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Magic Crunch
Early the next morning, I was woken by the delivery driver knocking at the door.

Lucian had rush-ordered a set of new clothes and shoes, along with a message:

[Audrey, being with me hasn't been easy on you.]

The flicker of warmth I felt vanished the moment I saw what was inside the box.

Inside was a rough linen outfit and a pair of cheap white sneakers with laughably thin soles.

The whole set probably didn't even cover the cost of one of Milo's grooming sessions.

I tossed the package in the trash. Right on cue, Lucian's call came in.

"Audrey, I know those things aren't good enough for you, but it's the best I can do right now.

"I promise I'll work hard to give you a better life. Don't be upset, okay?"

If I'd heard these sweet words before, I would have been moved to tears.

But lies get old after you've heard enough of them.

My voice was flat. "What is it?"

Caught off guard by my tone, Lucian sounded unusually uneasy.

"Milo needs a walk, and I'm tied up. I don't trust anyone else with him. Could you take him out?

"I already renewed his membership at the pet resort. Remember to have the fur around his paws trimmed and apply the grooming oil..."

So that's why he called. He remembered he had a free dog-sitter.

My heart, already cold, chilled a little more. Lucian must have sensed something was off, because he added one more thing.

"Don't forget to have that head injury rechecked."

He sent fifteen hundred dollars, earmarked for Milo's ice cream at the pet resort.

For me, all I got was a text:

[Get some rest.]

I declined the transfer.

I called a dog-walking service to take Milo out, grabbed my father's card, and went to the hospital for a full checkup.

Still not satisfied, I walked next door and signed up for a spa membership.

As I sat under a warm compress, I remembered that before Lucian, I'd been a regular at places like this.

I'd thought Lucian would take over where my father left off in caring for me, which was why I'd been willing to squeeze into a tiny three-hundred-square-foot apartment with him.

I'd bet wrong.

But at least I still had a chance to turn things around.

Bored while I waited, I came across a popular local Facebook page.

It documented the blogger's daily life with her boss, whom she referred to only as "L."

The boss threw money around like it was nothing, never less than three hundred thousand dollars at a time.

When she wore herself out running errands for the family, he chartered a private jet and rented out an island resort for her.

When one of her schemes paid off brilliantly, he rewarded her with a one-of-a-kind suite of diamond jewelry.

The girl squealed in practically every video.

[So generous! Best boss ever, I'm never leaving!]

But the deeper I scrolled, the more unsettled I became.

The boss sent her a pair of wrist supports, with a note:

[My girlfriend hurt her wrist moving something heavy. You're such a baby about pain, so I got you a pair in advance.]

The boss sent her a heating pad, with a note:

[My girlfriend gets cold during her period, but I can't give this to her right now. Try it out for me first.]

Just days ago, I had hurt my wrist. And I had just gotten my period.

Unease swelled in my chest. I held my breath and scrolled back to the very first post.

In the earliest video, the girl flashed a peace sign at the camera.

[The boss asked me how to tell if a girl's in it for the money or for love. I came up with the perfect plan: pretend to be broke and test her!]

[He also asked how to gauge how deep her love runs. I told him to get a dog and treat it better than her. The more she puts up with, the more it proves she's in love!]

In the comments, someone had written:

[They say the money goes where the love goes. L is so generous to you, Vivian. Think you're next in line?]

The girl had replied with a blushing emoji.

My vision blurred. The tears wouldn't stop no matter how many times I wiped them away.

I finally realized why the girl looked so familiar.

At the heir's banquet, I'd seen her. She had been standing right next to Lucian.

That boss was Lucian.
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  • He Spoiled His Dog, Starved Me, and Thought I'd Stay   10

    Blood spattered across my face.Lucian had brought a bomb after all. Just not along the walls.The only one was strapped to himself.Before pressing the trigger, he had deliberately stepped back.The only casualty was him.His last words finally registered."I've already hurt you. I don't want to cause you any more pain."Audrey, I'm sorry."Lucian was rushed into surgery.Ethan reached me in three strides, swept me into his arms, and checked me over from head to toe."Are you all right, Audrey? Does anything hurt? Did he scare you?"I shook my head. I couldn't tell whether I felt wistful, lost, or relieved."Let's finish the ceremony."In the end, the marriage alliance closed out rattled but intact.After all the loose ends were tied up, I finally had a moment to sit by the window and sort through my thoughts.Lucian didn't make it.That last, resolute look in his eyes flashed behind my eyelids every time I closed them.I felt only a vague regret that a life had ended that way.Lucian

  • He Spoiled His Dog, Starved Me, and Thought I'd Stay   9

    "Lucian! What are you doing?!"Ethan threw himself in front of me on instinct."You want to declare war on both the Sinclairs and the Bennetts?!"Lucian's thumb hovered barely half an inch above the button.If they shot him now, the reflex could make him press the button.According to Lucian, he'd planted explosives all around the chapel's outer walls.The moment he died, we'd all go with him."Come with me, Audrey."Lucian's eyes softened, and he held out his hand."I promise I'll fix every bad habit you hate. From now on, it'll be just you. Only you."Ethan tightened his grip on my wrist, his eyes pleading."Audrey, don't."I only just found you. I really, really don't want to let go again..."I drew a deep breath and swept my gaze across the crowd below.My family. Ethan's family.I couldn't drag them into danger.My hand went slack, and the light in Ethan's eyes went out."Audrey, don't go. Don't choose him...""I'm sorry."I gathered my skirt.One step. Then another. I walked towa

  • He Spoiled His Dog, Starved Me, and Thought I'd Stay   8

    The bride whipped around in shock.It wasn't Audrey.The groom beside her wasn't the Bennett heir, either.Lucian pieced it together from the whispers swirling around him.Ethan had thought the lighting in this chapel wasn't bright enough and had changed the venue ages ago.He'd missed it entirely.By the time Lucian tore across town, I had already reached the end of what felt like the longest aisle in history.On the final step, my heel caught on the hem of my gown and I stumbled headlong into a warm embrace.Soft, warm skin brushed against my forehead. By the time we separated, both of us had gone red at the ears.After that little hiccup, the ceremony continued without a hitch.Ethan's hand was slightly sweaty around the ring.I smiled and held out my hand, ready to say those two words."I object!"Lucian burst through the doors like a storm, hair wild, covered in dirt.His eyes were bloodshot, and in his hand he clutched a small black box."Audrey, don't say yes. Don't go with him.

  • He Spoiled His Dog, Starved Me, and Thought I'd Stay   7

    Over the following weeks, Ethan and I became good friends.But going from friends to husband and wife was still quite a leap.It was an arranged marriage, so I took it in stride.Ethan, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves. Every morning I could hear him pacing anxiously outside.The flowers had to be the freshest available. The floors had to be polished to a mirror shine.He changed the officiant over and over. The ceremony program went through more than fifty revisions until every person on the estate could recite it by heart.Names were added to the guest list and scratched off again. The one constant was Lucian's name.I saw through Ethan's little scheme, but I had no intention of calling him out on it.To me, Lucian was nothing more than a vaguely unpleasant stranger now.As long as he didn't interfere with the alliance between our families, I couldn't care less whether he showed up to my wedding....Meanwhile, Lucian summoned Vivian to an underground chamber.He sat with a

  • He Spoiled His Dog, Starved Me, and Thought I'd Stay   6

    When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in an unfamiliar bed.The room was filled with the delicate scent of white lilac, my favorite.Back when I'd lived with the Sinclairs, a fresh bouquet was placed at my bedside every morning.Once I'd chosen to be with Lucian, that kind of care had vanished from my life.After the dizziness faded, I realized the room's decor was strangely familiar.The hardwood floors and cabinets were exactly the kind I loved. The walls were painted my favorite shade, and even the furniture arrangement and decorations matched the dream home I'd once designed."Like it?"A tall man walked in and set a bowl of warm oatmeal on the nightstand beside me."Have something to eat first."I'm sorry for peeking at your designs. I just wanted everything to be the way you'd want it."Long lashes cast faint shadows across his profile, lending him an air of vulnerability and uncertainty.I was a little dazed. The chubby boy I'd met once as a child had grown into a strikingly

  • He Spoiled His Dog, Starved Me, and Thought I'd Stay   5

    Lucian's hands had taken lives without so much as a blink.But right now, Lucian couldn't pick up a phone.The screen was shattered, a web of cracks obscuring the name on the invitation.Yet no matter what he did, the name burned into Lucian's vision and refused to leave his mind.Bride: Audrey Sinclair.A coincidence?Someone else with the same name?Lucian barked, "Find out. The Bennett heir's bride—who is she?"Vivian had been basking in the thrill of what she thought was her moment, but Lucian's erratic behavior stirred a faint unease in her.She told herself to stay calm. She couldn't afford to panic now.That night, her plan had been airtight. Surrounded by those men, there was no way Audrey could have escaped unscathed.Lucian sat with his eyes closed, not saying a word.He had always trusted nothing but his own two hands.But in that moment, he found himself praying to something he'd never believed in.Please. Don't let it be Audrey.The hospital room was cold as ice until Vivi

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