Chapter six: Unspoken truth
The next few days was filled with strained silence. Nina could feel the weight of her argument with Damien hanging in the air, thick and uncomfortable. She avoided him as much as possible, keeping her focus on the project and family. It was easier that way-at least, that's what she told her self.
But thinks weren't as simple as they seemed. There was a part of Nina that couldn't stop thinking what had happened. Damien's anger had cut through her defenses, making her question whether she had been too harsh or whether she was just tired of being treated like an outsider. And even though she had told herself to let it go, there was a lingering feeling that she wasn't finished with him-not yet.
The group continued to meet in the library, but Damien's presence was like a shadow that couldn't be ignored. Every time he looked at her, his gaze was like a challenge. It made her stomach twist with frustration and something else-something she didn't want to acknowledge.
It was on a rainy Friday afternoon when the next blow came. The group was supposed to meet to finalize their presentation, but Damien was nowhere to be found. They'd been waiting for nearly an hour when Leo finally broke the silence.
"Where the hell is he?" Leo muttered, glancing at his phone. "He said he'd be here. Maybe he's trying to figure out the 'perfect' way to present everything again."
Nina didn't respond. She was too busy staring at her phone, her thoughts miles away. It wasn't until Sophie, always the peace maker, spoke up that she snapped out of her daze.
"He'll show up. He always does," Sophie said, her voice gentle but firm. "But we can't let this hold us back. We need to move forward, regardless."
Nina nodded, but she couldn't shake the unease in her chest. Damien had become unpredictable, and it was starting to worry her. What was going on with him? Why was he so distant?
Finally, nearly an hour after the meeting was supposed to start Damien stormed into the library, his face a mask of frustration.
"I don't need a lecture," he said curtly, brushing past the group to sit down at the table. His mood was a stark contrast to his usual collected demeanor, and it caught everyone off guard.
"I didn't say anything," Nina replied quietly, trying to keep her voice steady. "But we're her to work, Damien. We're not here for games."
He didn't look at her, but she could see the tension in his shoulders. "You think am playing some games, Cruz?" His voice was sharp. "You have know idea what this is like. No idea what It's like to always be pushed to do more, to be perfect. You have no idea."
The words hung in the air, and Nina's heart skipped a beat. She
didn't know how to respond. The aggression in his tone wasn't just the project anymore-it was something deeper, something raw that Damien had never let anyone see.
"I don't want to hear it," Damien continued, his voice cracking slightly. "You don't understand. You think am just here to prove something to you, but it's not about you, It's about me. And I'm tired of it."
Sophie, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke up. "Damien, we're not here to hurt you. We're just trying to get this done. You don't have to do it all alone."
Damien flinched as if Sophie's words had physically struck him. His eyes flicked to Nina's, and for a split second, their gaze locked. The intensity of that moment left her breathless, unsure of what he was trying to say.
He stood up abruptly, grabbing his bag. "I don't need anyone's help," he muttered, storming out of the library before anyone could stop him.
The group sat in stunned silence for a moment before Leo let out a long breath.
"Well, that was...fun," Leo said, trying to lighten the mood. But the tension was too thick to cut through by humor.
"I don't know what is going on with him," Nina said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "But he's.. breaking. And I don't think it's just about the project."
Iris, who had been watching the exchange carefully, finally spoke. "You're right. There's more to this than he's letting on. And I think it's time we figure out what that is."
That evening, Damien found himself alone in his room, staring at the dark expanse of his mansion's yard through his window. The weight of everything-the project, his family's expectations, the pressure to succeed-was becoming unbearable. But there was one thing that was eating him up the interaction with Nina.
He had never meant for things to go this far. He didn't want her to see the cracks in his armor, didn't want anyone to know just how much he was struggling to keep everything together. But that moment in the library, with her quiet challenge, everything had come spilling out. He had wanted to push her away, to make it clear that she didn't belong to his world-but deep down, he knew this wasn't the whole story.
Damien slumped back onto his bed, closing his eyes. His mind drifted to his father's voice, echoing in his head. "Perfection. Always perfection."
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Damien whispered to the empty room, as though the wall could offer him an answer.
But know answer came. The silence was deafening.
Later that night, Nina sat in her room, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't stop thinking about Damien. Despite the anger she felt, there was something about him she couldn't quite figure out. The way his voice had broken when he said he didn't need anyone's help. The look in his eyes that had almost seemed... vulnerable.
For the first time, she realized that Damien wasn't just arrogant, privileged kid she had pegged him as. He was struggling with something deeper-something that had nothing to do with the project.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a text from Leo.
You okay?
She typed a quick reply.
I think we need to talk to him. It's not just about the project. He is going through something, and I think we need to understand it.
It was time to break through the wall between them If they were going to finish this project, they needed to get past the tension and figure out what was really going on with Damien.