008

SHAYLE

I immediately got up, tugging the side of my dress down with one hand, trying to hide the bit of skin that had risen when I stood.

My knees felt weak, but I managed to look straight at him. His eyes were still on me, cold and intimidating, watching every move like I was a prey.

I opened my mouth, ready to explain that no one had told me about the meeting, but he cut me off before I could even start.

“Too busy getting a makeover?”

A few giggles broke through the room. Quiet, but loud enough to make my stomach twist. My face burned.

What the hell did he just say?

I gritted my teeth and forced my voice out before he could continue humiliating me.

“I wasn’t informed about the meeting,” I shot back, my tone firmer this time.

Lucien finally looked away, the corner of his mouth twitching like he found my little defense amusing.

I wished he’d stop there, but he didn’t.

“Maybe,” he said smoothly, his eyes still on the papers before him, “if you weren’t too busy sulking about being dumped, you’d have heard when it was announced.”

Laughter rippled again. This time, it felt like knives digging into my skin. My blood ran cold.

That bastard. Did he go about asking about me?

I froze, my fists curling under the table. I stared straight ahead, pretending none of it got to me, pretending I didn’t care. But inside, I was screaming. I could feel my pulse hammering in my ears, my throat tight. I didn’t dare look at anyone, not even Carlos, even though I could feel his eyes on me.

When I was sure Lucien was done with his cruel little jokes, I quietly sank back into my chair. My legs trembled slightly as I crossed them, forcing myself to focus on anything but the stares.

The person by the screen began speaking again, resuming their presentation, and I tried to breathe normally.

But apparently, Lucien Dorne wasn’t done tormenting me yet.

“Miss Vale.”

The voice made me flinch.

I looked up, and his eyes met mine again. “As my secretary,” he said slowly, “you ought to sit beside me.”

Ah. Right.

Murmurs broke around the table. I could feel the shock in the air, like everyone was silently asking the same thing—she’s his new secretary?

And then came the other thing I felt even stronger; the jealousy. The burning kind that came from the women in the room, stabbing into my back.

If only they knew how much I hated this new role. If only they knew I wanted nothing more than to walk out that damn door with my resignation letter in hand, approved.

I swallowed hard and stood up. My heels clicked against the floor as I made my way toward the empty seat beside him.

I kept my head low, pretending not to notice the eyes following me. When I sat down, I forced my back straight and my expression blank.

The meeting continued.

Normally, I liked meetings. The flow of ideas, the competition of minds, the excitement of new projects. It used to give me a sense of belonging. It used to distract me from everything else going wrong in my life.

But today, all it did was keep me painfully aware of Lucien’s presence next to me. Every time he moved, every time he shifted, I felt it.

Still, I focused on the slides, the numbers, the strategies. I took notes like my life depended on it. And somehow, time slipped by.

When the meeting finally ended, people began to stand and whisper among themselves as they left the room.

Relief washed over me. I stood too, but instead of heading out, I waited for Lucien. That was part of the job now; I followed him.

As he rose from his chair, my eyes accidentally met Carlos’s again. He was still watching me, his expression unreadable. And that’s when it hit me, he probably thought all this, the new hair, the unusual outfit, everything, was about him.

The thought made my stomach churn. I frowned, looked away, and followed behind Lucien as he walked out.

We headed straight to his office. The walk felt endless. Every step echoed like a countdown to something I didn’t want to face.

When he pushed open his office door, I froze.

Sitting right there, on the edge of his desk, was the redhead from the other day. The same woman I’d seen him thrusting into the other day.

She smiled at Lucien, that same confident, flirtatious smile I remembered.

But the moment her eyes landed on me, it vanished. She frowned, her gaze narrowing with visible hostility.

Lucien ignored the tension entirely.

He walked to his desk, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and tossed it over the chair before sitting down. I stood there awkwardly, eyes glued to the floor, while the redhead’s gaze practically burned holes through me.

Lucien finally spoke, his tone calm but edged with irritation.

“What are you doing here?” He leaned back, looking straight at her.

“And why are you staring at my secretary like that?”

Her lips curved into a mock smile. “Secretary?” she echoed, her voice dripping with disdain. “More like your new toy.”

I felt my chest tighten.

She turned to him again. “So you’re really dumping me?”

Lucien sighed, clearly unimpressed.

“Dump?” He tilted his head slightly. “Tina, we were two adults having a fling. Nothing more.”

Her jaw dropped. I blinked, stunned. Wait—what? I thought they were dating.

Tina’s face twisted with hurt and anger. She stomped toward him, her voice rising.

“A fling? You told me to resign so we could make this official! You said we were serious!”

Lucien didn’t even flinch. He rubbed his temple briefly and exhaled.

“Ah, that. I only did that to make space for my new secretary.”

He gestured toward me casually.

I froze.

Every muscle in my body locked. I wanted to walk out of this nonsense, to just vanish. Instead, I stood there like an idiot, pretending to be invisible.

Tina stared at me, her eyes wide at first, then narrowing with pure rage.

“Unbelievable,” she spat. Her voice shook. “You’re such a fucking scumbag, Lucien. You get off on this, don’t you? Playing women, making them feel special, then tossing them aside?”

Lucien gave her a look that could freeze lava, but she kept going.

“You disgust me. I regret ever letting you touch me.”

She grabbed her bag off the chair and turned to me. Her heels clicked violently against the floor as she approached.

She stopped right in front of me and gave me a long, disgusted once-over. Her mouth curved into a sneer.

“Look at you,” she muttered. “Dressing up, trying to catch his attention. How pathetic.”

I clenched my jaw but said nothing.

She scoffed, shaking her head. “I pity you, sweetheart. You’re just his next victim.”

She turned sharply, her perfume heavy in the air as she started toward the door.

“Tina,” Lucien’s voice cut through again, calm but still cold, still intimidating.

She froze and turned halfway, glaring. “What?”

“The manual,” he reminded.

Her jaw tightened. She dug into her bag, yanked out a thick document, and shoved it against my chest.

“Here. Have fun learning how to please him.”

She stormed out, the door slamming behind her.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

I stood there, clutching the manual, staring at the floor. My chest rose and fell in quick breaths. I didn’t even know what to say or how to feel.

Lucien leaned back in his chair again, completely unfazed, and looked up at me.

“That manual contains everything you need to know about your position,” he muttered. “You have one hour to study it and report back. Then you’ll start your duties.”

I nodded stiffly. “Okay.” My voice was small, almost lost.

I hesitated, then asked before I could stop myself. “Was she… your ex-secretary?”

He was scrolling on his phone now, eyes half-lidded.

“Why?” he asked without looking up. “You want to take her place on my bed too?”

I grimaced, nearly choking on air.

“What? No! God, no! I’d never want that.”

He finally looked up. That gaze again. Cold and unreadable but with something wicked curling beneath it. His chin tilted slightly, those dark eyes locking onto mine like he could read everything I was thinking.

He smirked faintly. “Really?”

The air shifted. My chest tightened under the weight of his stare. It was too much. Too intense.

I looked away quickly, my heart thudding painfully.

But he wasn’t done.

“If you didn’t want me like you claim,” he murmured, his tone low and teasing, “then why the sudden change? The new look. The tight dress bringing out your perfect curves that I never even noticed. You're trying so badly to fit into my type of woman, Shayle.”

My head snapped up, eyes wide.

What the actual fuck?