Chapter 61 Shot At Him

Chapter 61 Shot At Him
Damien had always been observant. He had to be because of his background.

But that morning, something felt off the second he stepped out of his room.

There was a shift in the air, subtle to most, and painfully obvious to him.

Heavy footsteps where there shouldn't be. Shadows where no shadows belonged. Eyes lingering on him half a second too long.

He ignored it, for now, but the hairs on the back of his neck lifted in warning.

Someone was watching him.
And whoever it was... wasn't hiding it well enough.

He tightened his jaw as an obvious name came into his mind...

Victor! It had to be Victor.

But he kept walking, his expression unreadable, casual even, as he made his way downstairs.

On the other hand, Elena wasn't okay.

Damien noticed it immediately when he saw her sitting alone in the garden, hugging her knees to her chest, her head bowed. She didn't hear him approach because she was too lost inside herself.

"Elena," Damien murmured.

She jumped at the sound, then quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Damien! You..."
She stood, forcing a smile that cracked the moment it formed. "You scared me."

"You were crying," he said quietly.

"I wasn't-"

"Elena." His voice left no room for lies.

Her lips trembled. Then, helplessly, she broke.

The tears spilled over devastatingly.

She turned away, but Damien stepped closer, gently touching her shoulder.

"What happened?"

Her voice was a fractured whisper.
"It's my father. He wants to fire you."

Damien already knew. But hearing it from her lips-raw, broken, stabbed deeper than he expected. He didn't care about his job. All he cared about was... HER!

"He said I could only keep you if... If I agreed to marry Caspian," she continued shakily. "Damien, I-I don't want that. I don't want any of this."

Damien clenched his fists behind his back, forcing himself to stay calm.

"What did you tell him?" he asked.

"I told him I would think about it," she whispered.

She crumpled, sinking back to the bench, her shoulders shaking.

"I feel like I'm losing everything," she said. "My freedom to breathe. My voice. My sanity. And now... you."

Damien froze.

Her voice... The way she said 'you'...
It hit him like a punch to the ribs.

"Elena," he said quietly, "you aren't losing me."

She looked up at him through wet lashes, her eyes full of fear.

"You say that now," she whispered. "But my father... he'll do something. I know he will."

Damien wanted to tell her the truth right then, his real identity, his real mission, who he truly was.

But he couldn't. Not yet.

Instead, he sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders brushed.

Her small hand trembled as she reached for him, hesitant and unsure.

Damien hesitated... then slowly, very slowly, intertwined his fingers with hers.

Elena inhaled sharply at the warm, strong grip.

"Damien..." she whispered.

He didn't look at her because he didn't trust himself to.

From across the courtyard, a discreet figure lowered his binoculars and spoke into an earpiece.

"Alpha One, come in. Target Damien Cole is with the Mistress. They're close. Very close."

Victor's voice came through, cold as steel.
"Do not engage. Observe and report. I want every detail."

"Yes, sir. There's... physical contact."

There was a pause.

Victor exhaled slowly. "Then keep your men sharp. If he makes one wrong move, even one move, I want to know immediately."

The man nodded. "Understood."

Another guard stepped beside him.
"You think this guy is dangerous?"

The first guard snorted.
"Anyone Victor watches personally is dangerous. Keep your gun loaded."

Caspian stood in his room, staring at his mirror with a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

His parents had been whispering behind closed doors for days. He heard every word.

Damien is a threat.
Damien is in the way.
Damien must be removed.

Good! Because Caspian wanted him gone too.

He picked up his phone and dialed a private number.

"Follow Damien Cole," he ordered coldly. "Find out wherever Damien goes and what he does." He then paused...

"And if you find a weakness?" he added with a slow smile.
"Exploit it."

He ended the call and stared at his reflection again.

"Elena will be mine," he murmured to himself.
"She will marry me, love me, obey me... even if she doesn't want to."

His smile grew darker.

"And Damien won't be alive long enough to interfere."

Damien escorted Elena back inside, walking half a step ahead like he always did. But his senses were on high alert.

Footsteps behind him. The same man. He was too close this time.

Damien stopped walking abruptly.

Elena ran into his back gently.
"Damien?"

"Stay here." He turned around calmly.

The guard froze mid-step.

Damien tilted his head slightly. "You've been following me since morning."

The man swallowed.
"-I-I was just-"

"If you're going to tail someone," Damien said softly, "at least learn to do it properly."

The guard's throat tightened.

Damien stepped closer. So close the guard's breath hitched.

"A warning," Damien murmured, his voice dropping into that quiet, deadly tone... the one few had ever heard
and survived.

"Stay out of my shadow."

The guard paled. His heartbeat was audible. Damien looked so dangerous.

"Y-yes, sir."

Damien walked away, placing a steady hand on Elena's back.

She looked at him, worry etched into her features.

"Damien... what's going on?"

"Nothing you need to be afraid of," he said quietly.

But inside, he was already preparing for war.

Night fell...

And with it... something darker.

Damien was heading back to Elena's wing when he heard it:

A soft click. Metal releases pressure.
A trigger half-pulled.

His eyes snapped to the left.

A sniper scope glinted through the curtain gap of a guest room.

Damien moved instantly... silent, swift, and deadly.

He grabbed Elena, who had been walking beside him, and shoved her behind a marble pillar just as

CRACK!

A bullet tore into the wall centimeters from where her head had been.

Elena screamed and cupped her ears.

Damien wrapped both arms around her, shielding her body completely, his eyes sharp, expression ice-cold.

"Elena," he whispered, his breath calm despite the danger, "stay behind me."

"W-what-Damien-someone just-"

"I know."

His voice was calm.

Because this? This wasn't Victor's men.

This shot was meant to kill. His eyes narrowed.

Someone else was moving. Someone reckless. And... desperate.
And willing to kill inside Victor's estate because he has no fear.

Damien lifted Elena in his arms without warning.

She gasped.
"Damien-!"

"We need to move now."

He sprinted down the hall, holding her tightly, scanning the shadows.

"Elena," he said, breath warm against her ear, "from this moment on, you do not leave my sight."

Her arms locked around his neck.

"S-someone tried to kill me?" she whispered.

Damien didn't answer. Because his silence said everything. Albeit, he knew the bullet was meant for him instead.

But in his mind, one name burned like fire.

Caspian.