Chapter 60 You Can't Fire Damien

Chapter 60 You Can't Fire Damien
Morning had barely settled over the estate when Elena stirred awake, her mind still heavy from the restless night before.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to push away the lingering ache in her chest.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her lately, why she felt like every breath came with a weight she couldn’t shake off.

A soft, hesitant knock landed on her bedroom door.

“Elena?” came the familiar, gentle voice of the house butler.

She sat up immediately. “Come in.”

The door opened, revealing the butler's wrinkled face, creased with worry. Her usually composed demeanor was cracked by something he clearly didn’t want to tell her. She entered slowly, her hands clasped in front of her.

“Elena,” she began cautiously, “there is… There is something important you must know.”

Elena’s heart tightened. She stood, adjusting her nightgown around her shoulders. “What happened?”

The butler swallowed hard, her eyes flickering nervously out the door as though afraid someone would overhear. “It’s about your father… and about Mister Damien.”

Elena's breath stilled. "What about Damien?" she asked sharply.

The butler swallowed hard. She looked genuinely pained as she spoke.  "Sir Victor is planning to... fire him."

For a long moment, Elena simply stared, her expression blank. Then her face twisted with anger, shock, disbelief, all swirling together so fast she couldn’t separate them.

“What?” she whispered, stepping closer. “Why would he—? No. No.” She shook her head violently. “No. That’s not happening.”

She stormed out before the butler could say another word, her heartbeat drumming in her ears, her breath sharp and uneven.

She didn’t care that she was still in her nightgown, or that her hair was messy from sleep. She didn’t care who saw her. She was burning, burning with fury.

She marched through the hallway, barely stopping herself from ripping the door right off the hinges as she shoved Victor’s study door open so hard it slammed against the wall.

“FATHER!”

Victor looked up from his documents, visibly startled but quickly masking it with a controlled expression. "Elena, what on earth is the meaning of this?" he said calmly, "Is there a reason you're screaming in my study first thing in the morning?"

“Don’t ‘what on earth’ me,” she snapped, striding forward until she stood directly in front of his desk. “Why are you firing Damien?”

Victor blinked, surprised at her vehemence. “I see the butler has a big mouth.”

“She’s loyal to me,” Elena said. “Maybe she sees the things you pretend not to.”

Victor sighed in irritation. “Elena, you’re being dramatic.”

“No, YOU are being unreasonable!” she yelled, her hands trembling with anger. “Damien has done nothing wrong! He’s always protected me—more than you ever have! Why are you firing him?”

Victor exhaled dramatically, as if exhausted by her outburst. "Because," he said, leaning back in his chair, "your bodyguard has been repeatedly disrespectful. He talks back. Challenges me. Acts like my authority means nothing to him. He challenges my decisions in my own house."

Elena scoffed and threw her hands up in the air. "He only talks back when you're being unreasonable, Father! Which, by the way, is always! He's trying to protect me from you!"

"Elena..." Victor called out in a dangerous tone.

But Elena ignored him and continued...
“Because you’re always making decisions ABOUT me without ASKING me!” She shot back, stepping closer. “And Damien is the only one who doesn’t treat me like some trophy or business tool you can trade off for corporate gain!”

Victor froze. His eyes sharpened slightly.

“So that’s how you see me,” he murmured, a faint, mocking disappointment in his voice.

“That’s how you’ve always treated me,” she replied bitterly.

Victor leaned back slowly in his chair, observing her with new interest, calculating… reconsidering his strategy. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, then offered a slight sigh, like a father indulging a difficult child.

“Elena,” he said softly, “I understand that you are… emotional. But we can come to an arrangement.”

Elena’s eyes widened warily. “What kind of arrangement? What are you even talking about?”

Victor’s expression shifted, subtly and hauntingly. His tone softened, but his eyes gleamed like a predator’s.

“If Damien is that important to you,” he began smoothly, “then I can allow him to remain.”

Elena blinked, confused.

Victor continued, “But only if you agree to proceed with the engagement to Caspian. Officially. Publicly. No more stalling. No more arguing. No more excuses.”

Elena’s breath caught in her throat.

It felt like someone reached inside her chest and clenched her heart with ice-cold fingers.

Her voice shook. “You… you would keep Damien only if I marry Caspian? How could you even suggest that?”

Victor smiled faintly. “Think of it as an exchange. You keep the bodyguard you’re so fond of… and I secure the future of this family.”

Elena stared at him with disbelief. “This is blackmail.”

Victor shrugged. “That depends entirely on your perspective.”

Elena’s voice broke. “Why would you use my feelings like that?”

Victor’s expression didn’t change. “Because this marriage is important, Elena. Caspian will bring stability. Power. Opportunity. And you… You are part of this family. It’s time you contributed to it.”

She shut her eyes tightly, her breath shaking.

“I… I need to think,” she finally whispered, feeling sick.

Victor nodded with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Take your time. But remember, your decision will determine Damien’s fate in this house.”

Elena turned away, feeling her heart splintering. She walked out slowly, her shoulders slumped, feeling like the walls were closing in around her.

But the moment the door clicked shut behind her...

Victor’s warmth vanished.

His smile dropped instantly, replaced with cold calculation.

He pulled out his phone... Typed a short message.

And sent it to a private channel known only to his elite guards.

“From this moment forward, monitor Damien Cole closely. Do not let him move without my knowledge. Report everything he does. And prepare to remove him permanently if he becomes a threat."

Victor leaned back in his chair, his eyes darkening, folding his hands calmly over his stomach.

“So long as Damien is here,” Victor murmured to himself, “my daughter is not under my control.”

His eyes darkened even further.

“And that cannot be allowed. He won't be in my daughter's way much longer, he murmured.”