara, stay behind me."
She followed him out of the office, her legs heavy, her heart pounding.
The mansion felt different now—no longer breathtaking and grand, but hostile and haunted. Every corridor seemed to whisper threats. Every closed door felt like a trap.
When they reached the east wing, several guards were already gathered, forming a tense circle around a large wooden crate. The crate had been pried open from the front—splintered wood scattered on the floor like someone had ripped it apart in a rush.
Damian stepped closer. "What's inside?"
A guard swallowed hard. "You…need to see it."
Damian pushed forward, and Mara followed despite the fear twisting inside her.
Inside the crate was a single black velvet box.
Beautiful. Elegant.
And wrong.
Damian carefully opened the lid.
Inside was a white rose.
Its petals perfect.
Its stem long.
Its beauty stunning.
Except—
Its stem was dripping red.
Fresh red.
Blood.
Mara slapped a hand over her mouth.
Someone had bled into the stem. Someone had touched this. Someone had carried this through the mansion.
And someone had placed it here… for her.
Damian's face hardened into something terrifying.
"Get this analyzed. Now," he ordered.
Then he turned to Mara, his voice low, dark, and shaking with fury.
"This isn't intimidation anymore," he said. "This is a warning."
Mara's voice trembled. "From who?"
Damian met her gaze.
"That's what I intend to find out."
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End of Chapter 19