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Chapter Six - Past

Penulis: Nivi Rosa
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-04-30 22:47:05

Serena stood still, uncertain. She didn’t move.

Not right away.

She waited two beats longer than she had to—just to gather herself. Quietly. Carefully. Like a ripple waiting to settle.

Then she turned. Not submissive. Not defiant. Just… watching. A little hesitant, a little tired.

"You'll meet my mother soon."

Serena blinked at his back. That...wasn’t what she expected him to say when he said he wanted a word. Her lips parted, but no words came.

Lucian turned to look at her then. His gaze landed on her with the precision of a scalpel—sharp, emotionless. It didn’t ask for understanding. It didn't ask for anything, really.

“She doesn’t know anything about this contract. And she won’t.”

“So…” Serena’s voice was soft, tentative, like she was still testing the ground beneath her feet. “We keep the marriage a secret from the world—but the fact that it is a contract itself a secret from your mother? Am I getting that right?”

“Yes.” His tone didn’t waver. No elaboration. No hint of irony.

She didn’t know whether he truly didn’t see how absurd his demands were… or if he simply didn’t care.

“Would you tell me,” she tried again, gentler this time, “why you’re making this more complicated than it needs to be?”

Silence. Stillness. As if he hadn’t heard her at all.

“Won’t your mother find a problem with the secrecy?”

“She’ll understand.” His answer came too quickly. Too clean. “She’s no stranger to Hollywood. I’ll tell her it’s because of your casting in Half A Life.”

“…Half A Life?”

“The film that will change your career.”

The one her father told her about.

“Or the one that ruins it.” Serena pursed her lips, the words slipping out quieter than she meant them to. “Wasn’t Seraphina Devacruax originally roped in?”

Seraphina was infamous for being egositic and territorial. She was someone who was capable of giving even someone like Lucian Vale trouble. Her stomach twisted at the thought of stepping into her shadow.

Lucian’s face didn’t shift. Not even a blink. “You’ll get all your answers after you sign the contract, Miss Rivera.”

Serena looked down. Not in defeat—but because it was easier than holding his gaze. She thought, just for a second, that maybe she shouldn’t have said anything at all. This conversation was basically confirmation that he didn't remember her. He knew her, just like her father said, but didn't know her in the way she had protested when her father told her about this marriage.

If he remembered that day, maybe Serena wouldn't feel so uneasy. If he remembered that day, Serena might have a friend in him. Alas, she was too prideful and grateful to remind him.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe this was just how things were done in his world—tight-lipped, clinical, pragmatic. But it didn’t make the tightening in her chest any easier to ignore.

When she looked back up, he was still watching her. Still standing there like nothing had shifted, like his words hadn't landed like pebbles dropped into a lake—small, but enough to disturb everything.

“You’ll sign the contract in a couple of days,” Lucian said, his voice sharp in contrast to the silence between them. "My assistant will mail you the contract between us."

She nodded before she could stop herself.

And then—only then—did his gaze lower, almost imperceptibly, to her hand. She followed his eyes, suddenly aware she’d been twisting the ring on her middle finger. She froze, then dropped her hand.

Lucian didn’t say anything about it. Of course he didn’t. Because he didn't remember. Not even the small things that made her human. Made her nervous. Made her scared.

She swallowed, her voice quieter now, but steady. “Do I need to bring anything?”

His expression didn’t shift, but something in his gaze flickered. She wasn’t sure what. “No.”

Another silence passed. Heavy. Strained. She qdidn’t know if she was supposed to leave or wait to be dismissed.

“I'll be leaving now and for what it's worth....” Serena took half a step back, just enough to put space between them. "Sorry about my father forcing this marriage on you."

She turned, quiet, composed. But her hands trembled where he couldn’t see. It was always like that with him—like stepping through fog, never knowing what you’d find on the other side. Only that it would be cold.

Nivi Rosa

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    Serena stood still, uncertain. She didn’t move.Not right away.She waited two beats longer than she had to—just to gather herself. Quietly. Carefully. Like a ripple waiting to settle.Then she turned. Not submissive. Not defiant. Just… watching. A little hesitant, a little tired."You'll meet my mother soon."Serena blinked at his back. That...wasn’t what she expected him to say when he said he wanted a word. Her lips parted, but no words came.Lucian turned to look at her then. His gaze landed on her with the precision of a scalpel—sharp, emotionless. It didn’t ask for understanding. It didn't ask for anything, really. “She doesn’t know anything about this contract. And she won’t.”“So…” Serena’s voice was soft, tentative, like she was still testing the ground beneath her feet. “We keep the marriage a secret from the world—but the fact that it is a contract itself a secret from your mother? Am I getting that right?”“Yes.” His tone didn’t waver. No elaboration. No hint of irony.Sh

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    Serena Rivera had walked more red carpets in the last three months than in the twenty-two years of her life, and not once—not once—had Lucian Vale ever touched her like this. Not once had he placed a hand on the small of her back. Not once had he turned toward her for the cameras. Not once had he so much as acknowledged her unless the moment absolutely demanded it. Until tonight. Tonight, the man who usually treated her like thin air wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, pulled her close like she was something breakable, and whispered low and dark against her ear— “Smile. Like you’re mine.” Her heart stalled. She smiled. She had to. But it wasn’t for the cameras. It was for survival. And maybe—just maybe—because she remembered this touch. Once. No one else in this entire room knew the truth. Not the flashing press. Not the fans screaming from barricades. Not even the cast and crew of the very film she was supposed to be promoting tonight. They didn’t know Serena R

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