Novel-novel oleh Pelumy

Chapter 203 : The Storm Before the CalmI woke up to the quiet hum of the city outside, but the silence in our apartment felt heavy, almost suffocating. My hands trembled slightly as I sipped my morning tea, though I tried to tell myself it was just nerves, nothing more. But deep down, I knew better. Something was coming, something I couldn’t ignore.Lucien was already in the study when I stepped in, leaning against the desk with his phone pressed to his ear. His brows were furrowed, jaw tight, the kind of tension that made my chest ache. I didn’t dare interrupt at first, just watched him. Every word he said sounded calm, controlled, but I could feel the storm behind it.“…Check again. If anything moves, I want to know immediately. No mistakes,” he said quietly, almost to himself.I swallowed hard, trying to steady my nerves. My heart had been racing since the package arrived yesterday — the one from Dima. I had tried to convince myself it was just a threat, empty words, but the memor

Chapter 202 : The Name We Didn’t ExpectAlina’s POVThe truth did not arrive loudly.There was no shouting.No dramatic entrance.No gunshots or broken glass.It came quietly. Almost gently.That was the worst part.I was sitting at the small table in the corner of Lucien’s office, the one people barely noticed. I liked it there. It made me feel invisible, and lately, invisible felt safer. Papers were spread in front of me—not important ones. Just copies. Things Lucien said didn’t matter much.But they did.They mattered to me.Lucien was standing by the window, phone pressed to his ear, his voice low and controlled. He sounded calm, but I knew him too well now. When he spoke that softly, it meant he was angry. Or worse—disappointed.I wasn’t listening at first. I was tracing lines on a document, trying to connect dates that didn’t make sense.Then I heard my name.“Alina?” Lucien said suddenly.I looked up. “Yes?”He ended the call without another word and turned toward me. His face

Chapter 210 : Standing in the LightI couldn’t sleep that night. My mind kept replaying the package, Dima’s name, the feeling of his eyes on me even when he wasn’t there. I could hear the faint hum of the city outside, the occasional car, but every small sound made my heart jump.Lucien was already up when I finally went downstairs, standing near the window with his phone in hand. He didn’t notice me at first. He looked calm, almost too calm, but I could see it in the way his fingers gripped the phone—tight, restless. I knew that look. That quiet storm that never left his eyes when he was planning something serious.“I thought you were asleep,” he said without turning.“I couldn’t,” I whispered. My voice sounded small, even to me.He finally looked at me. “You shouldn’t think about it so much. Dima is nothing we can’t handle.”I swallowed hard. “I know… but it’s not just about you, Lucien. He’s coming for me too. He’s trying to get to you through me.”His jaw tightened. “Then we’ll st

Chapter 200 : The Message Meant for MeI knew something was wrong the moment the house went quiet.Not the normal kind of quiet—the heavy one. The kind that presses on your ears and makes your skin feel too tight, like the air itself is holding its breath.Lucien had left early that morning. He didn’t kiss my forehead like he usually did. He didn’t tease me or tell me to stay out of trouble. He only looked at me for a long second, his eyes dark and tired, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.“Stay inside today,” he said.I laughed it off. “I always stay inside.”But now, hours later, I wished I had taken his tone more seriously.I was in the sitting room, curled on the couch with a book I hadn’t really been reading. My mind kept drifting—back to the meeting from the night before, back to the names I wasn’t supposed to hear, back to the way Lucien’s jaw tightened when Dima’s name came up.He had told me I was safe.I wanted to believe him.A soft knock came from

Chapter 199: The Weight Between UsAlina’s POVI did not sleep well that night.Every time I closed my eyes, my chest felt tight, like something heavy was sitting there, pressing down. The house was quiet, too quiet. Even the sound of the clock on the wall felt loud. Tick. Tick. Tick. Each second felt like it was counting toward something I could not see yet.Lucien was beside me, but I could tell he was awake too. His breathing was slow, controlled, but not relaxed. When he sleeps deeply, his hand always finds mine without thinking. Tonight, his hand stayed still.That scared me more than anything.I turned slightly on my side and stared at the wall. I wanted to ask him what was wrong. I wanted to say his name. But I didn’t. Something inside me told me that if I spoke, everything I was holding in would break open.So I stayed quiet.⸻The next morning, I burned the toast.It was such a small thing, but it made my eyes sting. I stood there in the kitchen, staring at the blackened brea

Chapter 198: After the Noise FadedI didn’t realize how loud everything had been until the noise stopped.The sirens were gone. The shouting was gone. Even the heavy footsteps that had filled the building earlier had faded into silence. Now there was only the hum of the lights above me and the slow, uneven sound of my own breathing.I was sitting on a chair in Lucien’s office, my hands resting on my lap. They looked calm. Too calm. But when I tried to move my fingers, I felt the slight tremble I couldn’t control.I had saved someone today.That thought came late. Not during it. Not right after. It came when everything was over, when my body finally realized it was safe.Lucien stood near the window, his back to me. He hadn’t left my side since it happened, not even for a second, but he also hadn’t spoken much. He was quiet in a way that scared me more than anger ever could.The city outside looked normal. Cars moved. People lived their lives. No one out there knew how close everything