Olivia’s POV
I woke to soone gently shaking my shoulder.
"Liv. Olivia. Wake up."
Gabriel’s voice filtered through my dreams, pulling reluctantly toward consciousness.
I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow. "Five more minutes."
"It’s already past nine. Everyone’s heading downstairs for breakfast in thirty minutes."
"Everyone can wait."
"Co on." The bed dipped as Gabriel sat beside . "You need to eat. We barely had anything yesterday."
He was right. Between the flight, the hospital, the emotional chaos - I couldn’t rember the last proper al I’d had.
I forced my eyes open to find Gabriel already dressed in fresh clothes, his hair still damp from a shower.
"How long have you been up?" I asked, my voice rough with sleep.
"An hour. I went down to the gym, took a shower, made so calls." He smiled. "I’m a morning person. You’re clearly not." He finished with a laugh.
I sat up slowly, running my hands through my tangled hair. "Breakfast in thirty minutes?"
"Yep. Kennedy texted. Said we’re eting in the hotel restaurant."
"Is Damien coming?"
"I doubt it. He just got shot. He’ll probably stay in the hospital for a few more days at least."
I nodded, sliding out of bed. "I’ll go shower."
Twenty-five minutes later, I erged from the bathroom in clean clothes - jeans and a casual blouse - feeling marginally more human.
Gabriel was on his phone, scrolling through. "Ready?"
"Yeah."
We made our way down to the restaurant, a bright, airy space on the ground floor with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a garden. The sll of coffee and fresh bread made my stomach growl.
Kennedy and Kira were already seated at a large table, heads close together, talking quietly.
"Morning," Kennedy greeted as we approached. "Sleep well?"
"Well enough," I said, sliding into a chair. "Where’s Maxwell?"
"Running late, apparently." Kennedy checked his phone. "He texted five minutes ago saying he’d be down soon."
A waiter appeared, pouring coffee and taking our breakfast orders. I asked for scrambled eggs, pancakes and orange juice, suddenly ravenous.
"So," Gabriel said, stirring sugar into his coffee, "what’s the plan? We staying in New Delhi another day? Heading back to Tokyo?"
"I think we should..." Kennedy started.
"Good morning, everyone!"
We all turned.
Damien stood at the entrance to the restaurant, looking impossibly put-together in dark slacks and a crisp white shirt. His complexion was still pale, and I could see the careful way he moved - like every step hurt - but he was smiling.
Actually smiling.
"Damien?" Kira stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly. "What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital!"
"I checked myself out." He made his way to our table slowly, and I noticed Maxwell following behind him, looking a bit... pleased? "Against dical advice, but I’m fine. Really."
"You got shot!" Gabriel protested. "Yesterday! You can’t just..."
"I’m fine," Damien repeated, easing himself into a chair with a wince. "The surgery was successful. The bullet’s out. I just need rest and pain dication. I can do that anywhere."
Kennedy was frowning. "Damien, this is reckless. You need proper dical supervision..."
"I have a doctor on staff here at the hotel. I’ll be fine." Damien waved off the concern. "Besides, I couldn’t let you all put your lives on hold for . You ca all the way to New Delhi, and I’m incredibly grateful for that."
Maxwell sat down beside his brother, and I noticed how they exchanged a quick glance. Sothing passed between them - sothing I wasn’t sure of.
"First, I want to say thank you." Damien’s voice turned more serious. "To all of you. For dropping everything and flying here. For being there when I woke up. It ans more than you know."
"Of course we ca," Kennedy said. "You’re family."
"And I appreciate that. Which is why I’m telling you all to go back to Tokyo. Today. All of you." Damien looked around the table. "I’m completely fine. I have security here now. I have dical staff. I don’t need babysitters."
"Damien..." Kira started.
"I an it, Kira. Everyone here have lives to get back to. Jobs. Vacations to finish." His eyes landed on her specifically. "I won’t be the reason y’all put everything on hold."
"But you just got shot," I said. "Shouldn’t soone stay with you? At least for a few days?"
"I’m fine. I promise." Then he turned towards Kira, "Kira, you’ve been through hell because of . You were taken. You were hurt. You were abused and nearly molested. All that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t insisted on bringing you here."
Kira’s jaw tightened.
"So," Damien said, eting her eyes, "I’m releasing you. You’re free to go back to Tokyo with the others. And if you choose to walk away completely - if you want to quit as my bodyguard - you can. No penalties. No questions. You’ve done more than enough."
The words landed heavily.
For a second, Kira looked like she didn’t quite understand them. Then her shoulders slowly relaxed, as if sothing invisible had finally been lifted.
She nodded once. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I really... I really appreciate that."
Kennedy’s hand tightened around hers, relief flashing across his face so openly it almost hurt to look at. I was very sure they’d wondered about Kira’s fate last night.
Things were actually going better than expected.
Damien leaned back in his chair. "Good. Then that’s settled."
"So you’re really going to be here alone then." Gabriel said out loud, not as a question, but a statent.
"Maxwell will stay," Damien said smoothly. "Right, brother?"
Maxwell’s smile was tight. "Actually, I think I’ll head back to Tokyo with everyone else. You’ll be fine."
"Maxwell..." Damien’s voice carried a warning.
"You said so yourself, you have dical staff. Security. You don’t need . Besides, I have business to attend to."
"You’re seriously going to pick business over ? Even at this point?" Damien asked, his voice tightening.
Maxwell leaned back in his chair. "I don’t have a choice, brother. I was also stabbed."
For a mont, they just stared at each other, and I could see the hurtful look in Damien’s eyes. He really wanted his brother to stay.
Finally, Damien exhaled. "Fine. Then I’ll stay back here alone."
Kira’s head snapped up. "Alone?"
"Yes." Damien spread his hands slightly. "New Delhi has everything I need. Doctors. Nurses. I’ll be monitored. I’ll be fine."
"That’s ridiculous," Gabriel muttered.
"And unnecessary," Kennedy added. "If you’re staying, soone should be with you."
Damien shrugged. "I’m not asking anyone to sacrifice their life for ."
I opened my mouth to agree - but Kira spoke first.
"I’ll stay."
The words cut clean through the air.
Kennedy turned to her instantly. "Babe..."
She placed a firm hand on his arm, and shook her head before he could finish. "Let talk."
Everyone went quiet.
"I promised to go on this business trip with Damien," she said steadily, "and I can’t, in good conscience, leave him alone here. Not after he was shot. Not after everything that happened because of . I lied about being a bodyguard when I can’t even save myself from the tiniest danger."
Kennedy sat up imdiately, "Kira, he has people..."
"And so do you," she said softly, finally turning to him. "You’ll be in Tokyo. With support. With family."
"That’s not the sa," he said, frustration bleeding through.
She squeezed his arm. "I know. But this is sothing I need to do."
Damien watched her carefully. "You don’t owe this," he said. "If you’re staying because you feel guilty..."
"I’m staying because my conscience won’t let abandon you," she said, voice steady, unyielding. "When you get better. When you return to New York... I’ll join them in Tokyo. That’s my word."
Silence followed.
Kennedy slowly sank back into his chair, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might crack. He didn’t look at Damien. He didn’t look at anyone.
He just stared at the table.
"Fine. If you’re staying back, then I’m staying back too."
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