Touching Herself

“The contract has been fully signed, sir,” Ava said as she and Lucian stepped out of the meeting room.

“Good,” he replied curtly, buttoning his suit jacket. Ava tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, stealing a glance at him before walking alongside in silence.

“Lucian,” a voice called from behind them.

Lucian turned, and Ava immediately stopped as well. He glanced her way. “Go on ahead, Ava.”

She nodded and disappeared down the corridor.

A man in a white and blue suit strode toward Lucian, his expression sharp.

“You look well, Lewis,” Lucian said calmly, though the tension between them was palpable.

Lewis scoffed. “You’re overstepping, Romano. That contract was supposed to be mine.”

Lucian smiled faintly. “Then perhaps you should have worked harder for it.”

“I was chasing it for months. You’ve had it for three weeks.”

“People prefer winners,” Lucian said simply. “They trust I’ll deliver.”

Lewis clenched his fists. “Stay away from what I’m after, Lucian.”

“I don’t chase, Lewis. I acquire. If something was meant to be mine, then I’ll have it.”

Lewis stepped closer. “Maybe you should just leave the country before I ruin you — in business and everything else.”

Lucian’s smirk didn’t fade. “You’ve tried that before. Didn’t end well, did it?”

“You think you’re untouchable,” Lewis spat. “But I’ll find your weakness, and when I do, I’ll take it from you. I’ll wipe that arrogant smile off your face.”

“My happiness lies in my success,” Lucian replied coolly. “You can’t touch that. Threaten me again, though, and I may decide to touch something of yours.”

Lewis glared at him but said nothing more. After a tense pause, he turned sharply and left.

Lucian pulled out his phone, dialing a number. “Have you delivered the goods?”

“Yes, sir,” came the voice on the other end. “All done.”

Lucian ended the call, his jaw tightening in thought.

---

Meanwhile, Aurelia lay curled under her sheets, doing her best to keep her mind busy — and away from thoughts of Lucian.

She’d gone for a jog, explored more of the mansion, even browsed online job listings. Nothing worked.

Her thoughts kept circling back — to him, to Charles, and to everything that had happened since her world turned upside down.

She had met Charles in college — sweet, predictable, safe Marcus. They’d dated for nearly three years, and though it had once felt real, lately it had become routine. And now, it was officially over.

Aurelia picked up her phone, only to realize Charles had blocked her on every platform. That was that.

She buried her face in a pillow, exhaling hard.

But soon enough, her thoughts betrayed her. Lucian’s voice echoed in her mind — low, commanding, intoxicating.

Her heartbeat quickened, and she pressed the pillow tighter against her chest, trying to silence her thoughts.

“What is wrong with me?” she whispered.

The sound of her phone vibrating startled her back to reality. She grabbed it quickly — Aurora was calling.

“Hey, Aurelia! You didn’t tell me how Charles’s birthday went. Did you finally do it?”

“No,” Aurelia sighed. “We broke up last night. He ended things.”

“What?! That jerk. I told you to dump him first!”

“Maybe you were right,” Aurelia admitted softly. “Maybe we were never meant to be.”

Aurora’s tone softened. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?”

“I’m fine. Honestly, it doesn’t hurt as much as I expected.”

“But something else happened last night,” Aurelia hesitated.

Aurora gasped. “Don’t tell me you—what did you do?!”

“I was drunk,” Aurelia blurted. “Really drunk… and I think I said and did things I shouldn’t have. With Lucian.”

Aurora squealed into the phone. “Oh my god, you didn’t—”

“No! Nothing like that,” Aurelia interrupted quickly. “But he… touched me. And I didn’t stop him.”

Aurora’s voice dropped to a dramatic whisper. “And?”

“And I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Aurelia confessed. “Because part of me… liked it.”

Aurora chuckled. “Aurelia, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. He’s single, you’re single—”

“No,” Aurelia said firmly. “He’s not someone I want. He’s arrogant, unpredictable. And whatever that was… it can’t happen again.”

Aurora sighed. “Fine, fine. But if I were you, I wouldn’t say no to a man like Lucian Romano.”

Aurelia rolled her eyes. “Why am I even telling you this? You’re impossible.”

Aurora laughed. “That’s why you love me. Anyway, I’ve got to go. Call me later!”

The line went dead, and Aurelia sat staring at the ceiling again, her heart still unsteady.

She rubbed her temples and muttered to herself, “I need to find something — anything — to keep busy.”