Damon stood over Lucas, calm but furious. He grabbed him by the collar, pulled him up a bit, and then slammed a punch into his ribs.Lucas gasped and doubled over, but Damon's expression remained blank."Damon, please stop," Celia said, her voice trembling. "You're going to hurt him too badly. The police will think we're the criminals if they find him like this."Damon released Lucas, letting him fall back to the concrete floor. He turned his head toward Celia but kept his eyes on Lucas."Don't worry about the police," Damon said, his voice steady. "They won't do anything. I wouldn’t be satisfied if they just took him away without me delivering his punishment first."He grabbed Lucas again and delivered another precise blow to his shoulder. Lucas cried out but Damon's face showed no emotion."I'm going to keep punishing you until the police arrive to collect what's left of you," Damon said quietly.Lucas tried to crawl away but Damon stepped on his hand, pinning him in place.“Get thi

Lucas pressed both hands to his head, trying to steady himself. Damon's words kept replaying but the more he thought about them, the less sense they made.“What the hell are you even talking about?” Lucas snapped, his voice raw. “Nothing you say adds up!”His frustration boiled. He felt like he was missing something obvious, but every attempt to connect the dots only sharpened the pain in his skull.Damon didn’t flinch. A low chuckle escaped him, casual, almost mocking.Lucas’s eyes narrowed. “You think this is funny? You stand there talking in riddles, acting like you know everything, and I’m supposed to what—lose my mind trying to figure it out?”Damon tilted his head slightly, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. “Looks like it’s working.”Lucas’s rage spiked. He wanted to lunge forward, but his body ached too badly from the beating.“You’re deliberately messing with me,” Lucas hissed. “You’re saying just enough to drive me insane but not enough for me to figure it out. Is

Lucas forced his battered face into what he hoped looked like remorse. His split lip throbbed as he arranged his features into an expression of regret."Wait," Lucas said, his voice deliberately softer than before. "Please, just wait a moment."Damon turned his head slightly, his eyes cold and unreadable. Celia looked confused by the sudden change in Lucas's tone."I need to say something," Lucas continued, letting his voice crack as if emotion was overwhelming him. "Something important before the police arrive.""What could you possibly have to say now?" Celia asked, her voice filled with distrust.Lucas lowered his head, staring at his bloodied hands. "I've been thinking about everything that happened tonight. Everything I've done."He paused, as if gathering courage to continue."I was wrong. About all of it."Damon's expression didn't change, but a slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had heard the phone call. He knew exactly what Lucas was doing.But Lucas couldn't

Lucas stumbled backward until his legs hit the wall, leaving him nowhere left to go. "That's madness," Lucas whispered. "No," Damon replied. "Just teaching you a lesson." Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder each second. Celia heard them and felt relief flood through her—the police were finally here. Lucas heard them too and felt his world collapsing around him. "They're coming for you," Damon said. "Your father made sure of that." "No..." Lucas's voice cracked. "Every crime you've ever committed. Every person you've hurt." Damon's smile was cold. "You're done, Lucas." The sirens grew deafening as red and blue lights flashed through the warehouse windows. Car doors slammed, and footsteps thundered toward the entrance. "POLICE! NOBODY MOVE!" Officers poured through the door with guns drawn, voices shouting commands. Lucas raised his hands slowly, defeated. Damon stepped back with his hands visible while Celia stayed against the wall, tears of relief streaming down her

"I'm so sorry for what happened, Miss Greene," Vivienne began.Celia blinked in surprise. “Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong, Miss Ashford. You tried your best, and I really appreciate that.”Vivienne shook her head, guilt written all over her face. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with Lucas. No matter what, I should’ve stayed. I was careless, and that’s why I’m so sorry. Please… forgive me.”“Don’t,” Celia said softly, shaking her head. “I’m not angry at you, and you don’t have to keep saying sorry. You didn’t do anything. Please don’t blame yourself—it’s making me feel worse already.”Vivienne’s eyes glistened. “I just hope this doesn’t ruin our relationship… especially with Damon. That’s what I’m afraid of. So please, just say you’ve forgiven me, so I’ll know how to face him again.”Celia sighed. Vivienne’s voice was sincere—too sincere to ignore. The guilt in her eyes looked heavy, and Celia couldn’t bring herself to make it worse.“Miss Ashford,” she said gen