Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

📖 Episode Four – Cracks and calm

The sky was bruised with twilight by the time Liana finally limped up the stairs to their apartment.

Her ankle throbbed with every step, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing. Her bag was slung low, half-dragging, and her other shoe hung loosely from her hand. Her mom opened the door just as she reached it.

"Li—" the words cut short when she saw her.

"What happened?" her mom gasped, stepping forward immediately.

"I tripped," Liana muttered. "It's nothing."

"Your face says otherwise. Come, come sit down."

Before Liana could argue, her mom had her seated on the old couch, pillows stuffed beneath her leg, and a bowl of warm water at her feet.

"Did someone hurt you?" her voice was calm, but her eyes weren't.

"No. Just bad luck." Liana exhaled. "A car… almost hit me. I panicked. Fell."

Her mom froze for a second. "Almost hit you?"

Liana nodded slowly. "It didn't, though. I'm okay."

She didn't say the rest.

Not about the man behind the tinted glass.

Not about how cold his eyes were.

Not about how he looked at her like she didn't matter.

There was something humiliating about it.

Being seen like that… then forgotten in the same breath.

Her mom wrapped the ankle in a warm cloth, then fetched her an ice pack.

"You don't have to go tomorrow," she whispered. "Rest."

But Liana shook her head.

"No. I have to."

There was something in her chest now. A tension.

Like the world had shifted ever so slightly — and she had to catch up or be swallowed.

---

🖤 Elsewhere…

The Maybach slid through the security gates of the towering SkyeBlack Enterprises building. Its mirrored façade reflected the stormy sky, casting fractured light across the marble driveway.

Inside, Damian walked ahead without a word.

His steps were calculated. Measured. The kind of walk that made people stop mid-sentence when he passed.

In his private office — top floor, floor-to-ceiling windows, silence like a religion — he stood still, staring out over the city.

His assistant hovered near the door, hesitant.

"Sir, the girl… earlier…"

Damian's jaw twitched. "Isn't our concern."

"Yes, sir. Of course."

But she saw the flicker.

Just for a moment.

Not guilt. Not sympathy.

Something else.

Like a ripple in glass.

---

⏳ Later That Evening

Liana couldn't sleep.

Her body was sore, her mind noisier than ever. So she grabbed her hoodie, tied her sneaker tight over the still-throbbing ankle, and slipped out for a walk. Sometimes the cold air helped. Sometimes the silence of the street was the only place her thoughts could stretch out.

She crossed two blocks, passing shuttered stores and flickering street lamps, until she reached the small 24-hour store that sold instant noodles and dreams.

She turned the corner—

And stopped.

There, right by the curb, parked like it didn't belong in her part of town, was the car.

Black. Sleek. Sinister.

And beside it… him.

He was standing near the car now, tall and motionless. A single streetlight hit the side of his face — sharp jawline, wind-swept hair, that expression like stone. Damian. He was speaking quietly to someone on the phone, but his voice was low, almost bored.

Liana froze.

Her heart was suddenly racing — not from fear. Something else. Something stupid and human. Something uninvited.

His head turned slightly.

And his eyes locked on her.

It was like stepping into a different temperature. The air grew heavier. Her breath caught.

Neither of them moved. For a long moment, they just stared — two strangers from different worlds, tied together by nothing… and yet, here they were.

She blinked.

He didn't.

Her fingers curled tighter around her bag strap. She should walk away.

But then he did something strange.

He… nodded at her.

Just once.

And then he turned and got into the car.

The door shut quietly. The engine purred like a beast. And the car rolled off into the night.

Liana just stood there, the ghost of his gaze still on her skin.

---

🏙️ The Next Day

Liana wore sneakers this time.

Loose jeans. Hoodie zipped high. She walked slower than usual, a slight limp in her right step, but she walked.

Jayda spotted her at the gate and ran up like a storm.

"Girl! What happened to your ankle?! I called you last night and your phone was off—don't do that to me!"

"I'm fine. Just a dumb fall," Liana said, brushing her off.

Jayda squinted at her. "Okay, but like… you look haunted."

"I'm tired."

But she wasn't.

She was unsettled.

The face behind that car window had branded itself in her brain.

She didn't know his name.

Didn't know what he did.

But she remembered those eyes.

They didn't scare her.

They intrigued her.

And that was even more dangerous.

---

💼 Meanwhile...

Damian sat across from Silas Easton, one of the wealthiest and most calculated men in the country. A man who rarely asked—but always expected.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Silas said, leaning back in his leather chair.

Damian didn't respond.

The door opened.

In walked Celeste Easton—twenty-three, draped in designer everything, confidence in her stride, arrogance in her smirk. Her lipstick was blood red. Her eyes, sharp and spoiled.

"Well," she said, glancing Damian up and down, "you're taller than I imagined."

Damian remained seated, unmoved. "And you're exactly what I expected."

Celeste smiled like that was a compliment.

"I've heard a lot about you," she said, taking the seat beside him without invitation.

"I'm sure you've rehearsed your lines, then."

Silas chuckled softly behind his glass.

The room grew still—three people, three intentions, none spoken out loud.

Celeste leaned forward. "I don't like being told what to do. But... I might make an exception for you."

Damian stood. His tone was cold.

Celeste's smirk faltered

Silas didn't move. He just watched.

Damian walked out without another word.

But behind him, Celeste whispered:

"He'll come around.

💜 Back at School 💜

Liana sat on the rooftop behind the old school gym—their unofficial after-school escape. The city buzzed in the distance, but here, it was just sky, cracked concrete, and secrets.

Jayda plopped down beside her with two juice boxes and a face full of curiosity. "Okay, spill. You've been quiet all day. Which is suspicious. Suspiciously suspicious.

Liana took the juice, sighed, and leaned back. "You remember Darren? Ok