Chapter 3: Learning to Look Dangerous

I walked upstairs before she could say anything else, my heart racing but my mind clear.

In my room, I went through my closet looking for something professional like Lucas said.

Most of my clothes were soft, pretty, delicate things meant to make me look innocent and sweet.

I found a black dress at the back, simple and clean, with long sleeves and a straight cut.

I put it on, pulled my hair into a tight bun, and looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked different. Harder. Stronger. Like someone who could actually fight back.

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: "Don't be late. Lucas."

I smiled. He already had my number. Of course he did.

---

I arrived back at Black Corporation at exactly six, my heels clicking on the marble floor.

Lucas was waiting in the lobby, talking to another man in an expensive suit.

When he saw me, he said something to the man and walked over, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

"Better," he said. "You look like you mean business now."

"I do mean business," I said. "Where are we going?"

"The Regency Hotel. It's a dinner meeting with Morrison and his lawyers. You'll sit next to me, listen, and take notes."

"I didn't bring a notebook."

He handed me a small leather notebook and a pen from his jacket pocket. "Now you have one."

We walked to his car, a black luxury sedan that probably cost more than my family's house.

His driver opened the door, and I slid in, trying not to show how nervous I was.

Lucas got in next to me, close enough that I could smell his cologne, something dark and expensive.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"No," I lied.

"Liar," he said, but he was smiling. "Morrison is a tough man. He'll try to intimidate you. Don't let him."

"Why would he try to intimidate me? I'm just your assistant."

"Because you're a woman in a room full of men who think women are decoration," Lucas said. "Prove them wrong."

The drive took twenty minutes, and Lucas spent most of it on his phone, typing emails and answering calls.

I watched the city pass by, thinking about my past life, about how I used to be so scared of everything.

Now I was sitting next to one of the most powerful men in the city, about to walk into a business meeting.

If my old self could see me now, she wouldn't believe it.

When we arrived at the hotel, Lucas got out first and offered me his hand.

I took it, his palm warm and rough against mine, and stepped out like I belonged here.

Inside the hotel restaurant, Morrison was already waiting at a private table in the back.

He was older, maybe sixty, with gray hair and cold eyes that looked me up and down like I was dirt.

"Black," he said, standing to shake Lucas's hand. "Who's this?"

"My assistant, Eva Lancaster," Lucas said smoothly. "She'll be taking notes tonight."

Morrison's eyes narrowed. "Lancaster? As in Richard Lancaster's daughter?"

"Yes," I said before Lucas could answer. "Is that a problem?"

Morrison laughed, but it wasn't a nice sound. "No problem at all. Just surprised to see a spoiled heiress working for anyone."

I smiled sweetly. "Surprising people is my new hobby, Mr. Morrison. You should get used to it."

Lucas's hand touched my back briefly, a silent message to sit down and stop talking.

We sat, and the meeting began, Morrison's lawyers pulling out contracts and documents that made my head spin.

But I listened to every word, writing down everything I could understand and marking things I needed to ask Lucas later.

Morrison kept looking at me like he was waiting for me to make a mistake or get bored and leave.

I didn't give him the satisfaction.

"The terms are non-negotiable," Morrison said after an hour of back and forth. "Take it or leave it, Black."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, completely calm. "Then I'll leave it. Have a good evening, Morrison."

He stood up, and I quickly gathered my things, following his lead.

Morrison's face turned red. "You're walking away from a fifty million dollar deal over five percent?"

"I'm walking away from a bad deal," Lucas said. "Something you should have learned by now, Morrison."

We walked out, and I could feel Morrison's anger burning holes in my back.

Outside, Lucas's driver was already waiting with the car.

"Did you just blow up a fifty million dollar deal?" I asked once we were inside.

"Yes," Lucas said calmly. "Morrison will call tomorrow and accept my terms. He always does."

"How do you know?"

"Because he needs this deal more than I do," Lucas said. "And he knows it. That's the first rule of business, Eva."

"What's the first rule?"

He looked at me, his eyes dark and intense. "Never let them see you need anything. Even if you're dying inside."

I thought about that, about how I used to beg Julian to love me, to notice me, to stay faithful.

I showed him everything I needed, and he used it to destroy me.

"I understand," I said quietly.

Lucas studied my face for a long moment. "Yes. I think you finally do."

The car pulled up in front of my house, but Lucas didn't let me get out right away.

"You did well tonight," he said. "Tomorrow will be harder. Be ready."

"I'm always ready now," I said.

"We'll see," he said, and there was something in his voice that made my stomach flip.

I got out and watched his car drive away, feeling like I'd just stepped into a world I couldn't escape.

But the truth was, I didn't want to escape.

I wanted to burn everything down and build something new from the ashes.

And Lucas Black was going to help me do it, whether he knew it or not.