Chapter 129 129
Damien stood rooted to the spot.
For a split second, he couldn’t move.
Then Jacqueline’s eyes met his.
She went rigid.
All the color drained from her face as if someone had pulled the blood straight out of her veins.
“N-not here…” she whispered to Julien, pushing weakly against his chest.
Julien stepped back, his jaw tightening. When he followed her line of sight and saw Damien standing there, something dark flickered across his face.
Without another word, Julien grabbed her arm and steered her toward the passenger seat. He shoved her inside, rounded the car, and slid behind the wheel. The driver who had been patiently waiting in the staff area was left behind as Julien drove off himself.
Damien inhaled sharply.
His mind erupted with a thousand possibilities at once, each worse than the last. He didn’t want to believe any of them.
But every instinct inside him roared.
Go after her.
And he did.
He sprinted to his car, started the engine with a violent turn of the key, and tore out of the parking lot. Within minutes, he caught up to Julien’s vehicle and swerved in front of it, forcing both cars to screech to a halt.
Damien jumped out and strode toward them, fury radiating from every step.
Julien exited his car as well, meeting his glare head-on.
Jacqueline ignored Julien’s sharp command to stay inside and stepped out too.
“What was that?” Damien demanded, his teeth clenched. The question was meant for her, but his eyes burned into Julien.
“Answer him, honey,” Julien said smoothly, and Jacqueline flinched at the word.
“It’s none of your concern,” she replied curtly.
Damien’s olive eyes snapped to hers.
She held his gaze, face composed.
“What is this behavior, Damien?” she snapped suddenly. “You could’ve caused an accident.” She gestured toward his car blocking theirs as if he were the irrational one.
“He was all over you!” Damien shot back, venom lacing his voice.
Her expression shifted to disbelief. “What? You’re insane. I was slipping and Mr. Julien caught me.”
She spoke as though the accusation itself offended her.
Then she turned away and got back into the car, disappointment written across her face.
Julien shot Damien one final narrowed look before climbing in, reversing, and driving off.
Damien returned home, but the scene replayed relentlessly in his head.
He knew what he had seen.
It hadn’t been innocent.
That night, sleep avoided him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Julien’s hands on her.
By morning, he had made a decision.
He would confront her at the university.
Maybe she was scared. Maybe that was why she had pretended nothing happened.
But the next day, Jacqueline didn’t show up.
Nor the day after that.
He asked her friends, but they knew nothing.
Now he sat on his bed, staring at his phone. Her name glowed on the screen. He debated calling her. After a long moment, he chose to text instead.
Hey. You up?
He waited.
Two minutes passed.
No reply.
With a frustrated exhale, he tossed the phone onto the bed and headed to the shower. Hot water pounded against his shoulders, but it did nothing to ease the tension coiled inside him.
For two days straight, she had consumed his thoughts.
Something wasn’t right.
She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would willingly have an affair with her stepfather.
So why deny it so fiercely?
If she didn’t show up tomorrow, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay calm.
The next day, the moment he stepped into the corridor, her scent hit him.
She was there.
Standing with her friends, smiling at something Gilles had said.
She looked… normal.
As if nothing had happened. As if that night didn’t exist.
In class, she sat beside Gilles again.
Damien observed her silently. She laughed. Took notes. Acted perfectly fine.
After a few lectures, he spotted her at her locker, pulling books out.
Her friends weren’t around.
Now.
He approached.
Jacqueline noticed him immediately. Her body stiffened. She shut her locker quickly and started walking in the opposite direction.
No footsteps followed her.
For a moment, she thought she had escaped.
Then
A hand seized her wrist.
She was yanked sideways into darkness. Her books slipped from her arms and fell to the floor.
A scream rose in her throat
but a large, calloused hand clamped over her mouth, swallowing the sound. His palm covered more than half her face.
Panic surged.
Before she could spiral, the lights flicked on.
She blinked against the sudden brightness and met cold green eyes.
Damien.
She shoved his hand away and inhaled sharply, steadying herself. They were inside a cramped janitor’s closet, barely enough room for two people. His tall frame filled most of the space, making it suffocating.
“What is wrong with you?” she snapped, taking a step back. He was far too close.
“What the hell was he doing that night?” Damien growled, all the frustration he had bottled up spilling out.
Jacqueline drew in a sharp breath. She bent to gather her fallen books, trying to brush past him.
He wasn’t finished.
He grabbed her arm and jerked her back in front of him, towering over her.
“Is he forcing you?” he demanded, fury blazing in his eyes.
“What? No!” she said, shocked, wrenching her arm from his grip.
Damien shut his eyes briefly, struggling to control himself. Then he stepped forward again.
She instinctively stepped back
Until her back hit the wall.
Now she was trapped between him and the hard surface, his presence overwhelming in the tiny room.
“So what does that mean?” he growled darkly. “You’re sleeping with him willingly? With your step-father?”
The words came out low and thunderous, sending chills racing down her spine.
“M-my s-sex life is n-none of your concern,” she stammered, even as she tried to sound firm.
What he did next froze her blood.
He smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
It was slow. Cold. Vicious.
A smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
And it terrified her.