The Face Behind the Mask.

CHAPTER 6

Evelyn stared at the frozen security footage in horror.

Lucas.

The image burned into her mind—the hood pulled low over his face, his grip tight around Sophia’s arm while she struggled beside him near the elevator.

“No…” she whispered.

Her voice barely sounded human.

Damian took the phone back slowly, his expression grim. “We don’t know the full situation yet.”

“That’s Lucas.”

“I can see that.”

“He took her.”

“Maybe.”

Evelyn turned toward him sharply. “Maybe?”

Damian’s dark gaze remained fixed on the footage. “People panic when scandals explode. That doesn’t automatically make him dangerous.”

But something in his tone told her he didn’t fully believe his own words.

The penthouse suddenly felt suffocating.

Every memory Evelyn had of Lucas twisted painfully in her chest now—his smile, his comforting voice, the years she spent believing he was safe.

Good people didn’t drag terrified women into elevators.

Did they?

Her thoughts spiraled violently.

“What do we do?”

Damian was already dialing another number. “We find them before the police do.”

Evelyn blinked. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”

“No.”

The sharpness of his answer startled her.

“Why not?”

“Because if Sophia took documents connected to your father’s case, this situation is bigger than a domestic dispute.”

Fear crawled coldly down Evelyn’s spine.

The folder still sat clutched tightly in her trembling hands.

“You keep saying that,” she whispered. “What exactly is this case?”

Damian ended the call and looked directly at her.

For one long moment, the only sound between them was rain hitting the penthouse windows.

Then he said quietly:

“Your father helped expose corporate fraud fifteen years ago.”

Evelyn froze.

“What?”

“He discovered illegal financial transfers involving multiple investment firms.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It wasn’t supposed to become public.”

Her mind struggled to keep up.

“My father owned a small company.”

“Yes,” Damian replied. “Which made him useful. Nobody suspected him initially.”

Evelyn shook her head slowly. “No. You’re lying.”

“I wish I was.”

The calm certainty in his voice unsettled her deeply.

Damian moved toward the massive windows overlooking Manhattan, loosening his tie slightly like the memories themselves exhausted him.

“Your father found evidence that billions were being moved through shell companies connected to powerful investors. One of those investors was Richard Bennett.”

Lucas’ father.

Evelyn’s stomach twisted violently.

“He tried to report it quietly,” Damian continued. “Instead, the people involved turned him into the scapegoat before the investigation could reach them.”

The room suddenly felt unsteady beneath her feet.

“All these years…” she whispered. “My father was innocent?”

“Yes.”

Tears burned behind Evelyn’s eyes instantly.

Her father had lost everything while the real people responsible stayed wealthy and untouchable.

And Lucas knew.

God.

Lucas knew.

“Why didn’t my father fight back?”

Damian’s expression darkened.

“Because they threatened you.”

The words hit harder than anything else.

Evelyn’s breath caught painfully.

“What?”

“You were twelve when the investigation collapsed.” Damian’s voice softened slightly. “Your father chose silence because protecting you mattered more than clearing his name.”

Emotion crashed violently through her chest.

Every sacrifice.

Every quiet moment.

Every exhausted look in her father’s eyes suddenly meant something entirely different.

Evelyn turned away quickly, overwhelmed.

And then another terrifying realization hit her.

“If Sophia took those documents…”

“She’s in danger,” Damian finished quietly.

A sharp knock suddenly echoed through the penthouse.

Both of them froze instantly.

Another knock followed.

Slow.

Heavy.

Evelyn’s pulse exploded.

Damian moved silently toward the entrance, every inch of him suddenly dangerous and alert. He glanced briefly toward her.

“Stay here.”

But she followed anyway.

Of course she did.

Damian opened the penthouse door carefully.

Lucas Bennett stood on the other side.

Rain soaked through his black coat while tension carved sharp lines into his normally perfect appearance. For the first time in years, he looked genuinely shaken.

And angry.

His gaze landed immediately on Evelyn.

Relief flashed across his face so quickly it almost hurt her to see it.

“Thank God.”

Evelyn stared at him coldly. “Where’s Sophia?”

Lucas blinked once. “What?”

“We saw the security footage.”

Confusion crossed his expression instantly.

Then realization.

“Oh God.”

Lucas ran a frustrated hand through his wet hair. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”

Damian stepped slightly in front of Evelyn.

Protective.

The movement did not go unnoticed by Lucas.

His expression hardened immediately.

“What is she doing here with you?”

“She’s not your concern anymore,” Damian replied calmly.

Tension thickened instantly between them.

Evelyn had never seen Lucas and Damian this close before. The hostility between them felt sharp enough to cut through the room.

Lucas ignored Damian and looked directly at Evelyn again.

“Sophia called me freaking out tonight. She said someone broke into the penthouse.”

“She called me too,” Evelyn said quietly.

Lucas nodded quickly. “I went to get her out before reporters or police showed up.”

Evelyn folded her arms tightly. “Then why did she look terrified?”

Pain flickered briefly across Lucas’ face.

“Because she found something she wasn’t supposed to.”

Damian’s jaw tightened slightly.

Lucas noticed immediately.

And suddenly everything shifted.

The two men stared at each other with the kind of tension that came from old secrets and unfinished wars.

“You told her,” Lucas said coldly.

“Not enough.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make.”

Evelyn looked between them in disbelief. “Can somebody please explain what’s happening?”

Lucas stepped toward her carefully. “Ev, listen to me—”

“Don’t call me that.”

The hurt that crossed his face almost weakened her resolve.

Almost.

Lucas swallowed hard. “Sophia found documents connected to my father.”

“The fraud case?” Evelyn asked.

His silence answered enough.

A bitter laugh escaped her. “So it’s true.”

Lucas looked miserable suddenly. “I didn’t know everything back then.”

“But you knew enough.”

“I was trying to protect you.”

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief. “By lying to me for years?”

Before Lucas could answer, Damian’s phone rang sharply.

He checked the screen.

And for the first time since Evelyn met him—

She saw real alarm in his eyes.

“What is it?” Lucas demanded.

Damian answered the call silently.

Then his expression turned deadly cold.

“When?” he asked quietly.

A pause.

“No. Don’t let anyone touch the scene.”

Evelyn’s heartbeat accelerated painfully.

“What happened?”

Damian lowered the phone slowly.

His voice came out quiet.

Too quiet.

“They found Sophia’s car.”

Silence swallowed the room.

Then Damian added the words that made Evelyn’s blood run cold.

“There was blood inside.”