Stripping For My Devil Ex Husband

Damian didn’t release her immediately.

​He stayed buried against the crook of her neck for two agonizing heartbeats, his hot, ragged breath searing her skin before he slowly pulled back.

He reached up, his thumb brushing over her reddened lower lip one last time before he stepped back and smoothed down his dark sweater.

​The impenetrable mask snapped back into place.

​"Stay here," Damian commanded, his voice dropping into its low, authoritative gravel.

​He strode out of the library, the heavy door shutting behind him.

________________________

​Damian descended the grand stone staircase, his strides long and measured. In the vast foyer below, Jullian Montgomery was pacing erratically across the polished marble floor. Rain soaked the shoulders of his tailored designer overcoat, his damp blonde hair out of place.

​Victoria and Valerie stood at the threshold of the drawing room, watching him with tense apprehension.

​When Jullian spotted Damian coming down the stairs, he didn’t wait for him to reach the bottom.

​"Are you out of your mind, Damian?" Jullian snapped, throwing his hands up in pure frustration. "I’ve been burning through every private line, satellite channel, and secure server for twelve hours! You locked down your entire grid and ignored me! We’ve been friends for over a decade... since when do you cut me out when the city is on fire?"

​Damian reached the marble floor, his expression cool and unyielding.

​"I had no choice, Jullian," Damian replied evenly. "Protocol required shutting down communication with anyone outside my immediate family. Northwood is on maximum blackout."

​"I heard about the penthouse," Jullian muttered, running a hand back through his wet hair, his jaw tight. "I know Vivian went completely off the deep end and targeted your home. I know the board is in a frenzy. But shutting me out like I’m a stranger?"

​Damian watched him closely. Jullian was usually the charming, cocky heartthrob of their social circle... the man who laughed in the face of crisis, never broke a sweat, and treated high-stakes business like a game.

​Right now, the effortless charm was gone. Jullian looked unraveled, his breathing shallow and his posture wound like a tight spring.

​"You’re not acting like yourself, Jullian," Damian said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You look completely agitated. What’s going on?"

​Jullian let out a ragged, humorless breath, pacing a tight circle before looking back at Damian.

​"Because there is something I need to tell you, and I couldn’t wait around for you to decide when you felt like answering your phone," Jullian admitted, his voice rough around the edges.

​Damian folded his arms, his baritone dropping. "What is it?"

​Jullian swallowed hard, his eyes dark with an anxiety he couldn’t mask.

​"It’s Clara Reed," Jullian said, the name hanging heavily in the cold foyer. "Your marketing team lead. I think... I think she’s missing."

"It’s Clara Reed," Jullian said, the name hanging heavily in the cold foyer. "Your marketing team lead. I think... I think she’s missing."

​"What?"

​The trembling voice cut through the grand hall from above.

​Damian’s head snapped toward the grand staircase.

​Anastasia stood at the landing, clutching the railing, her knuckles turned white in intensity. Her lips were still flushed from Damian’s mouth, her chest heaving as she stared down at Jullian with wide, terrified eyes.

​"What did you just say?" Ana demanded, her voice breaking on the edges of panic as she descended the stairs two steps at a time. "Clara is missing?"

​Damian’s brow furrowed, stepping forward to intercept her as she reached the bottom step. "Anastasia, I told you to stay upstairs."

​Ana didn’t even look at him. She brushed past his outstretched arm, her entire focus pinned on Jullian.

​"Jullian, tell me," she begged, grabbing his damp overcoat sleeve. "What happened to Clara? Why can’t you find her?"

​Jullian looked between Ana’s frantic expression and Damian’s darkened gaze, the tension in the room spiking to a suffocating peak. He exhaled a ragged breath, the dread in his eyes unmistakable.

​"Her apartment was empty this morning, Ana," Jullian confessed quietly. "Her phone is dead, her car is gone, and her door was left wide open."

Damian’s hand shot out, catching Anastasia by the upper arm and hauling her firmly back to his side.

​"Valerie," Damian ordered without looking away from his wife, his tone sharp and uncompromising. "Take her upstairs."

​"No!" Ana pulled hard against his grip, refusing to move. Panic flared behind her eyes as she stared at Jullian. "I am not going anywhere! I need to know what happened to Clara!"

​"Anastasia, that’s enough," Damian commanded, his fingers tightening just enough to anchor her in place. "Whatever this is, you do not need to involve yourself in it."

​The dismissal snapped the last shred of her patience.

​"Not everyone is completely heartless like you, Damian!" Ana threw back at him, her voice echoing. "I actually worry about the people I care about in my life! And I care about Clara!"

​Damian’s jaw set into iron. He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear so only she could hear the low, dangerous rumble of his voice.

​"Did you already forget our conversation upstairs only minutes ago?" He murmured, a lethal warning woven into the velvet tone. "You agreed to submit to my rules. Don’t start defying me in front of my family and friend."

​Ana’s breath hitched. A shiver ran through her, but she swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing there was no point fighting his twisted logic with words.

​"If Clara is in danger, then she needs us, Damian," Ana pleaded, her voice dropping into a desperate, frantic whisper. "She has no family here. She has no one else to help her."

​A crisp, deliberate throat-clearing sound cut through the suffocating tension.

​Victoria stepped forward into the center of the foyer, her poise authoritative despite the chaos unraveling around them.

​"Jullian," Victoria addressed him smoothly, her tone leaving zero room for argument. "You are soaked to the bone. You should get yourself changed into dry clothes before we discuss another word of this." She raised a hand, signaling the butler waiting quietly near the hall. "Thomas will show you to one of the east guest suites."

​Jullian looked at Victoria, catching the sharp, unmistakable request for a private moment in her eyes. He gave a single, tight nod. "Thank you, Victoria."

​Without another word, Jullian followed the butler down the long corridor, the sound of his wet footsteps fading into the distance.

​Once the hall cleared, Victoria turned back to Damian and Anastasia, her face cold and severe.

​"Living room. Both of you," Victoria commanded, her voice ringing with absolute authority. "We need to have a serious conversation. Now."

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