Ariana sat quietly against Damian's chest, his arms wrapped around her like a shield against every unseen threat waiting outside their walls.
She didn't realize how tightly she was clinging until his hand slid up her back in slow, reassuring strokes.
He kissed the top of her head again.
Not passionately.
Not urgently.
Just gently.
Softly.
As if she were something precious.
"Ariana," he murmured, "you don't have to stay in this room anymore."
Her breath caught.
She pulled back slightly to look at him.
"W-What do you mean?"
Damian held her gaze.
"You're safer with me," he said simply.
"And I sleep better when you're close."
Ariana's heart shivered.
Was he… asking her to move?
Damian continued softly:
"There's no reason for you to stay in a guest room when you're my wife."
Ariana swallowed hard.
"But I didn't want to intrude…"
"You're not intruding."
Damian brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"My room is yours. It should have been from the beginning."
Ariana felt warmth bloom beneath her ribs—
hesitant, fragile, but real.
She whispered,
"Damian… do you want me to move into your room?"
His eyes softened—deep, warm, sincere.
"Yes," he said.
"Not because of danger. Not because of responsibility.
Because I want you there."
Ariana's cheeks warmed.
She looked down at her hands.
"I've never lived with anyone like that," she confessed quietly.
"Not even… emotionally."
Damian gently lifted her chin.
"You don't have to know how," he whispered.
"You just have to let me be there with you."
Something fluttered in her chest—
a soft, nervous hope.
Ariana nodded slowly.
"O-Okay… I'll move."
Damian didn't smile often.
But this time, something small, soft, genuine touched the corner of his lips.
Not dominance.
Not victory.
Just… relief.
And something like happiness.
"Good," he whispered.
But before Ariana could say anything else—
There was another knock at the door.
Damian tensed instantly.
"Enter," he said, voice turning cold again.
Mr. Sato stepped inside, bowing slightly.
"Sir, we traced the online group responsible for the leak."
Ariana's stomach twisted.
Damian's eyes sharpened.
"Speak."
Mr. Sato continued:
"It's composed mostly of elite daughters. Very wealthy. Very influential."
A pause.
"And very obsessed with you, sir."
Ariana felt a sting in her chest.
Damian didn't even blink.
"And?"
"One of them is the one who paid for Ariana's information."
Mr. Sato lowered his voice.
"She is also the one who posted the rumor that Mrs. Steele is… unworthy."
Ariana looked away, her throat tightening.
Damian's voice dropped into something terrifyingly calm.
"Give me her name."
Mr. Sato hesitated.
"Sir… her family is powerful. Influential in every sector. Removing her could—"
"Mr. Sato," Damian cut in quietly,
"give me her name."
Mr. Sato straightened.
"Miss Roseline Hartford."
Ariana felt her pulse spike.
Damian nodded once—deadly calm.
"Good. Prepare a file on the Hartford family. Every weakness. Every vulnerability. Every illegal transaction they've hidden."
Ariana's eyes widened.
"Damian… you can't destroy an entire family because of me."
Damian turned to her—
and for a moment, she couldn't breathe.
His expression wasn't anger.
It wasn't frustration.
It was devotion.
Fierce, unmovable devotion.
"They tried to hurt you," he said softly.
"That's enough."
Ariana reached for his hand.
"Damian… please. Don't start a war for me."
He looked down at their hands, then back at her.
"Ariana," he murmured, voice deep and low,
"I would start a thousand."
Her breath caught.
"But—"
"No."
He cupped her cheek gently.
"You are my wife. I won't let anyone treat you like you're disposable."
Her eyes stung with emotion.
"Why do you care so much?" she whispered.
Damian leaned closer, his forehead brushing hers.
"Because," he said quietly,
"I'm not afraid to lose my reputation.
I'm afraid to lose you."
Ariana trembled.
"Damian…"
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead—
delicate, reverent.
"You're moving into my room tonight," he whispered.
"And I won't let anything touch you again."
Ariana closed her eyes.
For once, she didn't argue.
She simply leaned into the warmth of the man who was becoming her safety…
her strength…
and the danger everyone else feared.