All Chapters of Dangerous Attachment : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The elevators of Blackwood & Vale never sounded welcoming. They opened with a soft metallic chime on the thirty-second floor, revealing polished marble floors, muted lighting, and an atmosphere so sharp it almost demanded silence. The associates moving through the hallway carried expensive briefcases and exhaustion beneath tailored suits, their footsteps quick, controlled, purposeful. Everything in the firm breathed power. And fear. Vivian Cole adjusted the files pressed against her chest as she stepped out of the elevator, already mentally rehearsing the morning schedule in her head. Nine-thirty strategy meeting. Eleven o’clock conference call with the Harrington board. Two witness statements to review before noon. And somewhere between all that, she still had to convince Damien Blackwood not to destroy three junior associates before lunchtime. Again. Her heels clicked softly against the marble as she moved toward the corner office overlooking downtown Manhattan.

Rain fell relentlessly over Manhattan by the time Vivian finally left the office. The city shimmered beneath blurred streetlights and streaks of headlights reflecting against wet pavement, alive in the way New York only seemed to become after dark — restless, loud, unforgiving. Vivian pulled her coat tighter around herself as she stepped out of Blackwood & Vale, exhaustion settling deep into her shoulders. It was nearly ten. Again. She should’ve expected it. Working for Damien Blackwood meant normal hours stopped existing a long time ago. Her phone buzzed in her bag as she reached the sidewalk. Chloe. Vivian answered immediately. “Please tell me you’re no longer at the office,” Chloe said dramatically. “I just left.” “That man is going to work you into an early grave.” Vivian smiled faintly while stepping beneath the awning outside the building. “I survived.” “Barely. Anyway, a few of us are at the Verity Lounge. Come have one drink before you turn into a corporate rob

Vivian didn’t answer immediately. And somehow, the silence itself became dangerous. Roman waited patiently on the other end of the line while Damien stood only a few feet away, motionless enough to make the entire office feel unnaturally still. Two men. One waiting for her answer. The other silently dreading it. Vivian suddenly hated how aware she was of both of them. “Dinner,” she repeated carefully into the phone. “Yes.” “You barely know me.” “I know enough to be interested.” Damien’s expression hardened almost imperceptibly. Vivian noticed. Of course she noticed. She also noticed the unsettling satisfaction in Roman’s voice — like he understood exactly what kind of position he’d placed her in. And worse? He sounded intentional about it. Vivian turned slightly away from Damien instinctively. “That isn’t a good idea.” “Because of the case?” “Because of everything.” Roman was quiet for a second. Then: “You still haven’t said no.” Damien looked away sharply tow

The atmosphere inside Damien Blackwood’s office turned suffocating after Chloe’s announcement. Roman Ellis was downstairs. Waiting. Refusing to leave without seeing Vivian. For a long moment, nobody spoke. Chloe stood awkwardly by the glass doors looking like she regretted entering the office at all, while Vivian remained frozen beside Damien’s desk, painfully aware of the dangerous silence settling across the room. Then Damien smiled. Not warmly. Not pleasantly. The kind of smile that made senior associates reconsider career choices. “Interesting,” he said quietly. Vivian immediately straightened. “Damien—” “No,” he interrupted calmly, “actually, this should be interesting.” His composure unsettled her far more than anger would have. Because Damien only became this controlled when he was furious enough to hide it. Chloe cleared her throat nervously. “I can ask security to remove him if you want.” Damien’s gray eyes never left Vivian’s face. “No,” he said softly. “

Roman Ellis was waiting exactly where he said he would be. Vivian spotted him immediately through the glass entrance of Blackwood & Vale, standing beneath the glow of the lobby lights while rain poured steadily outside behind him. One hand rested casually in the pocket of his dark overcoat, the other holding an umbrella as several people passing by glanced at him with quiet recognition. He looked calm. Effortlessly calm. Like the kind of man who never doubted himself. And somehow that made Vivian more nervous than she wanted to admit. The elevator doors opened behind her with a soft metallic sound. Roman turned instantly. Then smiled. Not arrogantly. Not theatrically. Just genuinely enough to make something uncomfortable move through her chest. “You came.” Vivian folded her arms lightly. “You sound surprised.” “I’ve learned not to underestimate Damien Blackwood’s ability to interfere with things.” Her stomach tightened unexpectedly at Damien’s name. Roman noticed imm