Threads of power

Chapter 1 (Part 3&4)

Part 4: Stitches in the Dark

Damien stared at the moonlit skyline of Milan, leaning against the railing of his penthouse balcony, a glass of whiskey in his hand. It had been hours since the event—hours since Ava Morgan had left him standing alone in the chaos.

Her words still echoed in his mind: "I'm not your therapy."

He drained the whiskey, the burn more familiar than the silence in his head.

Ava wasn't like the women he was used to. No. She didn't care for his wealth, his status, or his damn power. She saw right through him. And it unsettled him in ways he didn't like. In ways that made him feel small.

That realization? It pissed him off.

He didn't do small. He didn't do weakness.

Flashback – The Night His World Cracked
Damien wasn't a man who believed in fate. Not until that night.

The night his mother's voice echoed in his mind one last time.

"You're just like him. You'll destroy everything, just like your father did."

She had died alone in the hospital. Alone, except for the IV drip and the empty room. His father hadn't even shown up. Not once.

Damien never knew how to mourn her properly. Instead, he became a machine. Cold. Calculated. Like the father he despised.

But Ava?

Ava reminded him of everything he couldn't let himself feel. Everything he had buried under layers of success, pride, and ruthless ambition.

And for the first time in a long while, Damien wondered if maybe he had been wrong about shutting out emotion.

Present — Late Night, Milan
Damien sat at his desk, his phone still buzzing with messages about the event—most of them from Enzo, his cousin and right-hand man.

"You sure you're fine? We don't usually make enemies like that."
"Don't worry. You've got enough to clean up tomorrow, not me."

He ran a hand through his hair. Tomorrow was going to be a mess. His board was going to flip out about the fight. Investors would start questioning his reputation. And yet, none of that mattered right now.

What mattered was the fact that Ava had walked away. The girl who didn't flinch when he threw punches. The girl who didn't need him.

Meanwhile — Ava's Apartment, Milan
Ava sat on her bed, knees hugged to her chest, staring at her phone. She hadn't checked it in hours, but there it was. One message.

From Priya.

"Are you alive? I swear I'll kill you if you don't answer soon. I can't have you collapsing on the floor in Milan and not knowing about it."

Ava chuckled bitterly. Priya knew her too well.

She thumbed through the message threads on her phone. One after another—her old colleagues, the ones she had left behind when she'd left India. Then there were the ones that stung—her ex. The ones who had tried to pull her back. Tried to convince her that she wasn't strong enough to make it on her own.

The truth was, Ava had built everything from the ground up. And she didn't plan to let a guy like Damien King—or anyone, for that matter—take that away from her.

She leaned back on her pillows and closed her eyes, the memories of the launch still fresh in her mind.

Damien – The Ghost in Her Mind
Damien's words haunted her. "You look the way I used to look."

It was too much.

Too real.

Ava didn't need a man to feel like she had control. She didn't need Damien's protection—or his chaos. She needed peace. The kind of peace she had built with her own hands.

But he wasn't giving her peace. He was giving her more questions than answers.

And that... that made him dangerous.

The Next Day — Work Mode
By the time morning arrived, Ava was dressed and ready to face the world. She didn't have the luxury of staying in bed and brooding. No. Milan wasn't going to wait for her.

The streets of Milan buzzed as she walked toward her small studio office—her sanctuary.

When she stepped inside, she was greeted by the familiar smell of fabric, ink, and ambition.

Her assistant, Elena, was already at her desk, her eyes widening when she saw Ava.

"You're alive. Good."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, you did almost start an international incident last night. In case you didn't notice, punching a guy at a fashion event isn't exactly... how should I say this—classy?"
"And yet, it worked, didn't it?" Ava smirked, a spark of confidence flaring in her chest.

Damien's Sudden Visit
Damien's entrance was unexpected—like a storm crashing into the calm of her day.

He pushed open the door to her office without knocking, his eyes sweeping over her space before landing on her.

Ava didn't stand up. She didn't need to.

"Do you have a death wish?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Funny," he replied, leaning against the doorframe. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

A Moment of Unspoken Tension
They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Neither one moved. Both of them weighed down by words unspoken, emotions raw.

Damien's gaze softened, just for a second. And in that fleeting moment, Ava saw a crack in his armor. A fleeting moment of vulnerability.

But before she could analyze it, he straightened up and spoke.

"I don't think you realize how big you've made things for yourself," he said, voice low. "You have no idea what's at stake now."

Ava smirked, standing up from her desk. "Funny. I thought it was you who didn't realize who you were messing with."

✨ To Be Continued in Part 5: