Chapter 10

Lilith’s POV

After the guard’s footsteps faded down the hallway, I stood there for several seconds, unable to move.

My heart kept pounding in a frantic rhythm that didn’t match the stillness of the corridor. My hands trembled as I smoothed the front of my dress, trying to steady myself, but nothing inside me felt steady.

I already knew this wasn’t over. Lucian had left us in the middle of an interrogation, and now I was expected to walk right into whatever came next.

The hallway felt colder than usual as I forced myself forward. I had taken no more than a few steps when I saw Sophie approaching from the opposite direction.

Her expression softened immediately when she saw me, though a crease of concern stayed between her brows. She reached for my arm gently, her fingers curling around it as she gave me a scolding look.

“I should be home, Lilith. My boss needs to forward a document to him,”

A weak smile tugged at my lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t get to spend time with you today.”

Her expression warmed just a little. “We’ll fix that. We have a lot to talk about.”

The way she said it made something tighten in my chest, but before I could respond, she stepped back and gave my arm a light squeeze. “I’ll see you later. Just… be careful.”

I watched her walk away, wishing I could follow her instead of going where I was being called.

But I turned back toward the long corridor leading to Lucian’s office.

No one waited beside the door. It was just an empty corridor and a single destination that made my stomach twist with dread.

I forced myself to walk, each step heavier than the last. My hand rose toward the handle, but inches before I touched it, the sound of voices inside made me freeze.

Lucian wasn’t speaking casually or calmly. His tone was low and sharp, laced with something colder than rage. The kind of anger that made my skin prickle.

“Sono andato in Grecia per sapere se erano loro,” ( I went to Greece to know if they were the ones.) he said.

I held my breath.

“…ma non lo sapevano. Chiunque abbia tirato quella corda… è stato molto attento.” (But they didn’t know. Whoever pulled that string was very careful.)

I leaned closer without meaning to, the words slipping under the door almost like they were meant for me alone.

“Come osano toccare la mia spedizione?” (How dare they touch my shipment?)

There was a pause, followed by Enzo’s tense voice. “We can’t link Damien to this, boss.”

My heartbeat stuttered.

Lucian responded after a short silence filled with palpable fury. “No. Not yet. But he better not be involved. Non mi fido di lui.”( I don’t trust him.)

My breath caught painfully in my chest.

“Greece was supposed to give me answers,” Lucian continued. “It gave me nothing. Nothing but questions.”

The room fell silent for a moment, and I felt the weight of that silence like a presence standing beside me.

The mention of Damien’s name sent a shiver through me, not only because of what happened between us but because Lucian’s suspicion was growing clearer and sharper by the second.

Damien wasn’t just a forbidden memory anymore. He was a potential threat in Lucian’s eyes.

Before I could move away, the door opened. One of Lucian’s men stood there, and his expression tightened when he saw me standing close enough to have overheard everything.

“Mrs. Verona,” he said gently. “You can go in.”

I nodded, though cold dread swept through me. I stepped inside with careful, even breaths. Enzo stood near Lucian’s desk, looking tense. Lucian didn’t look at me right away; he was finishing a quiet order.

“Find the loophole. I want answers,” he said.

Enzo nodded quickly and left. The guards followed. Once the door shut behind them, the room felt smaller, heavier. Lucian finally turned to me, and his expression was unreadable.

He walked to the chair and sat, his gaze dragging slowly over my face as he patted his thigh, a silent command.

“Come here.”

I hesitated for only a second before stepping forward. When I didn’t move fast enough, his hand shot out, fingers closing around my wrist as he pulled me down onto his lap. The grip was firm, controlling, but not bruising. His hand moved up to my throat, thumb resting lightly at the center. It wasn’t enough to choke. Just enough to command.

“Why did you need fresh air?” he asked softly. “Was I suffocating you?”

My breath caught. “No. I just… needed a moment.”

“Did I allow you a moment?” His voice stayed quiet, but the pressure of his thumb increased slightly. “Who told you you could leave without informing me?”

I forced myself not to look away. “No one. I just left.”

He studied me for several seconds, long enough that my pulse began to race again. His hand drifted from my throat to the side of my jaw, holding it in a way that made me feel small and exposed.

“My brother is here,” he said. “My crazy brother. The last thing I need is for you to become a weakness in my house.”

The words cut deeper than if he had shouted. He didn’t see me as a partner or someone he trusted. I was a liability.

“I can’t have weaknesses around me,” he continued. His thumb stroked the edge of my jaw once, too gentle to be comforting. “So don’t be one.”

I swallowed hard, unable to respond. His hand moved down to my thigh, his fingers brushing once against the fabric. Not sexual. Not even affectionate. It was the same possessive gesture he used to make on his weapons, the ones he wanted to remind the world were his.

“I’ll increase your security,” he said. “My men will keep you safe.”

Safe. The word sounded like a cage closing.

Before I could speak, Lucian’s phone vibrated on the table beside him. The screen lit up, and the moment he saw the name, his entire expression changed. His jaw tightened sharply.

A vein appeared along his neck, pulsing hard. His fingers flexed once on my thigh, then he pushed me off his lap in a sudden movement that made me catch myself on the arm of the chair.

“Get out,” he snapped.

I didn’t wait. I stood quickly, nodding, and hurried to the door before he changed his mind. The moment the door closed behind me, I felt a shiver run through my body, like my bones had only just realized how tightly I had been holding myself together.

I moved quickly down the hallway, wanting nothing more than to reach my room and shut myself inside, even if only for a moment. My breath shook each time I exhaled. My hands still felt faintly unsteady.

Halfway down the hall, something small flashed at the corner of my vision.

I stopped.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to the decorative molding above the doorway. A tiny red blink shimmered once, faint but unmistakably alive.

I narrowed my eyes and looked closer. A small camera was embedded into the carved wood. Smaller than the estate’s usual ones. This was new and small. And absolutely not part of the old system.

Another soft blink pulsed, steady and slow.

My chest tightened painfully as fear swept over me.

This wasn’t Lucian’s style.

This wasn’t part of the estate’s network.

This was something else entirely.

Someone was watching.

Someone Lucian didn’t know about.

Someone was

watching him.

The red light blinked again, like an eye opening.