404 The Challenge

Katherine marveled at Damien's penthouse suite. She couldn't get over how massive it was—and evidently luxuriously designed. They had the same view from the tall glass windows, but being in his suite felt like she was in a whole different world. Well, at least, she thought they were in a different building—when in fact, it was just a floor above hers.

She scanned the area as they sat down on the luxe sofa, and then she looked at him. The entire place suited him actually, but she could say that it was both him and not him at the same time. She could see him living in it, but also not because she knew what he really preferred—a house that's big but just enough. Enough for what he really needed. She remembered that he told her he didn't like Park Mansion because of how huge it was. It was so huge, yet he still felt alone in it. So him staying here in this massive suite confused her.

"I thought you didn't like large houses?" she asked him, bringing her knees up on the sofa and hugging them as she faced him.

Damien looked around and tried to carefully word his answer. "I… didn't like staying in Pearl Gardens. It reminded me too much of you. I could barely go home that night. Even my penthouse in the office reminded me of you." He softly chuckled. "Everywhere actually… So I wanted to stay in a new place. A large one just like this so it doesn't feel suffocating."

Katherine stared at him for a long time. Her heart throbbed at the thought of his situation when she left. She wasn't the only one hurting. They both were. But it hurt her even more  knowing that he suffered too. She squeezed her fist once and then she climbed on his lap, letting herself sink in his embrace.

She did it without his invitation. She invaded his space and acted cutely but she was dead sure about what she had decided already. There really was no going back. She was serious when she told herself that earlier. Even if there were still some shards of pain left in her heart, she knew that it would stay like that for a while. She knew that the pain would never leave, but she also knew that she would just have to get used to it, believing that someday, it would no longer hurt. It would just exist but it will no longer hurt. Katherine was already determined.

Wrapping his arms around her, he inhaled the scent on her hair. She now smelled like him, and he loved it. "How did you know I was here?"

Katherine smiled and told him about what Styles did because she asked him to.

Damien chuckled, and his forehead fell on her shoulder. "I need him on my team. What does he like? Does he like money? Women? Properties? Tell him to give me a price and I want him to modify Maverick Security's system." 

She laughed along with him and settled deeper in his arms. "You tell him that. It'll boost his ego for sure. Take it easy though… Don't scare him with your offers… He'd probably do it for you for free too."

Katherine shifted in his lap so she could look at him without straining her neck. "I watched something earlier… Videos… Of my parents and me when I was younger."

He softly nodded and waited for her to continue, so he kept silent.

Smiling reluctantly, Katherine played with his shirt and continued, "I lost myself in Shadow. I became blind and forgot everything that my parents taught me while they were still alive. I was hesitant to be with you because I was afraid that they'd see me and be disappointed with my choices. Shadow was hired by someone I don't know yet... and your family was there too... But even if I wanted to hate you, I couldn't. Because I know the truth and I know what happened that night... You saved me.

"But the pain and guilt…" She clutched her chest where her heart should be. "I can't control it. Whenever I try, it constantly reminds me why I shouldn't be with you. That my parents might be looking down at me. I was battling with myself… It was hard."

Damien was also pained while listening to her explanation and he tightened his arms around her. "What changed?"

"There was a video... My mother told me something that I had forgotten for so many years. It might have been many years since she said those words, but seeing that video and hearing her say that again, it woke me up…" She stared right through him. "And the entire time, I was thinking of you. I'm choosing my happiness, and you're my mine, Damien… Do you believe me?" 

He stared at her. His heart rammed in his chest as he met her gaze. He wanted to say yes, but he was also holding himself back. After all this time, he finally heard what he wanted to hear after they got separated. That even though they had a complicated past, she still chose him. But maybe… Maybe he was just hurt too much… 

She was always disappearing on him. Granted, in the past, it wasn't totally intentional but the last one wrecked him. It broke him in ways he didn't know if he could still heal from. Even until now when he was sure that he really wanted to be with her, he was still trying to pick up the pieces of his heart… of his soul… and then tried to put them all back together.

Maybe he was really hurt badly that even now that she said she was sure about them, that now she was finally seeing things the way he did—he was still afraid to accept it. Because if he did, what if she disappears again?

Hearing her say all of this made him happy—heck, he could probably fly if he tried to jump. He was ecstatic. But at the same time, he was also scared. Because all of this happened in just one day. Just one day and she changed. What if one day she reverted to her old self?

But with all of these in his head, it didn't mean that he no longer wanted her. He would always want her. Always.

Seeing as Damien didn't respond to her question, Katherine started to get nervous. "You… don't believe me…" she mumbled weakly in almost a whisper. The next second, a tear fell from her eye. She should have known that he wouldn't just accept what she was telling him. After all, she had been very hesitant before.

'Oh, I do, Love… It's just...' he silently said in his thoughts. He brought a hand up to her face and brushed the tear with his fingertips. He hated seeing her cry. But he didn't want to lie to her.

"Talk to me…" she whispered, almost pleading—she was scared that she was losing him.

After a long silence, Damien finally made a small nod. And the words that came out of his lips the next second ignited a spark in Katherine's heart.

With a serious tone, he stared into her brown eyes and challenged her, "Prove it."