Chapter 6 - The Paper Damian Burned
Spring came to Blackstone Terminal.
Claire had enough money to leave.
Damian made sure she knew it.
He placed an envelope beside her coffee one morning.
"What's this?"
"Your final paycheck."
Claire stopped.
"Final?"
"You have an apartment."
She stared.
"I have what?"
"Evelyn helped."
"Evelyn is terrible at secrets."
"Apparently not."
Claire opened the envelope.
Inside was a lease.
A small apartment overlooking the harbor.
Paid for three months.
Claire looked up.
"You're firing me."
"I'm setting you free."
"I was already free."
"I know."
"Then why are you doing this?"
Damian didn't answer.
Claire stood.
"You want me gone."
"No."
"Then say what you want."
His composure cracked slightly.
"I want you to have a life that doesn't depend on me."
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
Claire stepped closer.
"What do you want?"
Damian looked at her.
"You."
There it was.
Not ownership.
Not debt.
Not obligation.
Just one frighteningly simple word.
"But I won't ask you to stay," he said. "Not after how you arrived here."
Claire's eyes burned.
Damian reached into his desk.
He removed Patrick's original signed agreement.
Then he walked toward the fireplace.
Claire watched him place it over the flame.
Paper curled.
Ink blackened.
Patrick's signature disappeared.
The last physical evidence of the night he'd traded his daughter became ash.
Damian turned.
"Nobody owns you."
Claire swallowed.
"I know."
"Your apartment is yours."
"I know."
"Your money is yours."
"Damian."
"And whatever happens next—"
She kissed him.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't desperate.
Just enough to finally make him stop talking.
When she pulled away, Damian stared at her.
Claire smiled.
May you like
"You negotiate too much."
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