As soon as they were in the comforts of Mira’s room alone.
Mira bursted. "What on earth were you thinking? Do you have a death wish or sothing?" she snapped.
"Why on earth do you think you can just take in everyone here alone? You’d get yourself killed before you even have the chance to touch Lucas."
She turned the lock as the sound ca like so sort of gunshot.
Damian lowered his fists a little, but his whole body still looked ready for violence. "I would fight anyone who dared to hurt you, Lorena." Each word that ca out of his mouth sounded serious. "It doesn’t matter how many they are. I’ll just fight them all."
The protection in his voice made her almost swoon. He wasn’t even just acting like a big brother but like a man who would actually die for her.
"You do know that this is Lucas’ house, right?" she said as she pointed towards the massive windows. "This is all his property. With his people. Why would you think you’d have the upper hand in a place like this? You know what? Just... sit. Sit down and calm yourself down."
Damian’s eyes finally seed to sweep the room, although it was more like he was trying to look for any possible threat.
Finally, he exhaled as the tension in his shoulders dropped.
He settled onto the edge of the bed near her, but even at that, he looked like a coiled spring ready to explode into action anyti necessary.
"Are you okay?" he finally said as his voice went softer. "Really, Lorena. Are you okay? What happened to you, and why haven’t you picked up my calls? How are you feeling?"
The questions kept rushing out of his mouth like he’d been storing them up since the mont she left him.
Mira hesitated, not knowing what to tell him.
Well, I found out that I accused Lucas of rape when I was younger and my father committed murder on his people. And he might have married just to kill ?
Yeah right. Damian would certainly set this place on fire and it wouldn’t even help her case. They’d probably both end up dead instead.
"I’ve just been a bit unwell," she said instead as she picked her words carefully. "It’s nothing too serious, I promise that I’m just stressed."
Damian leaned closer as he studied her face.
"Are you kidding right now? What do you an stressed? You look sick!" His voice was filled with worry as he continued. "Wait, did soone hurt you? Did Lucas—"
"No." She quickly cut him off as she put a hand on his arm. "Nothing like that at all. I just ate sothing wrong and that’s it. I’m okay now, I promise."
But Damian was obviously still not buying it. His eyes moved over her like he was reading a dical chart on her and diagnosing every sign of disease.
"Well then. If you say so." He finally resigned. "So... are you okay here then? You know? Since you moved here?"
"Yes. Yes, I am. Everything’s under control. Don’t worry."
Damian nodded.
"And about the bathroom thing back ho." He changed trajectory as his voice suddenly beca a whisper. "I’m doing all I can to find whoever dared to do that, okay?"
"Do you have any leads yet?" she asked, hoping he did.
Damian’s hands curled into fists again. "I’m close. I can already feel it. Don’t you worry. I’ll get him. He won’t slip away. So just remain calm and trust ."
Mira sighed. "It’s okay. I know you are doing your best. I trust you to handle it."
Damian suddenly got off the bed and started to move around the room. His eyes checked the corners, window lines, and even the small decorative items.
"I know this is Lucas’ place," he muttered more to himself than to her. "But who knows if soone planted a bug or cara in here too. I’ve been so paranoid for you since that one."
Mira tensed too. She hadn’t thought of that and was very happy that Damian did, but he found nothing and that made her very relieved.
She had sothing else on her mind that she was trying to figure out how to start without raising suspicions.
But she took a breath and decided to test her luck. "Uh... Damian, by the way. I’ve been having a problem," she started.
Damian turned towards her imdiately.
"Uh... did I by any chance tell you where I kept my funds after pulling them out of my bank?"
She paused, hoping she was going to make sense with this. "I kinda took them out the day before I... you know... to avoid the governnt getting them frozen. But now I can’t seem to rember what I did with them. But I’m sure I would have told you, right?"
Damian raised an eyebrow in alarm.
"Not really, Lorena. This is even news to right now. You took out your money?" His voice got sharper. "It’s actually smart that you did that, but then how can you not rember where you kept them? Did you lock them in a safety deposit sowhere? Transfer them? Or what?"
Mira rubbed her forehead like she had a bad headache, which this ti wasn’t really an act. She really had one.
The whole thing she just found out was taking a toll on her, and she wished she could just find Lorena’s money and disappear. She wouldn’t even mind a remote island.
"Honestly, it’s so hard to explain. Things were just complicated, and I must have been so distracted." She looked down at her hands, hoping that her performance was convincing enough.
Damian reached towards her like he was going to take her hand but then stopped himself. Almost as if he rembered where they were.
"Okay. Don’t panic. We really need to sort that out then. I’ll help you. You should just try to rember anything, any little detail at all, okay?" His voice was gentle as usual. "You should have said sothing about this since, Lorena."
Mira felt so happy to have this man by her side. A man that would move heaven and earth for his sister, not knowing that the sister was gone.
Damian suddenly reached for the paper bag he had been holding on to since he stepped out of his car.
"Here," he said as he held it out to her. "I saw this in a shop window and imdiately thought of you. I know you don’t have any of your friends calling you anymore. To top it all off, you’re now living in a stranger’s ho too. So just, you know? Hug it when you feel alone. You always liked silly little things like this after all."
Mira took the bag as her fingers brushed against his. She peeked inside to see a soft brown teddy bear in it.
It was very simple with kind and stitched eyes on it.
Another wave of emotion ca over her. She felt indeed lucky all over again as a wobbly smile touched her lips. "Thank you so much, Damian."
Damian only managed a shy smile. "See how soft it is. It’ll work so well. At least you’ll have sothing of mine here with you since you never call to tell things anymore."
Mira nodded as she clutched the teddy to her chest, only for the door to open at that exact mont.
Lucas stepped into the room without knocking as his eyes swept over what he was walking in on. Mira clutching the teddy bear, Damian sitting so close to her, and then the paper bag on the bed between them.
"Don’t tell you brought your sister a teddy bear, Damian." Lucas scoffed. "What is she? A child?"
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