Lashirah_Hash

> He saw her once—and that was enough.

Elena Rivers was just a waitress at a high-end gala she didn’t belong to, filling in for someone else's shift. She didn’t know her spilled glass of champagne would be the moment Damien Vale—billionaire, recluse, and dangerously obsessive—noticed her.

He never spoke to her. Not then. But he watched.

And when he wanted her closer, he made it happen.

Now, Elena is working directly under him, unaware that the life she thinks she controls is already entangled in the hands of a man who doesn't just want her—he needs her.

He’s patient. He’s powerful. And he’s been planning this from the moment she walked into his view.

OBSESSION IN SILENCE

The wind cut sharp as she burst onto the street, heels clicking against the pavement like gunshots. Her breath came in sharp, fractured gasps. She didn't know where she was going—only that she had to get away.

Damien had stripped her of her silence.

She couldn't tell what stung more: the betrayal or the shame. Not even a warning. No choice. No control.

Just a declaration made in front of the world, as if she were something to be owned.

A familiar voice sliced through the chaos.

Christopher appeared through the swarm of onlookers and reporters, pushing past them with a look of murder in his eyes. He reached her in seconds and immediately shielded her from the flash of a camera.

"Come with me," he said, voice firm.

Too stunned to protest, she let him lead her to a waiting car. The door slammed behind them, cutting off the noise. The vehicle peeled into traffic, cocooning her in silence and leather.

"He... he had no right." Her voice cracked, more to herself than him. "Why would he do that?"

Christopher didn't answer immediately. He was staring straight ahead, jaw clenched. But she saw his knuckles whiten around the steering wheel.

"You said he wouldn't hurt me again," she whispered. "You said he wouldn't—"

"I was wrong." Christopher's voice was tight, edged with fury. "And I'll fix it. I swear."

But something inside her cracked deeper. Because even though Christopher was right here, steady and solid, she could still feel Damien's shadow. Watching. Waiting.

She wasn't sure she wanted him to stop.

The Interception