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đź’” OWNED BY A COLD HE
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📖 Episode 12 – Shattered Vows and Unspoken Promises
The Voss estate was too quiet.
The kind of silence that didn't soothe—it clawed at your skin, burrowed into your chest, and made you wonder what had gone terribly wrong.
Liana stood in front of the arched window in Damian's study, the early morning light streaming through like shards of broken glass. Her thoughts were anything but calm. In her hands was the letter Celeste had left behind. Folded crisply. Written in trembling handwriting.
But it wasn't just a farewell. It was a confession.
> "He's not who you think he is, Liana. Be careful. There's a reason everyone who touches his heart ends up shattered. I should've known I wasn't an exception."
Liana's heart beat unevenly. The words gnawed at her, refusing to be forgotten.
Behind her, the door creaked open. Damian's presence was unmistakable—tall, cold, unreadable.
"You found it," he said quietly.
Liana didn't turn. "You knew she was planning to leave."
"I made sure of it."
Her throat constricted. "You made her believe she wasn't safe here."
"She wasn't."
"Because of you," she snapped, turning finally. "You pushed her away, just like you're doing to everyone who tries to care."
He didn't answer immediately. His expression was unreadable, but something in his eyes flickered—guilt, maybe? Regret? But Damian Voss was a man who mastered the art of showing nothing.
"She was starting to dig," he said eventually. "Into things that didn't concern her."
"She loved you." Liana's voice was fragile but laced with anger. "She just wanted to understand you."
"I don't need to be understood," Damian replied coldly. "I need to be obeyed."
The words hit like a slap.
Liana stared at him as if she no longer recognized the man before her.
"Obeyed?" she repeated. "Is that what you want from me too? A puppet in your kingdom of shadows?"
He moved closer, until she could feel the heat of his body, the sharp scent of his cologne, and the storm raging behind those icy eyes.
"I want control," he whispered. "I want loyalty. And I want you... without the lies."
That last part caught her off guard.
Liana's breath hitched. "You think I'm lying?"
"You tell me," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was soft—too soft for the man who ruled empires with an iron will. "Who are you really, Liana Easton?"
A chill ran through her.
But before she could answer, the door slammed open.
Isobel Easton strode in like a force of nature—black coat swirling behind her, expression tight with fury.
"You didn't think I'd come, did you?" she hissed at Damian.
He looked annoyed, but not surprised. "I was hoping you'd stay buried in Paris."
Isobel threw a manila envelope on the desk between them. "Too bad. Your secrets have a way of resurfacing."
Liana watched in confusion as Damian picked up the folder. His brows furrowed. His face paled.
Photographs. DNA results. Surveillance files. And then—her name.
Liana froze.
"What is this?" she asked, stepping forward. Her voice trembled. "Why is my name in that file?"
Neither of them answered.
So she snatched the folder herself.
Her fingers trembled as she flipped through the pages. The photo of her as a child. Medical records. A hidden birth certificate… And then—
> Father: Damian Alexander Voss.
Mother: Not disclosed.
Liana staggered back like she'd been punched.
"No," she whispered. "This isn't true. This is fake."
Damian didn't speak. He looked like stone, every muscle in his body locked. A shadow had passed over his face, something that frightened her more than his usual coldness.
Isobel's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "She's not your mistress, Damian. She's your daughter."
"No," Damian said hoarsely.
"Yes," Isobel snapped. "You knew Celeste was digging. She found traces. That's why you sent her away, isn't it?"
Liana was shaking violently. She couldn't process the words.
She backed toward the door. "You both need help."
"Liana—" Damian stepped forward, but she recoiled like he was poison.
"Don't!" she cried. "Don't touch me. Don't lie to me anymore!"
She ran out, the folder slipping from her hands and scattering across the marble floor like confetti made of pain.
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The night descended quickly, and the estate felt like a graveyard.
Liana locked herself in the guest wing, ignoring the persistent knocking, the staff's worried glances, and even Vanessa Voss's eerie silence.
She curled up on the bed, replaying every moment she'd shared with Damian—every look, every touch. Was it all some twisted game? Did he know all along?
Was the connection between them… unnatural?
Tears burned her eyes.
A knock came again—gentler this time.
"Liana," Damian's voice said quietly. "Let me explain."
She didn't answer.
"Liana, I didn't know."
Silence.
He sighed. "I knew your mother... briefly. Years ago. Before everything. But I didn't know she was pregnant. I only found out after you were already in my custody. And by then—" he paused, pain creeping into his voice. "You were no longer a child."
Liana's fists clenched.
"But you let this happen," she said through the door. "You let us happen."
"I didn't want to believe it was true," he admitted. "Until Isobel confirmed it."
More silence.
Then she asked the question that terrified her most.
"Do you feel anything for me at all?"
The pause was too long.
When he finally answered, it was a whisper. "Yes. Too much."
She pressed her forehead against the door, heart shattering into fragments she couldn't pick up.
"Then stay away," she whispered.
And for once… Damian obeyed.
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Far away in a hidden penthouse suite, Vanessa Voss swirled a glass of wine, watching the rain pour outside. A man stood beside her—young, sharp-eyed, dangerous.
"Everything's falling apart," she murmured.
He smirked. "As you planned."
She raised her glass. "To bloodlines, betrayal... and broken hearts."
They clinked glasses.
The storm had just begun.
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💠Liana's world has collapsed. But was it all a lie… or the beginning of a more twisted truth?
❤️‍🔥 Episode 13 will tear open more wounds.