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CHAPTER SEVEN — A MOMENT OF PEACE
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2026-02-11 14:11:59Aria's POV
Does he?" I stepped closer to Lucien, linking my arm through his possessively. "That's sweet. He talks about work constantly at home too, I feel like I know everyone here already."
Jennifer's smile became even more forced. "How nice that you're so... interested in his work."
"Oh, I'm interested in everything about my husband," I said, my voice saccharine sweet. "Every. Single. Thing."
Lucien looked down at me, surprise flickering across his features. I tightened my grip on his arm, silently daring him to pull away.
"Well, we should continue the tour," Lucien said, and was that amusement in his voice? "Jennifer, we'll see you at the meeting tomorrow."
As we walked away, I felt Jennifer's eyes burning into my back.
"You have a lot of very... dedicated employees," I said, my tone carefully neutral.
"They're good at their jobs," Lucien replied.
"I'm sure they are. Especially Jennifer, she seems very dedicated to... the work."
Now Lucien definitely smiled. "Are you jealous, Aria?"
"No!" I said too quickly. "Why would I be jealous? I'm just observing that your female employees seem particularly... attentive."
"Attentive?"
"Yes. Very attentive, especially to you."
Lucien stopped walking and turned to face me, his grey eyes dancing with something I hadn't seen in months. Amusement, genuine, unguarded amusement.
"You're jealous," he said, and he sounded delighted.
"I am not jealous! I'm just... concerned about workplace professionalism."
"Concerned about workplace professionalism," he repeated, his lips twitching.
"Yes. That Jennifer woman was practically throwing herself at you. And you didn't even notice!"
"I noticed," he said softly, stepping closer. "But I only have eyes for one woman, even when she's spent five months trying to leave me."
My breath caught. The way he was looking at me now…
"Lucien..." I whispered.
"Come on," he said, taking my hand. "There's one more place I want to show you."
He led me to a small room at the end of the executive floor. It was clearly his private space, comfortable leather furniture, bookshelves lined with business journals, and a small kitchenette.
"This is where I come when I need to think," he said, closing the door behind us. "Or when I need to escape the chaos of running a company."
I walked to the window, taking in the view. "It's so beautiful."
"Yes," he said, but when I turned around, he wasn't looking at the view. He was looking at me. "It is."
Heat flooded my face again. "Stop that."
"Stop what?"
"Looking at me like... like that."
"Like what, Aria?"
"Like you..." I trailed off, unable to finish.
Like you still love me, I thought. Like I haven't spent months destroying us.
Lucien crossed the room in three strides, stopping just inches away from me. Close enough that I could smell his cologne, feel the warmth radiating from him.
"You were jealous," he said, his voice low and intimate.
"Maybe a little," I admitted grudgingly.
"Why?"
"Because..." I looked up at him, my heart hammering. "Because you're mine, and I don't like other women looking at what's mine."
Something blazed in his eyes. "Yours?"
"Yes, mine!" The words burst out before I could stop them. "I know I've been terrible, I know I don't deserve you, but you're still my husband and I don't like those women looking at you like..."
Lucien's phone rang, cutting off my rant.
He ignored it, his eyes still locked on mine.
It rang again… and again.
"You should get that," I said reluctantly.
"It can wait."
"Lucien, it's ringing nonstop. It might be important."
He sighed, pulling the phone from his pocket. Then, I watched all the color drain from his face.
"What?" I asked. "What is it?"
"It's my mother," he said, and the joy from moments ago had completely vanished, replaced by something that looked like dread. "I need to take this."
He answered, stepping away from me. "Mother, this isn't a good time..."
I couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but I watched Lucien's expression grow more and more tense. His free hand clenched into a fist as his jaw tightened.
The silence in Lucien's office was suffocating.
Helena Blackwood stood in the center of the room like a queen surveying her domain, her steel-grey eyes was so similar to Lucien's yet infinitely colder, fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"Mother," Lucien said again, and I heard the carefully controlled tension in his voice. "As I said, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."
"Yes, you've made that abundantly clear." Helena's gaze didn't leave me. "I can see I've interrupted... something."
The way she said 'something' made it sound distasteful and improper.
I felt Lucien's hand tighten slightly on my waist where he'd caught me from falling. He hadn't let go yet, and I could feel the tension radiating through him.
"You've interrupted my lunch," Lucien said evenly. "Aria brought me food from home."
Helena's eyes flicked to the containers on his desk, then back to me. "How... domestic."
It wasn't a compliment.
"Mrs. Blackwood," I tried again, forcing a smile. "It really is wonderful to finally meet you. Lucien has told me so much about you."
"Has he?" One perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched. "How curious. He's told me remarkably little about you." She moved closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor with military precision. "In fact, for the first three months of your marriage, I wasn't even aware of your existence."
I felt the words land like a slap. Lucien's jaw clenched beside me.
"That was my decision, Mother," he said quietly. "Not Aria's."
"Yes, I'm sure it was." Helena's tone suggested she believed otherwise. "You've always been... protective of your private affairs." She said before she turned her full attention to me, and I fought the urge to step back. "Stand up straight, girl. Let me look at you properly."
I straightened instinctively, hating myself for the automatic obedience but unable to stop it. There was something about her presence that demanded compliance.
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