Chapter Seven

Lucien’s POV

"Lay one finger on my fiancée, and you're a dead man." My voice cut through the room like a blade. Every head snapped in my direction. The security guards froze, their faces draining of color before they hurriedly let go of her.

"We're sorry, sir," they stammered, lowering their heads.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." My gaze shifted to her. "Apologize to my lady." A wave of gasps swept through the boutique. Whispers erupted from every corner. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the change in her expression. Her eyes sparkled, as though my words had lit something inside her.

For reasons I couldn't explain, that look stirred something deep within me. I clenched my jaw and tore my gaze away.

"Oh, baby..." My head whipped back toward her.

Baby? My brows knitted together. That was the last thing I wanted her calling me. One act of kindness didn't mean I'd accepted her ridiculous proposal.

I shot her a warning look, but she ignored it completely. Instead, she turned to the woman who had accused her.

"They shouldn't be the only ones taking the blame." A smug smile curved her lips. "Miss Clarissa, do you have any proof that I stole those bangles?"

Clarissa let out a cold laugh, her eyes narrowing with contempt.

"You need proof?" she scoffed.

The air between them tightened like a rope ready to snap. One look was enough to tell me this wasn't their first encounter.

"Don't you think you owe me an apology too?" Evelyn asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Never, you…"

Before Clarissa could finish, the man standing behind her quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lucien. Please forgive my wife's behavior," he said, forcing a nervous smile.

"You're apologizing to the wrong person." Evelyn's calm voice cut through his words. A faint smile tugged at my lips. I loved her courage and determination.

"I... I'm sorry on her behalf," the man tried again, his voice unsteady.

"Not you, Vincent." Evelyn held his gaze without flinching. "She's the one who owes me an apology."

Her eyes settled on Clarissa over Vincent's shoulder. Vincent shut his eyes for a brief moment and clenched his jaw. The muscles in his face tightened as his grip on Clarissa's hand grew firmer. Interesting. There was clearly a story between these two. After a long, tense silence, Clarissa finally spoke.

"I'm... sorry." The words were barely louder than a whisper, dragged out as though each one tasted bitter. Evelyn didn't answer. Instead, she walked past them and stopped beside me. Slipping her hand through my arm, she looked up with a bright smile.

"Let's call it a day." I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what was going on inside that clever head of hers. In the end, I simply gave a small nod. I wanted to get her out of here anyway. More importantly, I needed to clear things with her.

My stepping in today didn't mean I'd agreed to her absurd deal. Just as we turned to leave, the MC, Mr. Mark, stepped forward.

"Please accept our apologies, Ma'am and Sir. We'll investigate the theft and make sure the gold bangles are returned," Mr. Mark said, his voice filled with concern.

I gave a brief nod before walking away, Evelyn's hand still looped around my arm. I should have been furious. Annoyed. Instead, I found myself distracted by the faint scent of fresh rain and lavender clinging to her. It settled over me, quieting the storm in my mind. The moment we climbed into the car, safely out of the media's sight, I turned to her, my face hard.

"Thank you." Her smile bloomed. Before I could react, she threw her arms around me. I stiffened.

Closing my eyes, I fought the urge to breathe her in. Every second she stayed this close made it harder to remember why I was supposed to be angry. She felt so small in my arms. Fragile. Instead of pushing her away, an unfamiliar urge to shield her crept into my chest. No. I couldn't let myself think like that.

"That's enough." The words came out rough, but they lacked the bite I intended. She slowly let go. The smile disappeared from her face, replaced by eyes so full of hurt they caught me off guard. For a moment, I couldn't speak. I looked away first. "What was the meaning of all that?" My voice came out colder than I felt.

"Remember our agreement. No drama."

I kept my eyes on her.

"After I stepped in to help you clean up the mess you caused, you took advantage of it and crossed the line more than once."

When I turned to face her, she wasn't even looking at me.

She stared silently out the window, her fingers twisting in her lap.

"Did you hear a word I just said?" She slowly turned toward me. The color had drained from her face, and there was a nervous flicker in her eyes.

"You're close to the Marks... aren't you?" she asked quietly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I frowned

"We need to return this."She reached into her purse and carefully pulled out a pair of gold bangles.

My breath caught. The same missing bangles. I stared at them, then at her.

"You're the thief?" The words escaped before I could stop them. "And what do you mean we?" I demanded, dragging a frustrated hand through my hair. "Don't drag me into this." She shook her head so quickly that a few strands of hair fell across her face.

"No. Just listen to me." Her voice trembled with urgency. "I swear I didn't steal them. Clarissa slipped them into my purse. I only realized it after she started accusing me." I let out a short, humorless laugh.

"That's your explanation? If you knew Clarissa framed you, why were you demanding an apology?" I shot back. "She could've insisted they search your purse right there. One search, and those bangles would've been found." I held her gaze, refusing to soften. "I'm not falling for the same act twice." Instead of panicking, the corners of her lips lifted into a small, knowing smile.

"I knew Vincent wouldn't want to get on your bad side," she said calmly. "He would've stopped Clarissa before she made things worse. It was all a mind game." I stared at her for a moment before letting out a slow breath. I'd underestimated the woman sitting beside me. Just as I opened my mouth to respond, my phone rang. Dad. I answered immediately.

"Come home. Now." His sharp voice left no room for questions. The line went dead.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and turned to Evelyn.

"I'll help you this one last time," I said. "After today, I never want to see you again." Her eyes widened. For a split second, fear flashed across her face.

"What about the media?" she asked quietly. "They've already seen us together." A tiny spark of hope lingered in her eyes, as though she was waiting for me to change my mind.

"I'll handle the media," I replied evenly. "If this damages your reputation, I'll make sure you're compensated." I kept my face blank, refusing to let her see the conflict brewing inside me.

"But listen carefully." I leaned closer, my voice turning ice-cold. "I don't want anything to do with you." I held her gaze until the hope in her eyes began to fade.

"If our paths cross again..." I paused. "I'll make you regret it.”