Chapter 26 HOME.
\~~~DAMIEN.
“That is enough, Serena.”
I finally breathed out, pulling the bottle away from her reach.
If I wasn’t mistaken, this was her fourth glass of champagne, and she looked ready to go for a fifth. Her fingers lingered on the stem of the glass even after I took it, like she was debating fighting me for it.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me something had gone wrong.
She had left our table uneasy but composed. She returned tense, quiet, and then started drinking like she was trying to drown something inside her. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her shoulders were stiff and her gaze kept drifting.
Something happened in that restroom.
“Damien,” she muttered, reaching for the bottle again. “Give it back.”
“No,” I said calmly, setting it farther away. “You’ve had enough.”
Her head dropped slightly, and she cupped her already red cheeks with both hands, slurping softly as if the room itself was spinning.
“J… just one more glass, Damien,” she slurred, dragging the words out, her voice thinner than before. “Please.”
I watched her for a second longer.
Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Her shoulders sagged, all that earlier tension melting into something fragile and unguarded. She wasn’t trying to be stubborn anymore. She was already gone and drunk..
I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “You’re done,” I said again, firmer this time.
She frowned at me like I had just betrayed her, then let out a small, huffing laugh. “You are so… bossy,” she muttered.
“And you are drunk,” I replied flatly.
She sat upright, swaying before steadying herself by gripping the edge of the table. “I am not,” she argued weakly. “I just… feel light.”
Her attempt at dignity lasted all of three seconds before she blinked slowly and added, “And warm.”
That confirmed it.
I stood up, and stepped closer, placing a steadying hand on her arm before she could tip over. She leaned into the touch without thinking, her head tilting slightly toward my waist.
“Careful,” I murmured.
She hummed in response, eyes fluttering shut for a brief second before opening them again. “You smell nice,” she said suddenly, completely off-topic.
I stiffened then said quietly. “Serena, we’re leaving.”
She looked up at me, confused. “But you won an award…”
“I don’t care,” I replied. “You’re not staying here like this.”
Her brows knit together. “People are watching.”
“Let them.”
I slid my arm around her waist, not giving her the chance to protest. She was lighter than she looked, or maybe she was simply no longer resisting.
She sighed dramatically, resting more of her weight against me. “You’re going to get in trouble because of me,” she mumbled.
I lifted her up and without caring about the sudden attention I caused, I walked out of the hall.
_____
“I will drive myself. I need you to do something else for me,” I said the moment Ethan and Melissa reached us outside.
Serena was already in the car, slumped against the seat, her eyes half-closed, mumbling something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like my name.
Ethan straightened immediately. He was my right-hand man, and my shadow when things got complicated. He joined Hale Corp in his early twenties and climbed faster than anyone expected, mostly because he understood one thing very well, loyalty. He was one of the few people who could speak freely around me and still live to tell the tale.
Melissa stood beside him, tablet tucked under her arm, her sharp eyes already working. A professional hacker. No, she is worse. A cyber-terrorist when she needed to be. She had been with me for over five years, loyal to the bone, and dangerously efficient.
“I will go through the CCTV surveillance and see what I can find,” Melissa said before I even gave the order.
I nodded. “Go through every camera.”
“Already on it,” she replied calmly.
I turned to Ethan. “You.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stay here,” I said. “ I want to know who approached Serena after she left the table. Anyone who followed her, or anyone who spoke to her.”
His jaw tightened. “You think it was Ryan.”
“I don’t think,” I said coldly. “I know he was here.”
Ethan’s eyes darkened. “Do you want me to…”
“No,” I cut in sharply. “Not yet. I just need to be certain first, then I’ll decide.”
He nodded once. “Understood.”
I glanced back at the car. Serena had shifted slightly, curling into herself like she was trying to make herself smaller.
Melissa tapped her screen. “Give me a few hours. If he so much as breathed near her, I would find it.”
“You have thirty minutes,” I said.
Her lips curved faintly. “Why not?”
I opened the driver’s door and slid into the car, closing it with finality. The noise of the event faded instantly, leaving only Serena’s uneven breathing beside me.
I glanced at her once.
Her lashes fluttered, and her lips parted slightly and vulnerable.
____
The drive home was… memorable.
Serena didn’t stop talking for even one second. Her voice filled the car, slurred and lazy, words dragging into each other like they were tired of standing alone. I didn’t even need to look at her to know how drunk she was.
She talked about how unfair the world was. How people took advantage of kind hearts. How she wished she had a superpower so she could freeze time and do whatever she liked without consequences.
Then she sang loudly, and Off-key with passion.
I kept my eyes on the road, jaw tight, pretending I couldn’t hear her butcher a song I was very sure she didn’t even know the lyrics to.
When the car finally pulled into the garage, I breathed out in relief and stepped out quickly. I walked around to her side and opened the door.
“Oh, we’re home!” she squealed as I gently lifted her into my arms.
She wrapped her arms around my neck immediately, holding on like I might disappear.
“It is home, right?” she asked, blinking up at me.
“Yes,” I answered quietly, adjusting my hold on her as I walked inside.
The house was silent and every step echoed as I took the stairs, with Serena resting heavily against me, humming softly now.
I pushed her bedroom door open and walked in, switching on the bedside lamp before moving to the bed. I bent slightly, trying to lay her down gently.
That was when I realized she had no intention of letting go.
Her arms remained tightened around my neck instead.
“Let go, Moonlight,” I groaned under my breath.
She didn’t.
Instead, she smiled slowly and lazily.
Our faces were inches apart, and I swallowed hard, very aware of her warm breath against my skin.
“You are so handsome,” she murmured. “No… you’re hot. Like, really hot.”
I clenched my jaw. “Serena, let…”
“Are you sure you’re forty?” she added, her fingers brushing my collar. “Because you don’t look like it.”
“Serena,” I warned softly.
She tilted her head, studying my face like I was a puzzle she suddenly found interesting.
“Do you find me hot too?” she asked, voice dropping. “Like… sexually attractive?”