CHAPTER FOUR: THE PROPOSAL

The words seemed to hang in the air long after Adrian said them.

For a second, the entire lobby went unnaturally still, as if even the television had paused to admire the damage.

Then the whispers began.

“Oh my God…”

“Did he just say substance abuse?”

“Is that her?”

Amelia stood frozen, her body physically present but her mind somewhere far away, struggling to catch up. The television kept playing, Adrian’s polished voice continuing in the background, but she couldn’t hear him anymore. Her ears rang too loudly.

“Amelia.”

Tessa stepped directly in front of her, blocking her line of sight to the television.

“Look at me.”

Nothing.

Tessa grabbed her arm harder.

“Amelia.”

That finally pulled her back.

The expressions around them were worse than pity.

Curiosity.

Judgment.

Disgust disguised as concern.

And somehow that hurt more.

“Come on,” Tessa said, her voice sharp now. “We’re leaving.”

Amelia let herself be pulled forward, her heels clicking too loudly against the marble floor.

They had barely made it halfway to the glass doors when a familiar voice stopped them.

“Miss Carter.”

Amelia turned.

Her department manager stood awkwardly beside reception, hands clasped in front of him, visibly uncomfortable.

Not sympathetic.

Just inconvenienced.

“I think…” he cleared his throat. “It might be best if you took some personal time.”

Of course.

Of course.

A soft laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

It sounded hollow.

Humiliating.

Tessa’s jaw tightened. “Unbelievable.”

She had worked too hard for this job to become another thing ripped away from her.

And now he couldn’t even look her in the eye as he let her go.

It was never about the money. Amelia had just wanted something of her own—something that wasn’t tied to her father’s name or his money.

Amelia simply nodded.

“Right.”

The cold outside hit her face the second the doors opened.

For one stupid moment, she thought the fresh air would help.

It didn’t.

“Miss Carter!”

The first flash nearly blinded her.

Then another.

And another.

Amelia stopped dead.

Reporters.

Phones.

Cameras.

Microphones shoved too close to her face.

The entire sidewalk looked like a feeding ground.

“How long have you been dealing with substance abuse?”

“Did Adrian pay for treatment?”

“Did your family know?”

“Is that what caused the wedding incident?”

“Was Lucien Saint involved?”

Tessa physically shoved one of the reporters back.

“Get out of her face!”

Nobody listened.

The questions kept coming.

Louder.

Crueler.

“Miss Carter, are you denying the allegations?”

“Did your family cover this up?”

Then—

“Did your father know?”

That one cut through everything.

Amelia took a step backward, the air suddenly feeling too thin.

And then the noise shifted.

Not quieter.

Just redirected.

A sleek black car pulled smoothly to the curb, the kind of expensive that didn’t need introducing.

Heads turned instantly.

The driver’s door opened.

Lucien Saint stepped out.

Lucien looked exactly the way Amelia remembered from the wedding—dark tailored suit, calm expression, moving without any visible urgency, as though chaos naturally made room for him.

The questions changed immediately.

“Mr. Saint!”

“Is the affair real?”

“Did Amelia Carter cheat with you?”

Lucien ignored every single one of them.

His gaze found Amelia.

Only Amelia.

And held.

Then, calmly, he said—

“Get in.”

Tessa let out a short laugh. “Absolutely not.”

Lucien didn’t even look at her.

“Stay here then,” he said evenly. “I’m sure they’ll be gentle.”

Another flash exploded directly in Amelia’s face.

A microphone nearly hit her shoulder.

“Miss Carter, is Lucien Saint your supplier?”

“Tessa—”

Her friend grabbed her wrist immediately.

“Amelia, no.”

For a second, Amelia looked at her properly.

Tessa looked furious. Protective. Helpless.

And somehow that nearly broke something inside her.

“I’ll call you,” Amelia said quietly.

Tessa clearly wanted to argue.

But another camera flash went off, another reporter shoved forward, and in the end, she let go.

Amelia got in.

The door shut behind her, sealing out the chaos so abruptly the silence felt violent.

For the first time in minutes, she could hear herself breathe.

Barely.

A second later, the driver’s door opened and Lucien got in beside her.

Then the car pulled away.

Neither of them spoke.

Amelia’s hands were shaking.

Not trembling.

Shaking.

She pulled out her phone immediately and dialed her father’s number.

One ring.

Voicemail.

She ended the call and dialed again.

Nothing.

Again.

Straight to voicemail.

Her jaw tightened.

One more time.

The call failed before it even connected.

Amelia stared at the screen.

Then checked again.

Blocked.

For a second, she simply stared at it.

Her father had blocked her.

A strange laugh nearly escaped her throat, but she swallowed it down.

No.

Absolutely not.

Not here.

That was when she looked up properly.

Lucien was driving with one hand resting easily on the steering wheel, the city lights catching briefly against the expensive watch at his wrist.

Up close, he looked even harder somehow.

His jaw was sharp, his expression unreadable, and when his eyes flicked toward her for a brief second, Amelia realized they were grey.

Cold grey.

A faint scar sat near his left brow, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

“Jonathan Carter was never going to answer.”

Amelia turned sharply.

“How do you know that?”

Lucien said nothing.

That somehow irritated her more than an actual answer would have.

“You could have said something.”

His eyes shifted toward her again.

“About?”

“At the wedding.”

The memory came rushing back too vividly.

His hand at her waist.

His voice in her ear.

The way he had stood there and let everyone believe the worst.

“You let everyone think there was something going on between us.”

Lucien tilted his head slightly.

“Was there?”

Amelia actually laughed.

A short, disbelieving sound.

“Are you insane?”

“I asked a question.”

“My fiancé was making out with my sister!”

“Former fiancé.”

She glared at him.

“That is what you took from all this?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“That you kiss strangers when angry.”

Her mouth fell open.

Then shut again.

Infuriating man.

“My life is falling apart because of that kiss.”

Lucien’s response came instantly.

“No.”

The single word landed harder than shouting would have.

“Your life is falling apart because Adrian Saint is his father’s son.”

Amelia went still.

There it was again.

That strange undertone whenever Adrian came up. That implication that there was history she didn’t know about.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing you need right now.”

“Like hell.”

He ignored that.

Again.

Her anger sharpened.

Good.

Anger was easier than whatever else was threatening to break through.

“Did you know this would happen?”

Lucien’s expression didn’t change.

“I knew Adrian would retaliate.”

The honesty startled her.

“You expected this?”

“I expected damage.”

“Not enough to stop it apparently.”

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

“Men like Adrian don’t lose quietly.”

The certainty in his tone unsettled her.

Like he knew Adrian far better than she ever had.

Like this wasn’t guesswork.

Amelia looked down at her phone again.

Still blocked.

Still nothing.

“Why are you helping me?”

Lucien glanced at her.

“Helping?”

“Yes, helping.” Her voice cracked with frustration. “The wedding. Today. This—”

“This is not help.”

That shut her up.

Because he didn’t sound defensive.

He sounded factual.

Like kindness had absolutely nothing to do with whatever this was.

The realization made her stomach tighten.

Lucien was quiet for a moment.

Then asked—

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

The question hit harder than she expected.

Because he already knew the answer.

Her father had blocked her.

Work had practically thrown her out.

Adrian was impossible.

Sofia was dead to her.

For the first time all morning, something dangerously close to fear settled in her chest.

“What do you want from me?” she asked quietly.

Lucien held her gaze.

Steady.

Unreadable.

Then said—

“The same thing you almost gave Adrian.”

Amelia frowned.

Then the meaning landed.

Her breath caught.

Lucien leaned slightly toward her.

“Marriage.”