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Chapter 18 - Chapter Seventeen: Red Flags & Closed Doors

[Rosella – First Person POV]

I didn't knock.

I didn't text.

I just walked straight into the Thorns' private lounge like I belonged there.

Because after the notes, the whispers, and the ghost of Lily Elms breathing down my neck?

I was done playing polite.

Damien was sitting on the window ledge, one leg bent, a book in his lap.

Not reading.

Just existing like a tragic poetry boy waiting to break someone's heart.

"Don't pretend you're surprised to see me," I said.

He didn't flinch. Didn't even blink.

"Wasn't going to," he replied. "Been waiting."

Cocky. Calm. Calculated.

But there was a flicker in his jaw—one he couldn't control.

So I threw the note at him.

"Care to explain this?"

He caught it midair without looking.

His eyes stayed on mine.

"Which part?"

"Don't play dumb, Carter."

"I never play dumb. Just strategic."

---

[Damien – First Person POV]

Rosella Morgan was fire in heels.

Even when furious, she was composed. Controlled. Scary, in the best way.

But I knew fear when I saw it.

She wasn't angry.

She was scared.

"You think I wrote it?" I asked softly.

"I think you know who did."

I folded the paper in half, then again.

My fingers were steady. My pulse was not.

"You're not the first to get warned off," I said.

"And Lily Elms? She was warned off too?"

Her voice was sharp. Not loud — just deadly accurate.

Like a sniper.

"You've been digging," I said.

"You've been hiding."

Silence.

Then I stood.

"You want the truth?" I asked. "Fine. You earned it."

---

[Rosella – First Person POV]

He walked toward the drinks cabinet and poured himself a whiskey — neat. Midday. No flinch.

Then he looked at me like he was about to confess something unholy.

"Lily Elms wasn't a mistake," he said. "She was a message."

I blinked.

"What does that even mean?"

He stared at his glass.

Then whispered:

"She got too close. To power. To secrets. To… me."

"Damien…"

"She figured out the Thorns are just a front," he said, voice low. "The real control isn't in the group — it's who funds it. Who watches it. Who uses it to find leverage on students, on families. On politicians."

I felt like the air was being sucked out of the room.

"And Lily?" I asked.

"She was blackmailed," he said. "Not by the Thorns. By someone above them."

"She disappeared."

"She ran," he corrected. "To survive."

I sat down.

Fast.

---

[Damien – First Person POV]

The thing about truth?

It never makes you feel lighter.

It makes you feel raw.

And watching Rosella try to process it?

It felt like cutting my own throat.

"I thought the Thorns were bad," she said. "But this?"

"They're pawns too."

She laughed once. Bitter. Dry.

"And you? What are you?"

I didn't answer.

Because I didn't know.

All I knew was… I wanted her safe.

Even if I had to lie, hide, manipulate to make that happen.

But she was smart.

Too smart.

"Is that why you danced with me?" she asked. "To get me on your side?"

"No," I said immediately. "That part wasn't strategy."

Her eyes met mine.

"I don't know if I believe you."

Fair.

---

[Rosella – First Person POV]

Everything I thought I knew was upside down.

Veronica wasn't the real enemy.

The Thorns weren't the puppet masters.

And Damien?

He wasn't just the arrogant rich boy with secrets.

He was a soldier in someone else's war.

But the most dangerous thing?

Part of me still wanted him.

Still trusted him.

Still felt something real in that dance.

I hated that.

Because it meant I wasn't just fighting for answers.

I was fighting myself.

"You should go," he said finally. "Being seen with me right now? Not safe."

"Too late," I said, rising. "You already pulled me in."

He walked me to the door but didn't open it.

Instead, he leaned close.

"Rosella," he murmured, "this isn't just a school game anymore."

"I know."

"Then promise me one thing."

"What?"

"If you ever feel like you're in too deep… run."

I didn't blink.

I didn't nod.

I just said:

> "Not until I win."

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