"Before I become the emperor, I understand why you did what you did. But after?"
When Damon said that, Angela had gasped in shock.
Her brother was—
Only after he said that did she realize that all this time, her brother had been worrying about her. And this much. Not just the cursory, obligatory concern of a sibling who happened to share blood and a childhood, no.
It was exactly the soul-eating kind of worry that kept a man awake at night, that made him stare at the ceiling and wonder if his sister was happy, if she was safe, if she was being loved the way she deserved.
To Stevan's proposal, Angela looked deeply into Damon's eyes. The relief and satisfaction flickering there was so subtle that no one would be able to see it. But she could. She was his sister.
