Chapter 21 The Warning
Damien's pov
My phone rang while I was making Ethan lunch.
It was a call from a private number.
I knew who it was before I even answered.
"Yeah?"
"Mr. Otto, it's Harris." My private investigator. "We have a problem."
I glanced at Ethan. He was coloring at the kitchen table, completely absorbed in turning a dinosaur purple.
I stepped into the hallway just to listen to him carefully.
"What kind of problem?"
"Lucas Ward. He's hired someone to find Lara."
My jaw clenched so hard I heard my teeth grind.
"How close is he?"
"Not very. She's been careful. No social media. Limited public appearances. But he's persistent. Hired some guy named Chen. Former FBI. Good at what he does."
Shit.
"Keep monitoring him. I want to know everything he does. Where he goes. Who he talks to. Everything."
"Already on it.
"
"And Harris? Make sure he doesn't get close."
"Understood sir."
I hung up and stood there for a minute.
Lucas was looking for her, because of what. After he abandoned her and now he's looking for her.
Of course he was.
His company was failing. His wife left him.
He'd lost everything.
And now he wanted Lara back.
Not because he loved her. He'd never loved her.
But because she represented everything he'd destroyed. Everything he wanted to reclaim.
"Dada?"
I turned. Ethan was standing in the doorway holding up his drawing.
"Look! I made a dinosaur family!"
I forced a smile and crouched down.
"That's amazing, buddy. Is that you?"
"Yeah! And that's you and Mama. We're all dinosaurs!"
"We're a pretty cool dinosaur family."
He beamed and ran back to the table.
I watched him go.
Lucas won't be able to get themm. No, I won't let him get them. Not while I was breathing.
That evening, Lara came home glowing and very happy.
"You'll never guess what happened today!"
"What?"
"TechWorld Magazine wants to do a feature on Montgomery Tech. A big one. Cover story."
I pulled her into a hug. "That's incredible baby."
"I know! But I told them no photos of me.
Just the office. The team. The work."
Smart.
"Are you okay with that?" she asked, pulling back to look at me.
"Of course. It's your call."
She kissed me. "Thank you for always supporting me."
"Always boo."
~~
Later, after dinner, while Lara gave Ethan his bath, I made some calls.
First, to a security company I'd used before.
"I need a team. Personal protection. Starting tomorrow."
"How many?"
"Three. Two for daytime, one overnight. Rotation schedule."
"You got threats?”
"Just being cautious."
The second call was to my head of IT.
"I need our home security upgraded. Cameras. Motion sensors. The works."
"When?"
"Tonight."
He didn't ask questions. Just said he'd send a team.
The third call was to my lawyer.
"Pull everything we have on Lucas Ward. Financial records. Business dealings. Everything."
"Is there anything going on?"
"Just preparing."
When Lara came downstairs, I was on the couch pretending to watch TV.
"Ethan wants you to read him a story," she said.
"I'm on it."
I went upstairs. Ethan was in his dinosaur pajamas, teeth brushed, hair still damp.
"Dada! Story time!"
He handed me the same book he'd been requesting for two weeks. Some story about a bear who couldn't sleep.
I read it. Did the voices. Made him laugh.
When I got to the end, he yawned.
"One more?"
"It's bedtime, buddy."
"But I'm not tired."
"Close your eyes. I'll stay until you fall asleep."
He snuggled into his pillow. "Dada?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you and Mama getting married soon?"
"Six months."
"That's forever!"
I smiled. "It'll go fast. I promise."
"Will I be at the wedding?"
"You're the most important person in the wedding."
He grinned. Then his eyes started drooping.
Within minutes, he was out.
I sat there watching him fall asleep. This kid who called me Dada. Who looked at me like I hung the moon. Who had no idea the danger lurking outside these walls.
Lucas wanted Lara back.
But Ethan came with Lara.
And there was no way in hell Lucas was getting near either of them.
~~
The next morning, a black SUV showed up.
Lara noticed immediately.
"What's that?"
"Security."
"Security? For what?"
I'd prepared for this. "Your company's getting bigger. You're in the news. Some tech CEOs get threats. It's just a precaution."
She frowned. "Damien, that seems excessive."
"Better safe than sorry. Just for a while.
Until things calm down."
She studied my face. Looking for the lie.
I kept my expression neutral, not wanting her to know what happened.
Finally, she nodded. "Okay. If you think it's necessary."
"I do."
She kissed my cheek and headed to work.
The security guy—Marcus—came over.
"Does your wife know the real reason we're here?"
"No. And she doesn't need to. Just keep them safe."
"Done."
Over the next week, I accelerated the investigation into Richard's death.
I'd been working on it for months.Carefully and quietly.
And now we had proof.
Arsenic. In Richard's medication.
Administered over six months.
Enough to kill him slowly while making it look like the cancer was just progressing faster than expected.
My investigator had traced the arsenic purchases back to Claire Ward.
She'd been careful. Using cash. Buying from different pharmacies.
But not careful enough.
We had receipts. Surveillance footage.
Witness statements from pharmacy employees who remembered her.
We had everything.
Enough to put her away for life.
And Lucas? He'd known. Had to have known.
Which made him an accessory.
I could destroy them both. Right now. Today.
One phone call to the police and the Ward family would be finished.
But I held back. Not because of anything, but because Lara deserved to know first.
Deserved to decide when and how this information came out.
And because I wanted her married to me first. Protected by my name. My money. My resources.
Then we would destroy them.
That night, I found Lara in the living room looking at wedding magazines.
She had samples everywhere. Flowers. Invitations. Fabric swatches.
"This is insane," she said. "How do people choose?”.
"Choose what?”
"Everything! There's like forty different shades of white for the napkins!"
I laughed and sat beside her. "Pick whatever you want. It'll be perfect."
"You're no help."
"I'm a great help. I'm here. Providing moral support."
She threw a magazine at me.
Ethan came running in. "Mama! Can we have ice cream?"
"After dinner."
"But I'm hungry now!"
"Then eat your vegetables."
"Vegetables are yucky."
Lara sighed. "Ethan—"
"I'll eat vegetables!" I cut in. "If Ethan eats his, I'll eat mine too."
Ethan's eyes lit up. "Deal!"
We went to the kitchen. I made dinner while Lara helped Ethan with a puzzle.
I watched them. My family. Happy Family. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better family than this.
Lara laughed at something Ethan said. Ethan showed her a puzzle piece he'd been looking for. Both of them are happy and safe and completely unaware of the threat lurking out there.
Lucas was hunting for her.
Planning something. I could feel it.
But I'd made Richard a promise.
I'd protect his daughter.
No matter what.
Later that night, after Lara fell asleep, I went to my office.
Pulled up the files on Lucas.
His company was hemorrhaging money.
His divorce from Lisa was ugly. His mother was pressuring him.
He was desperate.
And desperate men do dangerous things.
My phone buzzed. Harris.
"Lucas's PI was at Montgomery Tech today. Asking questions."
"Did he get anything?"
"No. Your wife's PR team shut him down.
But he's getting closer."
"Keep me updated."
I hung up and stared at Richard's photo on my desk.
The one Lara didn't know I had.
Richard shaking my hand on my first day.
Both of us smiling.
"I'm trying," I said to the photo. "I'm doing everything I can to protect her."
But was it enough? I'm not sure.
I looked at the evidence spread across my desk.
Proof of murder. Proof of fraud. Proof of everything Lucas and Claire had done.
I could end this. Right now.
But I waited. I had to.
Because Lara deserved her moment of happiness.
The wedding. The joy. The peace.
After that?
After that, we'd burn the Ward family to the ground.
The next evening, I was playing with Ethan on the living room floor.
Building block towers so he could knock them down.
Lara was on the couch, laptop open, working on something.
"Dada, make it bigger!"
"Bigger? This is already huge!"
"BIGGER!"
I added more blocks. The tower was taller than Ethan now.
He squealed with delight and knocked it over.
Blocks went everywhere.
"Again! Again!
"Alright, but this is the last one. It's almost bedtime."
I started rebuilding.
Ethan leaned against me, watching carefully.
"Dada?"
"Yeah, buddy?"
"I love you."
My chest got tight.
"I love you too."
He looked up at me with those green eyes.
So trusting and so innocent.
"Forever?"
"Forever and always."
He grinned and went back to watching me build.
And I made a silent vow.
Lucas wasn't getting near them.
I didn't care what I had to do. How much it cost. What laws I had to bend.
Nothing was touching my family.
Nothing, absolutely nothing.
The tower was done. Ethan knocked it over gleefully.
Blocks scattered across the floor.
"Bedtime!" Lara announced.
"Nooo!"
"Yes. Come on. Say goodnigh
t to Dada."
Ethan hugged me tight. "Night, Dada."
"Goodnight, buddy. Love you."
"Love you too!"
Lara carried him upstairs.
I sat there in the mess of blocks, thinking about everything I knew. Everything I was hiding.
The murder. The search. The danger.
I'd tell her soon.
After the wedding.
After she had her moment.
Then we'd face it together.
But tonight?
Tonight I'd let her be happy.
She deserved that much.