Chapter 99 7 pm
For a moment Jasmine didn’t respond.
Then she reached out suddenly, grabbing Richelle’s wrist.“Come with me,” she said quietly.
Richelle allowed herself to be pulled toward the bedroom. Before Damien could say anything, Jasmine had already guided him outside.
The door closed behind them him a soft click.
Damien stood there in the hallway for a moment.
His jaw tightened slightly.
He knew better than to intrude when Jasmine needed space. Still… something about the look on her face earlier unsettled him.
After a few seconds he exhaled quietly and turned away.“Take your time,” he called toward the door.
Then he walked down the hallway toward his home office.
Inside the bedroom, Jasmine leaned back against the door once it shut, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.Richelle watched her carefully.“Okay,” she said gently. “That bad, huh?”
Jasmine ran a hand through her hair before pushing herself away from the door.“Worse.”
Richelle crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside her.“Come on.”
Jasmine hesitated before joining her.
“So?” Richelle asked softly. “What did he say?”
Jasmine stared down at her hands.“He wants me to come back under his protection.”
Richelle’s brows knit together.“That sounds… bad”
“It is.”Jasmine swallowed. “He thinks working with Damien is too dangerous.”
Richelle sighed.“Well… he’s not entirely wrong about that.”
Jasmine gave a tired half-smile.“Apparently he still believes Damien is just my boss.”
Richelle tilted her head.“Meaning you didn’t tell him about the contract marriage?”
“Oh, I did.”
“And?”
“He didn’t like it.”
Richelle snorted lightly“I’m shocked.” she retorted sarcastically
Jasmine shook her head.“He said he’ll wait one month.”
Richelle’s expression sobered immediately.
“One month?”
Jasmine nodded slowly. “He told me if I haven’t told Damien the full truth by then… he’s taking me with him.”
The room went quiet.
Richelle leaned back slightly, absorbing that.
“That’s not exactly a small ultimatum.”
Jasmine hugged her arms around herself unconsciously.“I know.”
Richelle studied her friend carefully.
“So the real question is…” she said gently. “Are you going to tell Damien?”
Jasmine didn’t answer. Instead she stared toward the door.Unaware that on the other side of it, Damien had returned halfway down the hallway after forgetting a file in his office.
He paused when he heard Jasmine’s voice again.
The door hadn’t closed completely. A thin crack remained between the frame and the wood.
Through that narrow opening Damien could see into the room.
Jasmine sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slightly hunched as she held herself tightly.
His eyes followed her instantly.
Greedily.
Not with lust—but with something deeper.
Something protective.
Something almost desperate.
Richelle’s voice broke the quiet.
“You can’t keep this from him forever, Jas.”
Jasmine’s fingers tightened against her sleeves.
“I know.”
“But?”
Her voice softened. “But if I tell him everything… things will change.”
Richelle sighed.“They already have.”
Jasmine didn’t respond.
She only stared at the floor, lost in thought.
Outside the room, Damien remained still in the hallway, watching her through the narrow opening. His gaze lingering on every small movement she made.
Because whatever Jasmine was afraid to tell him—
He was going to find out. Sooner or later.
He stood there for a moment, staring at the door Jasmine had just slipped through with Richelle. His hand still rested loosely against the wall beside him, fingers curled as though he had almost reached for her before stopping himself.
Inside the room, muffled voices began to rise.
Low. Urgent. Private. Damien exhaled slowly.
He turned away before he could catch himself listening too closely and headed toward his home office.
The apartment felt strangely still now. The faint hum of the city outside filtered through the tall glass windows, lights of New York blinking like distant stars beyond the skyline.
But Damien barely noticed them. He pushed open the door to his office and stepped inside.
The room smelled faintly of leather and cedar. Files lay stacked neatly on his desk, the dim lamp casting a soft golden glow across the polished wood.
Normally, work grounded him.
Tonight, it didn’t.
Damien poured himself a drink from the small crystal decanter sitting on the sideboard. Whiskey burned warmly down his throat, but the tension in his chest remained.
Because Jasmine was different tonight.
Shaken.
Scared.
And she had gone to Richelle about something private, that alone told him the conversation with her uncle had not gone well. He sat behind the desk, loosening the collar of his shirt slightly.
Minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then fifteen.
Still, Jasmine hadn’t come to him. His gaze drifted back toward the hallway. A flicker of impatience crossed his face. The sharp vibration against the polished wood broke the quiet of the room.
He stilled.
For a moment he simply stared at the screen.
Then the name flashing across it made his expression harden, Percival.
Damien picked up the phone and lifted it to his ear.
“Percival,” he answered calmly. His voice was low, controlled.
At the same time, he pushed himself out of the chair and walked across the office. The door remained slightly ajar, the hallway beyond dim and quiet. Jasmine was somewhere down that hall with Richelle.
Talking.
Possibly about things she wasn’t ready to tell him yet. Damien reached the door and gently pushed it closed until it clicked softly into place.
Only then did he turn back toward the room.
He walked to the edge of his desk and leaned against it, one hand resting on the cool surface while he listened.
On the other end of the line, Percival’s voice came through.“Mr. Blackwood. The goods have been secured.”His tone was cold.
Collected.
Professional.
Unlike the first time Damien had spoken to him, there was no background noise this time—no strange sounds, no unsettling hints of Percival indulging in whatever disturbing hobbies Dominic had once alluded to.
It was simply quiet.
Still.
Controlled.
Damien felt his breath catch slightly in his chest.
“All three,” Percival continued.
Damien’s gaze drifted toward the office door again, instinctively. As if Jasmine could somehow hear the conversation from down the hall. As if the walls themselves might carry his words to her.
He pushed the thought away.
This was necessary, just one more step.
“Name the location for the meet up,” Percival said.
Damien’s jaw tightened briefly before he answered.
“My office. Tomorrow.” A short pause followed.
“Time?” Percival asked.
“Seven p.m.”
Another beat of silence passed.