Ch5 - Warning

Rosalie's POV

The second floor felt completely different from downstairs.

The bright, open vibe was gone. Most of the windows were covered, and even with the lights on, the whole place felt dark… almost creepy.

Lucian was sitting in a leather armchair in the center, legs crossed, casually wiping down something long in his hands. The metal caught the overhead light—and my heart dropped.

A gun.

He didn’t ask me to sit. Just flicked his gaze toward me lazily.

That one look was enough to send a chill straight down my spine.

“I don’t think you understand why we arranged this marriage,” he said. “I don’t appreciate your attitude. I hope you actually read that agreement before marrying in.”

“What… agreement?”

His hand paused mid-motion. He looked up at me. “Don’t tell me you know nothing about it.”

I’d been shoved into this marriage last minute. All my mother told me was that Lucian hated people bringing up his dead parents. That was it. No one told me anything else.

Now, standing in front of him, saying I didn’t know would only make things worse. To him, it would just sound like I didn’t take this seriously.

So I said the only thing I did know. “I know you got married because your grandparents wanted you to.”

His tone remained cold, unyielding. “Clearly, that’s all you know. I picked your family because some of my businesses could benefit yours. In return, your family sends me a wife who knows how to behave.”

“I held up my end. And yet, your family hasn’t.”

The way he said it… this whole marriage was just a transaction.

And me just another item put on display.

I lowered my head, gripping my arm tightly, but it didn’t calm the tension inside me at all. “I’m sorry… If there’s anything I should know, please tell me. I’ll remember.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

“First,” Lucian said, “you are not to come to the second floor without my permission.”

With a sharp metallic clack, he set the gun down on the table harder than necessary.

It wasn’t subtle. It was a warning.

I bit down on my lip.

“Second, I don’t like people getting too close to me.”

“Third, I don’t care where you go or what you do. But don’t forget—you’re Mrs. Ravenscroft.”

I knew exactly what he meant.

Everything he’d heard about “me” was actually about Vanessa. To outsiders, the Whitmore family’s daughter had always been spoiled and difficult.

He thought all of that was me.

But I couldn’t explain.

If I did, the whole “switched bride” thing would come out—and with his temper, who knows what he’d do. He might bring my family down.

I swallowed hard. “I understand.”

After I spoke, he didn’t respond for a while.

I took a breath and looked up—only to meet his icy blue eyes sweeping over me. The scar at his brow pressed down slightly, and my heart skipped.

“I’ll leave now.”

Not wanting to wait for the elevator even a second longer, I turned and headed straight for the stairs.

Behind me, the faint sound of cloth brushing against metal started up again.

The silence in that space was so heavy it felt suffocating. I even tried to make my footsteps quieter without realizing it.

It was just one flight of stairs, but it felt like forever.

By the time I got back to the first floor, I still didn’t dare relax. Mrs. Ford came over and led me to my room.

“Are you alright?” she asked, probably noticing how tense I looked.

“I’m fine.”

She didn’t say much. Just draped a shawl over my shoulders, then went to the pantry and came back with a warm drink, setting it on the coffee table in my room.

“It’s chamomile tea. It’ll help you sleep.”

I held the cup in my hands. The light scent helped calm me a little.

While she was still there, I couldn’t help asking, “Is he always… that scary?”

“Him?” Mrs. Ford paused, then smiled. “Mr. Ravenscroft may look cold, but he’s actually a very good person—especially to those of us who’ve worked for him a long time.”

I couldn’t match that description with the man I’d just seen.

She was probably just trying to say something nice for him.

If Vanessa had known all this beforehand… would she still have been so eager to marry into this family?

Before going to bed, I sent my mom, Helen, a text. I wanted to say I miss you, but in the end, I changed it to: “Is everything okay?”

She replied, “She’s fine. Just needs some time to calm down.”

Not exactly what I was hoping to hear.

I turned off my screen. That night, I slept in this huge, beautifully decorated room… and slept not well.

I woke up at six in the morning.

After washing up, I cleaned up my desk a bit and placed a photo on it. It was a picture of me and Diane—my adoptive mom. We were both smiling the same way. Before my biological parents found me, no one had ever doubted we were actually mother and daughter.

Now I technically had two moms.

But neither of them really felt like mine.

(Knock) 

“Ma'am, are you awake? Mr. Ravenscroft is looking for you.”

“I’m coming.”

I glanced down at my robe before stepping out, then turned back into the walk-in closet and changed into proper clothes before heading downstairs.

Lucian had already finished most of his breakfast. When he saw me, he set his fork down, wiped his mouth, and slid an iPad across the table toward me.

“Zack will send you a file later. Read it today. Memorize it. Don’t screw up when you meet my grandparents tomorrow.”

Same cold tone as always.

After he left, I walked over and picked up the iPad, swiping to unlock it. A message from Zack popped up.

Zack: “Spent all night coming up with this. I guarantee the old Mr. and Mrs. Ravenscroft won’t spot a single flaw.”

I opened the file.

It was packed with text.

The first line read:

“We met last winter in London. I accidentally spilled coffee on him, so I took him out to dinner to apologize. After that, we slowly got closer…”

A cliche meet-cute straight out of some rom-com.

Honestly, I was pretty sure Lucian hadn’t even read this yet. Otherwise, there’s no way he could’ve kept that straight-faced, dead-serious expression earlier.

Halfway through the document, something caught my eye.

A Q&A section.

Q: Who made the first move?

A: I did. It was love at first sight.

I stared at that line for a few seconds.

Q: What do you like about him?

A: He’s very caring. Reliable.

Q: Why did you decide to get married?

A: My parents were going to arrange another marriage for me. When he found out, he proposed.

Every detail was carefully crafted.

All of it just to make it look like this wasn’t some emotionless arranged marriage—but a natural love story.

Something believable enough to fool Lucian’s grandparents.

“Do you like avocado? And how do you want your eggs? Any food allergies?”

Mrs. Ford’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Avocado’s fine, just not too much. Fried eggs. No allergies, thanks.”

“Of course.” She smiled and pulled out a chair for me. “Your breakfast will be ready shortly.”

I didn’t go out at all day.

By the time evening rolled around, I’d gone through all three pages and memorized everything. At this point, I could recite everything about Lucian—his habits, his preferences—like it was second nature.

What surprised me the most, though…

The year he lost his parents—he was the same age I am now.

And he’d already taken over the family.

At just twenty-three, he’d built a reputation like that.

No wonder he always kept people at arm’s length.

No wonder he didn’t trust anyone.