The dream lingered.
Her scent, her touch, her voice _ it haunted me the second I opened my eyes.
I hadn't slept well. Again.
The moment my feet hit the floor, I was already buried in thoughts of her.
Sienna.
That woman had a hold on me I couldn't shake. Not after all these years. Not even after everything.
I dressed up for work.
At the office, I threw myself into work. Meetings, proposals, signature after signature.
Then she showed up.
Amber.
Of all days.
Waltzing into my office like she owned the damn building, acting like six years hadn't passed since I sent her away.
She closed the door behind her and strutted toward my desk with the same smug confidence.
"I missed this place," she said, hopping onto the edge of my desk without permission. "Missed you."
I didn't smile.
I didn't answer.
I walked up to her and gripped her waist _ firm, controlled, frustrated.
She didn't flinch. She only laughed, eyes dancing with a sick kind of amusement.
"Ouch," she purred. "Still so rough. What is it this time, Damian? Gonna throw me out again like you did six years ago?"
I didn't reply.
Because just then_
The door flew open.
I turned.
And there she was.
Sienna.
Frozen.
Watching.
Her eyes darted from Amber... to my hand gripping her waist..to Amber's twisted, satisfied smirk.. she didn't even look at me.
And just like that...
She was gone.
She didn't say a word.
Didn't even let me explain.
She turned and walked out of my office, her spine rigid with fury and pain.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Silence.
Amber chuckled under her breath. "Well. That was dramatic."
I let her go and stepped back, heart pounding like a damn war drum.
Fuck.
She saw the wrong thing.
I wanted to call her back. Wanted to tell her everything. So I left Amber and run after her, but she didn't wait. Didn't even glance back.
She left.
Just like six years ago.
No questions. No explanation. No hesitation.
She walked away like none of it mattered.
Like I didn't matter.
And that's what stings the most.
She always thought she could just leave when things got hard.
Like it was easy to erase everything we had built.
Like it was simple to forget.
But it's not.
Not for me.
Every time she walks away, it's another scar.
Another reminder that maybe I was the only one who cared.
The only one who wanted this to work.
I hate her for leaving.
But beneath all that anger...
I hate that part of me still wants her back.
Still aches for her.
Still hoped.
Maybe that's the cruelest wound of all.
Amber POV
She saw us.
Perfect.
The second Sienna stormed out of Damian's office, I smiled to myself.
Not too wide_ just enough to feel it in my bones.
Damian might still be in denial, but I knew what I was doing. Knew exactly what strings to pull.
And today?
They tugged beautifully.
He was pacing now, clearly rattled.
"Amber," he growled. "What the hell are you trying to do?"
I tilted my head and slid off his desk, straightening my blouse with an amazed little shrug. "What? You don't like a bit of deja Vu?"
His eyes burned with fury. " You shouldn't have come here."
"But I did. And she saw me. Us. Again."
I walked up to him, slow and calculated. "Funny how history repeats itself. Don't you think?"
He clenched his jaw, eyes on the door and told me to get out.
I leaned in close. "You still care. That's the real problem, isn't it?"
He said nothing.
But silence was always the loudest truth.
I turned, already planning my next move as l walked out.
Six years ago, I was just a pawn in someone else's game. Now?
I'm playing on my own and at the same time... I'm still a pawn.
And I don't care how much I have to break her to win him.
Because this time.....
I'm not leaving.
I stepped out of Damian's office with a satisfied smirk playing on my lips and strutted down the hallway like I owned the damn building.
The receptionist glanced at me, but I didn't bother acknowledging her.
I had bigger things to think about.
Six years ago, I was discarded like trash after I played my part. The plan had gone too far_ too messy _and I had to disappear .....well he literally sent me away. Let things cool down. Let them spiral.
But I never forgot.
And clearly, neither did he.
The tension in Damian's jaw when he saw me again told me everything I needed to know.
He hated me.
But not more than he hated himself.
And hatred is just love that's lost its way.
I slid into the back of my car, pulling out my phone as I crossed one leg over the other. My driver, Charles, didn't speak unless spoken to. That's why I paid him well.
I tapped the encrypted chat.
(Amber): She saw us. Like you said she would.
(Unknown): And Damian?
(Amber): Furious. Torn. It's working.
(Unknown): Make sure she doesn't come near the truth.
(Amber): I know what I'm doing. You don't need to be worried.
I locked my phone and looked out the window, watching New York City blur by.
They thought six years had buried the past.
But only now does the real game begin.
And this time,
I'm not just a pawn.
I'm a queen.
We have cards to play.