Chapter 33 – A Stranger in the Light
Chapter 33 – A Stranger in the Light
Damon leaned against the balcony rail, the city glittering beneath him like spilled diamonds on black velvet. It was quiet—the kind of quiet that came only after pain, after clarity, after battles too internal to name.
The wind stirred his hair gently. He didn’t flinch.
Behind him, footsteps padded softly across the terrace floor. Damon didn’t turn. He waited.
Then came the voice, smooth, lightly amused. “Quite the view. Mind if I intrude on your solitude?”
Damon turned slowly, cool and measured, revealing no surprise.
A tall man, perhaps in his mid-thirties, stood a few feet away. Clean-shaven. Dark hair neatly styled. A tailored gray blazer hugged his lean frame. The man smiled like someone used to being liked but too smart to expect it.
“You are?” Damon asked without inflection.
“Elijah Voss,” the stranger said, offering his hand with casual confidence. “I moved into the penthouse two floors down. Real estate agents boasted about the view from this building, so I bribed your concierge with a rare bourbon. Guilty as charged.”
Damon didn’t take the hand. His eyes narrowed just slightly.
“You’re a neighbor,” he said slowly.
“Indeed.” Elijah let his hand fall with a shrug. “Thought I’d introduce myself the old-fashioned way. No agenda. Just thought someone with a face like yours might appreciate a less... chaotic kind of conversation.”
Damon raised an eyebrow. “What kind of face do I have?”
Elijah gave a half-smile. “The kind that’s seen too much, yet somehow still wants to look forward.”
A pause stretched between them. Damon turned back to the skyline.
“I’m in private finance,” Elijah continued smoothly. “Risk assessment, high-value recovery, and some light strategic consulting. I’m boring to everyone except billionaires and warlords.”
“Which are you?” Damon asked, still not looking at him.
Elijah chuckled. “Neither, thank God. I prefer to be the one whispering into their ears.”
Damon studied him sideways now. Polished. Calm. Charming.
Too charming.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Elijah said, sensing he was being measured. “But if you ever need a distraction—or someone who knows how to vanish problems—feel free to knock two floors down.”
With that, he turned and walked away, footsteps light on the tiles.
Damon’s eyes lingered long after he was gone.
---
Elsewhere…
Aurora sat curled up on the couch, laptop in her lap and tension in her shoulders. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she read through code lines and breach logs.
Luca lay on the rug, his head dangerously close to being crushed by the coffee table. A spoon dangled from his mouth.
“Is it too late to say I have zero hacking skills?” he asked.
Aurora barely looked up. “Yes. And you volunteered.”
“I only volunteered because I thought you meant Netflix and chill. With popcorn.”
She snorted. “You’re impossible.”
“I’m irresistibly charming and you know it.”
Suddenly, a notification blinked on her screen.
Unknown Message: “Trust is a mask. Some smiles hide daggers.”
Her fingers stilled. Luca sat up.
“That... wasn’t you messaging yourself, right?”
“No.” She clicked the ID. Scrambled, encrypted. Anonymous.
“Someone’s watching us,” she whispered.
---
Later That Night...
Damon sat in his home office, darkness licking the edges of the room. He opened a search on his laptop and typed: Elijah Voss – Background Check
Nothing came up. Not nothing suspicious. Just nothing. Like the man didn’t exist.
A ping came from his phone.
Celeste: “I heard you had an uninvited guest. You okay?”
Damon: “Said his name was Elijah. Seemed... overly friendly.”
Celeste: “That’s the kind who poisons your tea and smiles while doing it.”
Damon actually allowed the corner of his lip to quirk upward.
But his gaze returned to the empty search bar.
He closed the laptop and stood. As he turned toward the balcony again, a flicker of movement caught his eye—a reflection.
Someone was watching.
He spun around—nothing. Empty shadows.
Still, he felt it. Like a breath on his neck.
He stared out into the skyline again, but this time, his posture was different—less relaxed, more alert. The air had changed.
---
Meanwhile...
Far away, in a private surveillance room tucked behind a concealed office, Elijah Voss removed his blazer and rolled up his sleeves. His pleasant demeanor dropped like a discarded mask.
His voice was colder now. “He suspects me. But not enough.”
The room was filled with glowing screens—live feeds, search histories, and still shots of Damon and Aurora, Luca, and even Celeste.
He pressed a button, and one of the monitors zoomed in on Damon’s balcony.
Behind him, a second man stood in the shadows. Hooded. Silent.
“You’ll make your move soon?” Elijah asked without turning.
The figure gave a subtle nod. “When he trusts you.”
Elijah allowed himself a dark smile.
“Good. Because once I’m close enough... Damon Moretti will be the weapon we turn against them all.”
He tapped a folder labeled: "Phase Two – Aurora"
“And the girl,” Elijah added with chilling calm, “will be the blade that breaks him.”
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