Chapter 68 He Ran
Jasmine covered her face with one hand. “Damien!”
He only smiled, wicked and soft at the same time. “Why do you always do that?” Jasmine asked, embarrassed but curious. “Taste things like that?”
He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only she could hear. “Because your lips make everything sweeter.”
Her breath caught.
She bit down on her lower lip, fighting the urge to close the distance between them. Every nerve in her body was screaming to kiss him—to forget fear, forget doubt, forget Raymond.
Damien felt it too.
His jaw tightened. His hand flexed around her shoulder, holding her in place—not pulling her closer, not letting her go. Just… staying.
Richelle rolled her eyes with a smirk. “You two are exhausting.”
Jasmine laughed weakly and reached for another pastry, using it as a distraction. They watched the movie, occasionally commenting on the ridiculous plot, occasionally falling into comfortable silence.
For the first time in days, Jasmine felt almost normal.
Safe.
Then Damien’s phone rang. The sound cut through the room like a blade. Damien stiffened instantly. He glanced at the screen, and Jasmine saw his face change—the softness vanishing,
replaced by something hard and dark.
“I need to take this,” he said quietly.
He pressed a light kiss to Jasmine’s cheek before standing. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk into the kitchen, closing the door partway behind him. Richelle paused the movie and turned slowly toward Jasmine.
“So,” she said, eyes gleaming with mischief, “when are you going to tell him you want to go back?”
Jasmine blinked. “What?”
Richelle crossed her arms. “Don’t play innocent with me. You forgave him the moment he showed up with flowers. And now he’s bribed you with pastries.”
Jasmine blushed. “So you’re saying my heart is that easily won by sugar and butter?”
“Yes,” Richelle said promptly. “And a charming smile. And kisses.”
She wiggled her eyebrows.
Jasmine burst out laughing. “You’re impossible.”
But then her gaze drifted to the ransacked pastry bags on the table, and her smile faded into something more thoughtful.
“He’s been… gentle,” Jasmine admitted softly. “He didn’t force anything. He didn’t demand answers. He just… stayed. He listened.”
Richelle nodded. “That’s new for him.”
“He didn’t even touch me unless I let him,” Jasmine continued. “He just wanted to be there. For me.”
Richelle studied her. “So?”
“So my heart is warming toward him again,” Jasmine confessed. “And that scares me.”
Richelle reached over and squeezed her hand. “It should. But it also means you care.”
Jasmine exhaled. “I think… I’ll wait for him to come back this evening. Then we’ll leave together.”
Richelle sighed dramatically. “I’ll miss you, duh.”
Then she smiled warmly. “But I’m glad you’re going back. And what I won’t miss is all this lovey-dovey nonsense in my apartment. Get a room.”
Jasmine gasped and threw a pillow at her. “Rude!”
They both laughed just as Damien returned.
The laughter died when they saw his face.
His jaw was set. His eyes were dark.
Jasmine stood immediately. “What happened?”
Damien sat beside her, pulling her to seat as took her hand. “Raymond is gone.”
Her stomach dropped. “Gone?”
“I went to his house this morning,” he said. “His car wasn’t there. The place was empty.”
Richelle frowned. “You mean he ran?”
“Yes.”
Jasmine squeezed Damien’s hand, her pulse racing. Fear crept into her chest.
Damien cupped her cheek gently. “Do not worry, tesoro. I will have bodyguards watching over you. I will find him.”
She nodded, leaning into his touch.
“I have to go,” Damien said reluctantly. “I need to make sure he didn’t take company information.”
Jasmine grabbed his wrist. “Be careful.”
“I promise.”
She walked him to the door. They stood on the porch, inches apart. Jasmine wraps her hands around his neck, Damien leads down, hands going round her waist he buried his face in her neck and kissed her softly there.
“I’ll be back,” he whispered.
When Damien drives off, Jasmine stood still, the cool afternoon breeze brushing her skin.
Angst twisted in her chest. And all she could think was one prayer:
Please… let this be the end of Raymond, I hope we never see him again.
~
I drove away with the taste of Jasmine still on my lips and the weight of her fear sitting heavy in my chest. The city looked the same—cars honking, people crossing streets, vendors shouting—but everything inside me felt different.
Raymond being gone was not relief. It was a warning. A man like him didn’t disappear quietly. He ran when he was planning something worse.
My phone buzzed again before I reached the main road. Security updates.
I answered with clipped instructions, my mind already racing ahead.
“Double the guards at Richelle’s building,” I said.
“Two at the door. Two inside the hallway. No one gets near her without clearance.”
“Yes, boss.”
I ended the call and gripped the steering wheel tighter. I should have protected her sooner.
That thought haunted me the entire drive to the office. When I arrived, the building felt colder than usual. My men were already waiting in my office, laptops open, surveillance feeds running.
“He wiped his accounts clean,” Sebastian reported. “No withdrawals since yesterday morning.”
“Which means he planned this,” I muttered.
I paced the room, running a hand through my hair. “Track his phone. His car. His contacts. I want to know if he spoke to anyone before he vanished.”
Marco hesitated. “Boss… there’s something else.”
I turned sharply. “What?”
“He accessed your files.”
My blood ran cold. “Which ones?”
“Jasmine’s background. Your security layout. Employee schedules.”
Rage flared so hot in my chest I had to turn away before I shattered something.
He was still after her.
Raymond was still out there.
I took out my phone and stared at the name.
Dominic.
The last man I wanted to owe anything to.
I hesitated only a second before pressing call.
It rang once. Twice.
Then his voice came through, smooth and amused, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
“Well,” Dominic drawled, “if it isn’t Damien De Luca. To what do I owe the honor?”
I closed my eyes briefly. “I need your help.”
A pause. Then a soft laugh. “Ah. I was wondering when you would say those words.”
“This isn’t a game, Dominic.”
“Everything is a game, brother. The question is—what are you willing to pay to win?”
I tightened my grip on the phone. “Raymond has disappeared.”
Silence followed. Not playful this time.
Calculating.
“Your Raymond?” Dominic asked slowly.
“Yes.”
“The one who betrayed you?”
“The same.”
“And now you want me to find him.”
“I want you to unleash your men. All of them. Every street, every port, every contact you have.”
Dominic exhaled. “You don’t ask for small favors, do you?”
“He threatened my wife.”
That did it.
I heard Dominic shift, the humor draining from his voice. “So… it’s personal.”
“It’s war.”