CHAPTER 43: AFTER LAURA

– Damien –

My entire body felt like it had been steamrolled. Every muscle aches, and all I wanted was to curl back into the warm comfort of my girlfriend’s arms. Snuggling with Laura always made everything better—aches, exhaustion, bad dreams. But the moment I cracked my eyes open, I saw someone sitting on the sofa.

A man.

I blinked blearily. Was I still dreaming? Nope. He stood, eyes cold, and pulled out a knife.

I sat up slowly, suppressing a groan. And then I recognized him. Logan.

I let out a dry chuckle, rubbing a hand over my face. "Logan," I laughed. "I’m naked right now. Can you at least help me put something on before you kill me?"

He laughed—sharp, sarcastic, empty.

Stretching, I let out a yawn and casually flexed my sore arms. "I get it. You hated Blackwell. Fine. You can kill me—just not here, alright? And not while I’m naked. That’s just rude."

He glared at me, the knife still in hand, then turned and walked out the door without another word.

I exhaled, flopping back for a second before sitting up again. "That was intense," I muttered. I guess Laura wasn’t here anymore. She did mention a lunch meeting, right? She must’ve already left.

I dragged myself to the bathroom, splashed some cold water over my body, then took a quick shower and threw on some clothes. Still dizzy. My head felt foggy, like I hadn’t had water in days. I made my way downstairs, grabbed a cold bottle from the fridge, and chugged half of it in one go.

Then it hit me—Livana had specifically told me to look after Laura. Crap.

"Sir, is there any specific lunch you’d like?" a maid asked politely.

I shrugged, distracted. "Uh, who drove Laura to the office today?"

"Sir Kai always drives her," she answered.

"Oh. I see." I downed the rest of the water, tossed the bottle in the bin, and pulled out a cold brew coffee from the fridge. Time to gear up.

In the garage, I suited up—jacket, gloves, helmet, all of it. Picked the bike with the comfiest back seat. If Laura wanted a ride later, I needed her to feel like a queen. I called Kai before heading out. He told me she was at an exclusive restaurant, meeting some people.

Even after 1 PM? Must be one of those serious lunches.

When I got there, a hostess at the entrance stopped me. "The restaurant is fully reserved," she said, looking at me like I didn’t belong.

I grinned, pointing past her. "See that room? The girl in there is my girlfriend, and the guy by the table? That’s my friend."

Sure enough, there was Kai, dozing on a sofa outside the glass room. I walked over and smacked his shoulder.

"Hey."

"Oh, you’re here," he said with a yawn. "Your girlfriend’s been in there for three hours now. I’m dead tired. And most of the people in there? Men." He frowned. Typical Kai.

I sat across from him at a table and raised my hand to flag down a waiter. The menu arrived, and I ordered the biggest lunch they had. I caught a glimpse of Laura through the glass—radiant, confident, completely in control of the room. Damn, I loved watching her like that.

"I’m really starving," I muttered, as the waiter brought out appetizers. I devoured them like I hadn’t eaten in days, and even asked for more while waiting for the main dish. Some chips helped, but nothing satisfied me like the actual meal.

"You and your appetite," Kai yawned. "Can I leave now?"

"Yeah," I said, handing him my coat and protective gear. We exchanged keys, and he left.

I glanced at my phone. One message.

MY SEXY GIRL:So many things happening here. I wanted to just go and do shopping but then fuck you.

I almost choked on my food. I looked up at her through the glass, gave her a knowing grin, and shook my head.

Then another message popped up.

MY SEXY GIRL:You can eat me up later.

This time, I did cough, reaching for my water and wiping my mouth with a napkin. "Jesus, woman," I muttered to myself. I couldn’t mix her with food—she wasn’t food. I loved food, but I loved her more.

Still, I sighed. The fantasies were nice, but if she planned on draining me in bed later, I needed fuel. Lots of it.

I sent her a tongue emoji. She liked that.

Eventually, her meeting wrapped up. I kept eating while she gracefully shook hands and smiled her polished, professional smile. The men exited first, and she made her way over to my table.

She sat across from me and grinned. "So, where did Kai go?"

"He’s sleepy. Waiting around and guarding you wore him out, babe."

"Oh." She laughed, that soft, lovely sound I could never get enough of.

"I’m still eating, babe."

"Enjoy," she said with a mischievous smile.

I tilted my head. "Don’t send messages like that when I’m eating. I am enjoying my food."

She smirked. "Of course. Food comes first before me."

I shook my head and polished off every bite I’d ordered. I paid the bill and left a hefty tip, then stood and pulled out the car keys.

I accidentally pressed the remote, unlocking the car, and quickly hit it again to lock it back when Laura touched my arm.

"I need to get to the bathroom quickly," she said, holding her purse. The hostess gestured, and I followed her to the hallway and waited outside.

She returned minutes later, lipstick reapplied and glowing. She took my arm, and we strolled toward the parking lot.

I looked around, holding the keys up and pressing the remote again. I heard a beep.

"Oh, it’s there," she said, pointing to the car.

We walked toward it—but then someone called out from behind us.

"Ma’am, you forgot your charger!"

"Oh, thank you!" she said brightly. She let go of my arm and turned to approach the staff.

I smiled and turned back toward the car.

And then—

Boom.

The car exploded.

The impact knocked me off my feet. The blast roared in my ears as I hit the ground. But I scrambled up immediately, heart pounding, instincts kicking in. I sprinted to Laura and threw my body over hers, shielding her as debris flew past us, hot and sharp.

My only thought: Protect her. Always.

– Laura –

I felt something hit my arm right after the explosion. The force knocked me down, and I collapsed on the ground alongside one of the restaurant staff. Just two seconds later, I felt him—Damien—throw himself over me. His hand cradled the back of my head, shielding it as he scooped me off the ground.

My ears were ringing. Everything was muffled as he said something I couldn’t quite make out. The staff helped guide us inside, but the blast had been so strong that even the restaurant’s glass room was destroyed—shards glittering on the floor like broken stars.

"Laura!" I heard him call, his voice faint through the ringing. I looked up at his face. He had a few small cuts, and his hands trembled slightly as he held my arm. He quickly tore a strip from his shirt, gently removed my coat, and wrapped the fabric around my left arm.

There was a gash. Not deep—thank God—but it still bled. The coat must’ve softened the blow.

"Damien..." I murmured, barely able to keep my eyes open. That’s when I saw several men in black flooding into the restaurant. I didn’t recognize any of them, but Damien turned toward them without alarm. Then I saw him

—a man with icy blue eyes barking commands to the others.

"Who are they?" I asked weakly.

"It’s alright," Damien said, brushing hair from my face. "They’re bodyguards. Livy sent them for you."

I looked up at him, eyes stinging. "You... You knew someone was going to try to kill me?"

He held my gaze, firm and protective. Unbelievable. They knew. But... could Kai have planted the bomb?

No. No, I didn’t believe he would.

"You’re injured," I said quietly, eyes scanning the scratches on his face and arms.

"I’m not," he replied quickly, though he continued checking me—my arms, my scalp, my head, gently, thoroughly.

"Let’s get her to the hospital," the man with the accent said sharply. He was gorgeous—he always had been. I remembered trying to flirt with him once, back when Damien and I were still just figuring us out. He never responded. Always strict. Always distant.

"Kai?" I asked weakly. "Did Kai... do this?"

"No," Damien said. "I hope not." He leaned in and kissed my forehead, his lips warm and trembling just a little. My ears still rang, but now I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance.

"Does your head hurt?" he asked softly.

"Sir, we need to go," one of the guards interrupted.

"The ambulance?" Damien asked.

"No. Not the ambulance," the commander said, stepping forward with urgency. Damien grabbed my purse, scooped me into his arms, and I buried my face into his neck. His scent, his warmth—it grounded me.

"You know there are assassins after me," I whispered against his skin.

"I didn’t know for sure," he said. "But I do now."

A familiar voice suddenly called out from the shattered doorway. "Damien! Laura!"

I turned toward it. Through the debris and broken glass, I saw Kai rushing over, his expression panicked.

"Oh shit! Are you guys alright?" he asked, almost breathless.

"Yes," Damien answered tightly.

I saw Kai’s jaw clench, his hand curling into a fist.

"Home," he said quickly. "We can’t let her stay out in the open, not now."

I didn’t know what was happening—but maybe my sister did. Was someone threatening her now? Or was it because I’d become vice chairman of my mother’s company? Was this about my inheritance... or her assets?

The dizziness returned. I closed my eyes, just for a moment, though my heart was still racing.

"Laura?" Damien’s voice cut through the haze. "Stay awake. Please."

I wasn’t sure I could. Maybe it was the explosion. Maybe I’d hit my head and just didn’t feel it yet. All I knew was—

I didn’t want this.

I just wanted a peaceful, luxurious life.