Chapter Five: The Morning After

Light streamed through the tiny cracks in the blinds, dragging me from sleep that felt like a second skin. My head throbbed, every heartbeat jarring like broken glass in my skull.

I was dry in my mouth and had an uneasy stomach as I opened my eyes slowly. The memories of last night, the drinks, the tension, the almost kiss flickered in my brain, although hazy.

What I’ve remembered above all was his touch, the pull between us that nearly destroyed me.

Before I could wrap my mind around my thoughts, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. With sluggish fingers, I groaned while reaching for it.

"Good morning, my love! How are you feeling today?" My mother’s voice was chipper, too bright for my current state.

I closed my eyes, pressing a hand to my forehead. "Morning, Mom. I'm fine. Just waking up."

"Waking up? At this hour?" she scoffed. "Celeste, you need to take care of yourself. Late nights will ruin your skin."

I sighed. "Mom, please. It’s too early for a lecture."

A new voice cut in my grandmother. "Celeste, sweetheart, are you eating well? You sound tired. You know stress is no good for a young woman."

A small smile tugged at my lips despite my headache. "I'm eating fine, Nana. Just a long night."

"Long night?" My sister, Olivia, chimed in from the background. "Let me guess, another work event? Or was there a certain handsome someone involved?"

I could quite literally feel her smile over the phone. “I don’t have time for this,” I mumbled while massaging my temple. “I’ll call you all later, alright?”

"Oh, let her be, Helena," Nana said gently, addressing my mother. "You worry too much."

"We just wanted to check in, dear," Nana said gently. "Take care of yourself."

I exhaled, relieved of the distraction. "I will, I promise. Love you all."

Groaning, I sat up in bed, cradling my head. The room swam, and I just sat there for a moment, struggling to plant myself. My head hurt sharply.

I must have had more to drink than I thought. I had wanted to forget everything about the party, Damien, but now all I had was a mix of feelings and a headache that would not go away.

I made myself get out of bed, each step hard as I stumbled toward the bathroom. My reflection in the mirror seemed vastly different from the woman walking into the gala the night before.

My hair looked disheveled, and my makeup had worn off completely, leaving dark smudges beneath my eyes somehow. I looked like a woman who had made too many mistakes and too many wrong choices.

After throwing cold water on my face, I picked up my phone from the counter, hoping for some distraction, some sense of normal life.

I had a text waiting for me.

“Get your bags ready. We’re traveling tomorrow morning for business. More details later.”

Damien.  The message was enough to make me shiver, even if I tried to ignore the slight excitement I felt. I don't know what he wants or why he wants it, but I could take advantage of this opportunity to find out more about my father’s company.

The way he could control everything about me was suffocating, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I tossed my phone on the counter and quickly pulled myself together.

I needed to get to the office. I didn’t have time to dwell on the past, not with the work that was waiting for me.

The mess of emotions, the feelings for Damie, and those would have to wait.

By the time I entered the office, there was a dull throb in my head, but I still didn’t feel good.

The shiny glass doors to the building whooshed open, and I stepped inside, praying no one would notice how disheveled I appeared. As I approached the office, I spotted Ethan. He was near the door, as tidy and nicely dressed as ever, but his expression shifted a little.

"You don’t look so good," he said, his voice gentle with worry. He lifted an eyebrow as he watched me, his eyes staying on me for a moment.

"Are you okay?"

I tried to smile, but it felt strained. "Just... a long night," I muttered, running a hand through my hair, hoping to salvage some resemblance of composure.

Ethan frowned. "You don’t look like yourself," he said, stepping closer. "I can have my assistant run to the pharmacy to get you something if you'd like. Maybe some medicine to help with the hangover?"

His kindness was like a balm to my wounded pride, and I nodded gratefully. "That would be great, Ethan. Thank you."

Ethan's eyes softened as he took a step back. No problem," he said with a small smile. He spoke quietly with faintly curling lips and a brief smile. He seemed keen on saying more, yet he nodded, offering me the chance to speak if I wanted to. But I didn’t.

I entered the office in silence, feeling the weight of his concern settle in my chest, an unexpected comfort in a day that already felt too heavy.

As I strolled toward my desk, I noticed Lily, Ethan's assistant,t standing off to the side, her eyes locked on me. I'd met her before. She had sharply defined features, dark hair, and eyes burning intensely beneath her brow. Something about her generally made me feel extremely uneasy somehow. She wasn’t rude directly, but you could always feel the hostility if she and I were in the same place.

I couldn’t escape from the intensity of her sight. Her still stare never leaves me, no matter where I go.

The kind of look that told you, without words, that you competed with her. And for some reason, it was obvious she liked Ethan. Her posture shifted noticeably whenever he walked into a room, and her smile seemed stuck on her face after he spoke. It was subtly hidden, yet I could see it.

Her eyes narrowed just slightly as I moved past her, and I caught the hint of a smirk on her lips, something sharp. I didn’t know what she thought of me, but I could feel it in the pit of my stomach: she didn’t want me here.

Damien's absence caught me off guard somehow. I expected him to suddenly appear,  his eyes scanning everywhere for me. The day dragged slowly on, and he still didn't appear somehow. I wondered where he was. Where had he gone?

Celia’s absence only added to the mystery. What had happened between them last night? Was there more to more to their relationship that I didn’t understand?

As the hours dragged on, my thoughts kept returning to Damien. What did he want from me? He had been so close last night, so insistent.

But now the day had gone, and I was there, wondering what had changed.

The day went by quickly, and I was very tired when the evening came.

Just after I got everything together to go, I received a message. My heart leapt when I saw who it was from.

“We leave tomorrow morning. Be ready.”

It was Damien. Again.

I couldn’t help the nervous flutter in my stomach. A business trip? What kind of business trip?  I had no thought of one, but the possibility of being with him again made my pulse beat faster.

I leaned against the window, the city lights turning on one after the other in my view, my head spinning with those questions. Was this some new game he was playing with me? Or was it something else entirely? The attraction, the tension, was it all leading somewhere, or was I just being pulled into his world once more?

I checked my phone again, a gnawing feeling settling in my chest as I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. There was an additional message.

“By the way, don’t worry about the arrangements. I’ll take care of everything. You just need to focus on getting in the car at 7 a.m. tomorrow. I’ll pick you up.”

Then, in a second message, he added,  “Also, keep your phone on. There are things you need to hear, things that might change everything.”

I felt my stomach drop. What was he implying?

I stood frozen; phone clutched tightly in my hand beneath my wildly pounding heart. His words sent shivers coursing through my spine. I swallowed hard, and my pulse quickened rapidly.

Part of me wished I could blow him off and say I wasn't going anywhere. But deep down, I knew I wanted this somehow.

I wasn’t just scared of what might happen.

I was scared of how much I wanted it.

Just as I exhaled, my phone buzzed again.

A picture message.

I hesitated before tapping it open.

The breath in my lungs vanished.

It was a photo of me asleep in my bed.

Taken from inside my room.

And underneath, a single message:

"Sweet dreams, Celeste. See you at 7 a.m