Chapter 4 - The Man Behind The Cold Eyes
The whisper came from inside the apartment.
"Damian..."
Hazel froze.
Not because she recognized the voice.
Because she didn't.
And that terrified her more.
The closet door stood half-open.
A dark space behind it.
A place where someone could hide.
A place where someone had been waiting.
Damian immediately moved in front of Hazel.
"Stay behind me."
His voice was low.
Controlled.
The same voice he used when giving orders.
But Hazel noticed something else.
His hand was tense.
Damian Romano was prepared.
But he was not calm.
Marcus and the other guards entered the apartment seconds later.
The room became filled with movement.
Weapons raised.
Eyes searching.
But there was nothing.
No person.
No footsteps.
No sign anyone had been inside.
Except for the key.
And the whisper.
Hazel stared at the closet.
"Someone was there."
Damian didn't look away.
"I know."
"You believe me?"
His eyes shifted toward her.
"I never stopped."
That answer surprised her.
Because everyone else had spent months making her feel like she was the problem.
Like she was lying.
Like she was responsible for Wyatt's disappearance.
But Damian had never looked at her like that.
He looked at the situation.
Not at her.
Marcus searched the closet.
Nothing.
Only an empty shelf.
Then he noticed something.
"Boss."
Damian walked over.
Marcus pointed to the back wall.
There was a small scratch.
Almost invisible.
A mark someone would miss unless they were searching carefully.
Damian ran his fingers over it.
"This was moved."
Hazel looked confused.
"What was?"
Marcus pressed against the wall.
A hidden panel opened.
Behind it was a small compartment.
Inside sat a black box.
The same black box Hazel had remembered.
Her breath caught.
"That's it."
Damian looked at her.
"You're sure?"
She nodded slowly.
"Wyatt had it."
Nobody spoke.
Damian reached inside.
But before he touched the box, he stopped.
Because there was something written on the top.
Not a name.
Not a number.
A warning.
For Hazel only.
Her stomach dropped.
"Why would he leave something for me?"
Damian looked at the box.
"Maybe because he knew someone would come looking."
Hazel stared at the words.
She should have felt angry.
She should have hated Wyatt.
But instead, she felt something worse.
Fear.
Because Wyatt had known something was coming.
And he had prepared her.
Without telling her.
Damian picked up the box.
"Take it back to the estate."
Hazel looked at him.
"Why not open it here?"
His expression hardened.
"Because if Wyatt was smart enough to hide it, he was smart enough to protect it."
That answer made sense.
Too much sense.
The ride back to the Romano estate was silent.
Hazel sat in the back seat.
Damian sat beside her.
Not across from her.
Beside her.
She noticed.
She noticed everything now.
Maybe because Damian had told her he noticed everything.
The city lights passed outside the window.
Finally, Hazel spoke.
"Why are you helping me?"
Damian didn't answer immediately.
She looked at him.
"I mean it."
His eyes stayed forward.
"You are involved in something connected to my enemies."
"That's not an answer."
A pause.
Then he said:
"Because you were abandoned."
The words hit harder than she expected.
Hazel looked away.
"I can handle myself."
"I know."
"Then why?"
Damian looked at her.
"Because handling everything alone doesn't mean you should have to."
For a moment, she forgot to breathe.
Nobody had ever said something like that to her.
Not after Wyatt.
Not after the debt.
Not after the threats.
Damian Romano was supposed to be the coldest man in Chicago.
But somehow, he was the first person who made her feel safe.
And that scared her.
Because safety was dangerous when you weren't used to it.
When they arrived at the estate, Damian brought the box directly to the study.
Only three people were allowed inside.
Damian.
Marcus.
And Hazel.
The black box sat on the desk.
Waiting.
Hazel stared at it.
"What if it's bad?"
Damian looked at her.
"Then we deal with it."
"What if it proves Wyatt betrayed me?"
"Then we deal with that too."
She looked at him.
"You always say that."
"Say what?"
"We deal with it."
A slight pause.
"Because we will."
The answer was simple.
Certain.
And somehow, it helped.
Marcus opened the box carefully.
Inside were several documents.
A flash drive.
And an old envelope.
Hazel immediately recognized the handwriting.
Wyatt.
Her hands moved toward it.
Then stopped.
She didn't know if she was ready.
Damian noticed.
"You don't have to."
She looked at him.
"But I do."
Slowly, she opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
Only one page.
The first line made her heart stop.
Hazel, if you're reading this, then I failed.
Her eyes moved across the words.
Wyatt had written that he was sorry.
That he never wanted her involved.
That he had made a mistake.
But the next sentence changed everything.
Frankie Sullivan wasn't after the money.
Hazel looked up.
Damian took the letter.
He continued reading.
His expression became darker.
"What?"
Damian looked at her.
"He says the debt was a cover."
Hazel felt cold.
"A cover for what?"
Damian read the next line.
Then stopped.
"What?"
He didn't answer.
"Damian."
He handed her the paper.
Her eyes found the sentence.
The person who owns the debt is not Frankie Sullivan.
Below it was another line.
A name.
A name she had never seen.
But Damian knew.
Because the moment he read it, his entire expression changed.
"Who is that?"
He didn't answer.
Hazel looked at Marcus.
Marcus looked away.
And that frightened her.
Because she had seen fear in people's faces before.
But she had never seen it on Marcus.
"Tell me."
Damian took the flash drive.
"Not here."
"Why?"
"Because this involves someone who has access to everything."
Hazel's voice became quieter.
"Someone in your estate."
Damian didn't deny it.
That was the answer.
Later that night, Hazel couldn't sleep.
She was given a room near the security wing.
A room with guards outside.
A room safer than anywhere she had lived before.
But safety didn't feel real anymore.
Because every answer created another question.
Around three in the morning, she heard a sound.
A knock.
Three slow knocks.
Hazel sat up.
Nobody should have been there.
She walked toward the door.
Then stopped.
Because someone slid a piece of paper underneath.
Her heart raced.
She picked it up.
Only four words were written.
Stop trusting Damian Romano.
Hazel stared.
Then another message appeared on her phone.
Unknown number.
One photo.
A picture of Damian standing outside the hospital years ago.
Holding a baby.
Hazel's breath stopped.
Because the sender added one sentence.
You don't know who he really is.
She looked at the door.
Then at the picture.
And before she could process what she had seen, the hallway lights went out.
A shadow stopped outside her room.
Someone whispered her name.
May you like
"Hazel..."
The doorknob slowly began to turn...
