"Sometimes, the truth is always locked away for a reason."
The door creaked open into silence.
Isabel stood frozen in the hallway, her hand still on the knob. A chill brushed her skin as if something unseen has passed through her. She'd expected it to be locked. Damon had made that very clear.
But it wasn't.
And that terrified her more.
She stepped inside.
The room was dimly lit, the only glow coming from a floor lamp beside an imposing mahogany desk. The air smelled faintly of expensive cologne and secrets. Every surface was spotless - no clutter, no open files. Just order. Cold, ruthless order.
But then her eyes caught something strange.
A drawer slightly ajar.
Her heart pounding, she walked over over and pulled it open. Inside, she found a black leather notebook, worn at the edges. She flipped it open.
Names.
Dates.
Transactions.
Her father's name was there.
Three times.
Beside it, a word was scribbled in red ink:
"Failure"
Isabel's breath stopped.
Before she could process it, she heard it -
Footsteps. Heavy. Getting closer.
Panic surged. She shoved the notebook back into the drawer and spun around as the door opened.
Damon stood there.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?", he says quietly.
Isabel's pulse thundered in her ears. "The doors was open."
"I left it that way."
"What?"
He stepped inside slowly, closing the door behind him. "I wanted to see what you'd do. And now I know."
She backed towards the desk, anger rising to mask her fear. " What was that notebook? Why is my father's name in it?"
Damon didn't answer.
Instead, he moved closer - too close. "Let me give you a new rule, Mrs Blackwood."
His hand reached past her, gripping the drawer she'd opened
"If you're going to play with fire..."
"Be ready to burn."
That night, Isabel couldn't sleep.
Damon hadn't said another word after dragging the notebook out of her hand. He simply left her standing there - stunned, furious, afraid.
She kept thinking about the word:
"Failure"
What did it mean?
Did Damon blame her father for something?
Or had her father failed himself?
She turned in bed, facing Damon's back. He was sleeping soundly, or at least pretending to. She whispered into the dark:
"what did he do to you?"