MasukThe next morning, the golden rays of the early sun filtered through the sheer curtains, waking me from one of the deepest, most restful sleeps I had experienced in years. I think I equally slept as deep the previous day, but when it happened due to getting drunk and suffering from a hangover, I doubt it was anything but restful.I took my bath, dressed quickly in one of my new charcoal utility pants and a fitted, high-neck black tank top, lacing up my new combat boots before heading downstairs.The main floor was quiet, but as I stepped out onto the sprawling back terrace, the air was filled with the rhythmic hum of heavy machinery and raised voices. Out on the lawn, several trucks were already unloading steel beams, and a group of head defense engineers stood surrounded by blueprints. In the center of them stood Lucien, his towering frame clad in a simple black shirt that strained against his broad shoulders as he gestured toward the perimeter stone walls.I took a deep breath,
"How did you...?" I panted, my voice barely a squeak. I hadn't heard a single footstep. I hadn't even heard the sound of the connecting side door between our rooms opening."Shhh," Lucien murmured softly.He didn't step back. Instead, his long fingers smoothly took the silk ribbons from my trembling hands. Slowly, his fingers brushed against the sensitive skin of my bare back as he neatly tied the ribbon into a delicate bow.But even after the knot was secure, his hands didn't retreat.Lucien reached around, his large palm wrapping firmly around my bare waist, yanking me backward until my spine was pressed completely flush against the solid, burning wall of his chest. His other hand came up, wrapping around my hip, keeping me right where he wanted me.My heart went into absolute overdrive, hammering a frantic, deafening rhythm against my ribs."What are you doing here, Lucien?" I whispered, my hands instinctively reaching up to clutch at his thick forearms."Seeing how well yo
As the crowd dispersed, a few lingering, dangerous eyes fell back on me before the lieutenants finally filed out of the double doors. The moment the room cleared of everyone except Daniel, Lucien yanked me back by my waist.Before I could even catch my balance, he pulled me straight onto his lap."Whoa!" I gasped, my hands slamming flat against his broad shoulders to steady myself.The heat radiating from him was instantaneous and overwhelming. He wrapped a thick arm around my waist, pinning me flush against his chest, while his other hand reached up to secure the back of my neck. He brought his lips directly to my ear, his breath hot and ragged against my skin as his grip tightened, pressing me down into the heavy muscle of his thighs."Way to control the crowd, sweetheart," Lucien whispered, his low, gravelly voice vibrating right through my collarbone. "You know, Pedro is a stubborn and dangerous man... and you managed to convince him.""Thank you," I panted, my heart hammeri
"This sounds very absurd," a calm yet cold voice spoke up, cutting through the heavy silence that had settled over the room.It was Pedro, one of Lucien's oldest and most calculating lieutenants. Unlike Desmond, Pedro wasn't red-faced or visibly angry; he sat with his elbows resting on the polished wood, his fingers laced together, his sharp gray eyes assessing me with a terrifyingly sharp intellect.He leaned forward slightly, his posture completely relaxed despite the suffocating tension in the room."With all due respect, Boss," Pedro began, his voice devoid of mock or humor, focusing entirely on Lucien before shifting his gaze back to me. "You want us to mobilize our entire network, pull our families out of their homes, spend hundreds of millions, and build a fortress as if the end of the world is coming. Fine. We obey orders. But if we're going into total lockdown, we need tactical clarity. What enemy are we up against that requires ‘this’ much preparation? Give us a name. A s
I took a deep breath, smoothing down the front of my new bomber jacket as I stepped into the dimly lit conference room on the ground floor.The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.Around the massive mahogany table sat nearly a dozen men. These weren't the polished, suit-wearing associates from the Onyx Club—these were Lucien's top lieutenants, field commanders, and head defense engineers. Men with scarred faces, hardened eyes, and thick, muscular builds that practically screamed violence.The moment I walked in, every single pair of eyes locked onto me.Silence fell over the room, sharp and hostile.I could hear the unspoken thoughts radiating off them like heat. To them, I was just a ghost who had appeared out of nowhere. A pretty girl who had somehow managed to completely bend the Mad Dog of the Giovanni family to her will. Some looked at me like I was a witch who had bewitched their boss; others looked at me like a gold-digging opportunist exploiting Lucien’s resources fo
I shook my head, letting out a long, dramatic sigh as I followed them toward the elevator. "You two are absolute menaces. I'm trying to plan for the collapse of human civilization, and I'm stuck with a walking pervert and his instigator sidekick." I grumbled.Daniel didn't even try to hide his grin. He held the elevator door open for me, leaning lazily against the frame as I brushed past him. "Instigator? Feisty, I’m the voice of reason around here. If it were up to Lucien, we'd be packing velvet robes and champagne into the fallout shelter.""Don't give me any ideas, Daniel," Lucien purred from right behind me, his heavy, looming presence filling the small elevator space the second he stepped inside. The doors slid shut with a soft chime, sealing the three of us back into that high-tension pressure cooker.Lucien casually slung a heavy arm over my shoulders, his broad frame weighing down on me just enough to keep me anchored right at his side. I tried to wriggle out from under hi







