LOGIN"Why did you replicate Nova's dress?"Gwen’s breath caught sharply in her throat, the blood instantly draining from her face.But it only lasted a second. She quickly squeezed her fingers under the silk sheet, forcing her fragile, innocent look back into place. Her lashes fluttered, instantly filling with wet tears."Lucien... what are you talking about?" Gwen’s voice shook with a mix of shock and grievance. "I don't understand."Lucien stared down at her quietly.He didn't seem moved by her display of tears in anyway. Instead, he said coldly, "I purchased that dress from your studio."Gwen's fingers tightened as she stared at the cold look on his face.He had personally purchased a dress for that woman. He wanted her to shine at the Old Madam's birthday. How could he rexpect her to really let that happen?But she didn't let her thoughts show and she said innocently, "The design studio handles hundreds of orders for banquets. How could I possibly know what dress you ordered for her?"
Lucien didn't leave after confrontation. Instead, he joined the joint meeting held to discuss the next action after the compliance block had been removed. The atmosphere inside the main tent had completely changed by the time the afternoon joint briefing commenced. The long conference table was packed with managers and technicians from both Delacroix Energy and XC. Just hours prior, the low-level staff had been secretly whispering by the tents, trying to decipher the sudden influx of benefits XC had been receiving. “Did you hear? The President personally drove that project director from XC to see Director Voss.” “No wonder the boss kept asking us to yield more to them. The Big Boss is clearly favoring them for a reason...” "What to do? The things women enjoy." The XC team members had also suspected something was going on between their project lead and the tyrant President from Delacroix. Not only were they getting unusual benefits, it was very obvious with the way Presei
The silence inside the tent became heavy.Lucien stood perfectly still, his hands remaining deep inside his trouser pockets. His gray eyes were pinned to her face, tracking every line of her features."I don't need your care, Lucien."The flatness in her voice was like a dull blade, scraping against his pride. In the upper circles, who dared to reject a gesture from the head of the Delacroix family? He had noticed the dust in her eyes and brought the sunglasses. He had remembered her habit of skipping meals and brought the food flask. To him, this was a rare, low-profile concession.Yet, she had packed it all into a common cardboard box and shipped it back to his house like trash. It was a blatant display of disrespect. She was looking down on his intentions.Lucien took a slow step forward, his large, imposing frame blocking the light from the tent flap. The temperature in the small space seemed to drop instantly."I brought those things because you needed them," Lucien’s voice ca
The silence inside the President’s office was heavy. Lucien stared down at the open cardboard box resting on his mahogany desk. Inside, tangled haphazardly within crumpled brown wrapping paper, lay the blue diamond necklace, the matching designer banquet dress and heels, the sleek sunglasses, and the insulated steel food flask. Every single thing he had given her over the past week was right there. Hayden sneaked a glance at his boss's expression, which had gone as dark as the bottom of a scorched pot. For a second, the assistant wondered if there really was a literal bomb inside that parcel, or perhaps a death threat sent by one of their enemies. Otherwise, why on earth was his boss looking so murderous? Inching closer, Hayden peeked past Lucien’s broad shoulder. He blinked in surprise. There were no weapons inside; just everyday personal items. Then it suddenly clicked. Hayden recalled the conversation Lucien and Nova had shared inside the luxury vehicle just days prior
"WAHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Axel shrieked, spinning around so fast he nearly knocked over the coffee table, both hands clapped over his eyes even though his back was already to her. He'd caught a glimpse before he turned, just a flash of pale skin and the dark bruising spreading along her ribs, and it was already burned into his mind whether he wanted it there or not."Have some decency!" His ears had gone a furious, blotchy red, visible even from behind. "I'm not looking, but—"On the couch, despite the pain, the corner of the woman's mouth twitched. He'd hauled her up four flights of stairs pressed against his side the entire way, her blood soaking through his shirt, and that hadn't fazed him once. And now he couldn't handle a little skin? Cute, she thought distantly, and then hissed through her teeth as the needle went back in.Axel heard the small, sharp sound and nearly turned around on reflex, his hand twitching at his side. "Are you okay? Do you need something? You can jus
Axel drove like a man being chased, even though the highway behind them was empty. His gaze kept flicking sideways, off the road and onto the woman beside him, still bleeding steadily into the leather of his passenger seat. Her head was tipped back against the headrest, her eyes closed, one hand pressed against her side. Streetlights slid across her pale face in long orange strips as they passed, there and gone, there and gone."Don't die," Axel muttered, his knuckles white on the wheel. "Don't you dare die in my car."She didn't open her eyes."Hey." His voice cracked, the silence in the car suddenly alarming. "Hey, are you listening to me?""...I heard you," she said faintly. "The first time."Axel nearly sobbed in relief. But the relief was brief. Frankly, he had no idea where to take her. He ran through his options and crossed each one out as fast as it came. His apartment at the family compound was out. Four staff members there reported directly to his mother, who in turn repo







