Damian didn't release Ariana immediately.
He held her as if the world outside those mansion doors no longer mattered—
as if she was the only thing keeping him steady.
Ariana slowly pulled back just enough to look up at him.
His eyes…
they looked tired.
Too tired.
And full of something heavy she couldn't name.
"Damian…" she whispered.
"What did you find out?"
He hesitated.
Damian Steele didn't hesitate.
Ever.
"The man who took your picture wasn't acting alone," he finally said.
Ariana swallowed.
"I know… you said that earlier."
"It's worse than I thought."
Ariana's fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt.
"Who was behind it?"
Damian's jaw flexed.
His eyes darkened.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he gently cupped the side of her face.
"Ariana," he murmured.
"You don't need to carry this weight. Let me handle it."
Ariana shook her head lightly, her voice almost trembling.
"You keep saying that but… if someone is targeting me, I need to know who."
Damian closed his eyes briefly—like he was fighting himself.
"Ariana."
"Yes?"
His voice lowered to a soft, heavy warning:
"The woman behind this… is someone you don't need to fear. Because I will not allow her near you again."
Ariana felt a chill.
A woman.
Someone close to him once.
Someone bitter.
Someone dangerous.
"Damian," she tried again, "just tell me her name."
"No."
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't sharp.
But it was absolute.
Ariana searched his face.
"Is it because you don't want to scare me?" she whispered.
Damian held her chin gently…
and nodded.
Ariana's heart sank.
"But if she's dangerous—"
"She is nothing," Damian cut in quietly.
"A mistake I corrected long ago."
Ariana felt the unspoken name between them.
The woman from the gala.
The one who confronted her.
The one who felt like a threat even without lifting a finger.
"Lena…" Ariana whispered.
Damian's body went completely still.
He didn't confirm it.
He didn't deny it.
But the silence spoke for him.
Ariana stepped back a little.
"Damian… why didn't you just tell me?"
Damian exhaled slowly.
"Because I didn't want her to live in your mind."
Ariana's heart twisted.
"Are you protecting me…
or protecting her memory?"
Damian's eyes snapped to hers—sharp, startled, almost hurt.
"There is no memory," he said immediately.
"No past. No attachment. Nothing."
Ariana blinked.
His voice softened.
"I didn't hide the truth for her sake."
He stepped forward.
"But for yours."
Ariana looked down.
"Because you think I'm weak?"
"Because I think you're kind," Damian whispered.
"And someone like Lena would try to use that against you."
Ariana lifted her eyes slowly.
"What exactly did she want?"
Damian's voice lowered to pure ice.
"She wanted you gone."
Ariana's breath hitched.
"Because she wants you back?"
"No."
He stepped closer; his presence surrounded her.
"She doesn't want me back."
A pause.
"She wants what being beside me gives her."
Ariana felt her chest tighten.
"Status," Damian continued.
"Influence. Power. Attention."
He touched her cheek gently, carefully.
"She doesn't want me. She wants what I represent."
Ariana bit her lip.
"And me? What do I represent?"
Damian's eyes softened—like he was seeing her in a way he couldn't hide anymore.
"You," he said quietly,
"represent the only thing in my life that feels real."
Ariana's breath trembled.
"And she hates you for that," Damian finished.
Ariana looked away, shaking slightly.
"I never asked for any of this," she whispered.
"I know." Damian cupped the back of her head gently.
"And that's why it hurts me that you were dragged into it."
Ariana leaned into his touch without thinking.
"And now?" she whispered.
Damian exhaled like her question pained him.
"Now," he said softly,
"I make sure she never gets close to you again."
Ariana's heartbeat thundered.
She whispered,
"Damian… will this get dangerous?"
His eyes held hers.
"It already has."
Ariana swallowed hard.
"You mean… for me?"
"No," Damian said quietly.
"For whoever tries to touch you."
His voice wasn't empty threat.
It was truth.
Raw and terrifying.
Ariana's breath caught.
Her voice was small.
"What about you? Will you be okay?"
Damian blinked—slowly—like no one had ever asked him that before.
Then, in a voice that was almost tender:
"I'm only in danger when I'm far from you."
Ariana's cheeks flushed.
And Damian stepped closer—
so close her breath mingled with his.
"Ariana," he murmured,
"I don't want you frightened…
but I do want you to understand."
"Understand what?" she whispered.
"That you are no longer alone in this world."
His fingertips brushed her cheek.
"You have me."
Her heart almost broke.
Not from fear.
But from something warm blooming quietly inside her.
Something she could no longer ignore.