Chapter 4

Lucien's POV

The putter struck the ball.

It was a perfect stroke, calculated and cold.

The ball rolled smoothly across the manicured green, tracing a line of absolute certainty before dropping cleanly into the hole.

"Excellent shot, Mr. Drakon."

I handed the club back to my caddie without taking my eyes off the course, without breaking my stride.

My expression didn't change.

It never did.

Then, my phone vibrated.

A single, sharp buzz against my thigh.

Very few people had this number.

Fewer still dared to use it.

The world knew better than to interrupt me.

I slipped the device from my pocket and glanced at the screen.

Edward Ashford.

The name hit me like a physical blow, stopping my heart for a fraction of a second.

The last time we'd spoken...

Was four years ago.

Four years of silence.

Four years of waiting.

Four years of watching from the shadows while she lived a life that didn't include me.

I answered immediately.

"Edward."

A quiet breath came from the other end, heavy with emotion, with relief, with something that sounded like desperation.

"She agreed to marry you."

Time stopped.

Everything around me seemed to fade into nothingness.

The breeze rustling the trees.

The voices of my staff in the distance.

The distant chirping of birds.

The green of the golf course.

The empire I had built.

For one impossible moment...

There was only silence.

And her name, echoing in my mind like a prayer I had never stopped saying.

"What did you say?"

My voice was low, dangerous, trembling with a restraint I barely possessed.

"You heard me correctly, Lucien."

Edward's voice carried a quiet relief, but also a deep, underlying sadness that I chose to ignore.

"Selene agreed to become your bride."

I closed my eyes briefly.

Four years.

After four long years of restraint...

Four years of watching her from afar, of ensuring her safety without her knowledge, of building a life that might one day be worthy of her...

She had finally chosen to come to me.

Or perhaps...

She was running from something.

The thought darkened my mood instantly, a storm cloud passing over my soul.

But it didn't matter.

Not anymore.

Whatever reason had brought her to this moment, whatever pain had driven her to this choice, it was irrelevant.

She was coming to me.

"Alright. Thank you."

My voice was calm, steady, betraying nothing of the chaos roaring inside me.

The call ended.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and looked down at the golf ball resting on the grass, so close to the hole.

One more shot.

A perfect finish to a perfect game.

I drew the club back.

Stopped.

A slow breath escaped me, ragged and uncontrolled.

No.

Not today.

Not when the woman I had waited four years for was finally within my reach.

Not when every second felt like an eternity I couldn't afford to waste.

"Cassian."

"Sir."

My head of security appeared at my side instantly, silent as a shadow.

"Prepare the convoy."

He gave a single nod, his eyes sharp, understanding the urgency in my tone without needing explanation.

He walked away without another question.

Within minutes, engines rumble to life in the distance, a low, predatory growl that vibrated through the ground.

Security moved with practiced precision, clearing the course, securing the perimeter, transforming a leisurely afternoon into a tactical operation.

The rest of the afternoon disappeared from my schedule without discussion.

Meetings were cancelled.

Calls were diverted.

The world could wait.

An attendant hurried toward me, carrying a garment bag, his face pale with anxiety.

"Your suit, Mr. Drakon. We prepared it for the gala tonight, but—"

I glanced at it before shaking my head, my eyes cold.

"No."

He hesitated, clutching the bag tighter.

"But, sir... the event..."

"I've already wasted enough time."

My voice was a whisper, but it carried the weight of a command that could crush nations.

The convoy pulled away from the golf course, a procession of black steel and power that cut through the countryside like a knife.

I rested against the leather seat, watching the road stretch endlessly ahead, the scenery blurring into a meaningless streak of color.

My thoughts drifted back...

Four years.

The first time I saw Selene...

It was at a graduation ceremony.

I had been invited to deliver a motivational speech.

Just another event.

Another audience.

Another stage.

I had done hundreds of them.

I had spoken to kings, presidents, and criminals.

None of it mattered.

Then I saw her.

She stood among hundreds of graduates, laughing with the people around her, her head thrown back, her joy radiating like sunlight.

She wasn't trying to be noticed.

She wasn't seeking attention.

Yet...

She was the only person I could see.

The world could have been burning around us, and I would have only seen her.

I watched her walk across the stage with quiet confidence, her steps sure, her head high.

I watched the pride in her smile as she accepted her certificate, a moment of triumph that should have been hers alone.

I watched the way she searched the crowd until her eyes found her family, her face lighting up with pure, unfiltered love.

Then she smiled.

A real smile.

One that reached her eyes, crinkling the corners, bright and warm and devastatingly beautiful.

I don't remember another word of the speech I gave that day.

I don't remember the applause.

I don't remember the handshake with the dean.

I only remembered her.

When the ceremony ended...

I left.

I didn't know her name.

I didn't know where she came from.

I knew nothing about her.

Only that I wanted to know more.

Only that I had to have her.

Weeks later...

I learned she was Edward Ashford's daughter.

Months later...

I arranged a meeting with him.

I didn't ask for an answer.

I didn't demand anything.

I only asked for an opportunity.

A chance to meet her.

A chance for her to know the man asking for her heart, to know that I would spend every breath I had making her happy.

Instead...

She misunderstood.

She believed her father was trying to trade her future for another business alliance.

She refused before I ever had the chance to introduce myself.

She refused without ever knowing me.

Edward apologized, his face filled with regret.

I told him not to.

How could I blame her?

She had refused to marry a stranger.

She had protected herself.

I would have admired her less if she hadn't.

Her strength, her independence, her refusal to be sold... it only made me love her more.

So...

I waited.

Not because waiting was easy.

Not because I didn't want to tear the world apart to get to her.

But because she deserved the freedom to choose.

She deserved a love that didn't force her hand.

She deserved a man who would wait until she was ready.

I buried myself in work.

Expanded my businesses.

Built an empire that spanned continents.

I became a man who could protect her, who could give her everything she deserved.

The years passed.

But not a single day went by without her crossing my mind.

Not a single moment where I didn't wonder about her.

I often wondered where life had taken her.

Whether she had found the happiness she was searching for.

Whether the smile I had seen that day still reached her eyes.

Whether she was safe.

Whether she was loved.

And now...

She was coming to me.

I didn't know what had changed.

I didn't know what had happened to make her say yes.

I didn't know what pain she was running from, or what darkness had driven her to this choice.

But whatever reason had made her say yes...

I was grateful for it.

Because this time...

I intended to spend the rest of my life proving she had made the right choice.

I intended to show her what real love looked like.

I intended to make her forget every moment of pain she had ever experienced.

The convoy slowed.

My gaze lifted from the window, the dark thoughts vanishing instantly.

Beyond the gates stood Blackwood Territory.

A place I had avoided for years, a place that held the man who had what I wanted, a place that had kept her from me.

I looked ahead, my heartbeat quieter than it had been in years, yet heavier with anticipation, with possession, with a need so deep it terrified me.

Four years ago...

I had watched her walk away without ever knowing me.

I had watched her choose someone else, someone who didn't deserve her, someone who couldn't see her worth.

Today...

I was going to bring my bride home,and make her completely mine

And no one, not Kieran Blackwood, not the world, not even fate itself, was going to stop me.