Aria's POV
Damian had been gone for three days.
We talked now and then—mostly when I got stuck on a financial report.
Late-night calls where his voice would rumble through the phone, patient and steady as he walked me through balance sheets and cash flow projections.
"No, sweetheart, look at the operating expenses line again. See how it jumps in Q3? That's your red flag."
I'd stare at my laptop screen, chewing my lip. "So they're hiding something."
"Or they're incompetent. Either way, use it."
Those conversations became my lifeline. Not just because he knew business inside and out, but because hearing his voice made me feel less alone in this fight.
Sometimes I'd call him when the walls felt too close. When the silence in my apartment got too loud and memories I d
