Chapter 5: The Price of a Lie

Lucian’s POV

"She dyed her hair."

I gripped the edge of the iron railing on the balcony of my "new" apartment—a run-down flat in the industrial district that smelled of rust and despair.

Marcus stood behind me, holding a grainy photograph. Even in the blurred image, she looked different. The softness was gone. She was wearing a oversized hoodie and those ridiculous glasses, but her eyes... even in a black-and-white photo, her eyes looked like they could cut glass.

"She’s smart," I muttered, my chest tightening with a mix of pride and agony. "She knows she’s being watched."

"Sir, the Vane Syndicate isn't fooled by the hair dye," Marcus warned. "They’re frustrated. They expected her to come crawling back to you for money. When she didn't, it made them suspicious. They think she’s hiding something valuable."

"She is," I whispered. "She's hiding the only thing in this world that is untainted."

I looked down at my hands. They were trembling. I hadn't had a real meal in three days. To keep up the facade of the "fallen billionaire," I had to live the part. I had to let the creditors take the cars, the watches, the wine. I had to let the press photograph me stumbling out of a dive bar at 3:00 AM, looking like a man who had lost his soul.

The world thought I was mourning my fortune. They thought I was a broken man waiting for Sarah Vance to save me.

In reality, Sarah was sitting in my living room right now, sipping a glass of wine that cost more than Evelyn’s monthly rent.

"Lucian, darling," Sarah’s voice floated out from the open door behind me. "The press is outside. It’s time for our 'reunion' dinner. Do try to look a bit more grateful. I am saving your reputation, after all."

I turned, my face a mask of cold indifference. Sarah was beautiful in the way a poisonous snake is beautiful—bright, striking, and lethal. She wore a dress that cost a small fortune, a stark contrast to the peeling wallpaper of the room.

"You're not saving my reputation, Sarah," I said, stepping into the room. "You're feeding your own ego. You want the world to see you as the woman who tamed the beast."

She laughed, a sharp, tinkling sound. "Does it matter? We have a deal. I give you the alibi you need to 'restructure' your shadow assets, and I get to be the queen of the Blackwood name again." She leaned in, her perfume cloying and heavy. "Tell me... do you miss her? The little mouse? What was her name? Evelyn?"

I felt a surge of murderous rage so intense I had to shove my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her throat.

"She was a contract," I said, my voice like ice. "Nothing more."

"Good," Sarah purred, patting my cheek. "Because she’s a nobody now. I heard she’s living in some hovel in the East End. Quite a fall from grace, wouldn't you say?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. If I spoke, I would give away the fact that I knew exactly which hovel she was in. I knew what she ate for breakfast. I knew she had started working again. I knew she was stronger than I ever gave her credit for.

And I knew that every day I stayed with Sarah, every day I played this disgusting game, was another day I was poisoning the memory of what Evelyn and I had.

"Let’s go," I said, grabbing my coat.

We walked out of the building together, the camera flashes blinding us the moment we hit the sidewalk. I put my arm around Sarah’s waist, pulling her close for the cameras. It felt like touching hot coals.

I'm doing this for you, Eve, I thought, staring into the bright, white lights. I’m the villain in your story so that you can be the hero in ours. Just hold on. Just stay hidden.

But as the limousine pulled away, I saw a figure standing on the corner, hooded and shadowed. For a split second, I thought it was her. I thought she had come to watch my betrayal in person.

The figure turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

I slumped back into the leather seat, the weight of the lie pressing down on my lungs. I was winning the war against my enemies, but I was losing the only person I was fighting for.

"You look miserable, Lucian," Sarah remarked, checking her lipstick in a gold-plated mirror.

"I'm exactly where I deserve to be," I replied.

I was in hell. And the worst part was, I had built it myself.