A Humiliation to Remember

First-Person POV (Celeste)

---

The ballroom was a symphony of glittering chandeliers, champagne flutes, and designer gowns worth more than most people’s mortgages. But all I could feel was the weight of their eyes.

Every socialite, every investor, every over-polished woman in sequins who wanted to be me or tear me apart was watching. Waiting. Like they could smell weakness.

And apparently, tonight, I was wearing it like a perfume.

I tightened my grip on my glass of sparkling water, feeling the chilled condensation trail between my fingers. My dress a sleek, emerald silk gown that clung like it had been stitched onto my body did nothing to shield me from the judgment simmering in the air. My father’s business empire was collapsing, our company stock dropping faster than champagne bubbles in a storm. I wasn’t here as a guest; I was here as a pawn.

“Celeste, darling!”

I turned and forced a polite smile. My mother’s voice carried that perfect blend of Southern sweetness and sharp steel, slicing through the noise. She glided toward me in a floor-length gown, diamonds sparkling at her throat. My mother was the kind of woman who smiled like the world was her stage and she was always playing to an audience.

“Smile wider,” she whispered as she leaned in to kiss my cheek. “He’s here.”

I didn’t have to ask who “he” was.

I felt him before I saw him, like a shift in atmospheric pressure.

Lucian Kane.

The billionaire who made other billionaires nervous. The man whose empire of luxury hotels and tech investments had its claws in half of Manhattan. And the one man who’d humiliated me three years ago at a charity gala in front of this same crowd.

He hadn’t even looked at me that night when he’d made the deal that crushed my father’s company. He’d just signed the papers and destroyed us with a pen stroke. The rumors were that he’d offered a partnership, a lifeline, and my father had refused. Pride. Stupidity. Whatever the reason, Lucian Kane had gutted us without mercy.

And now he was here.

My pulse skittered as my gaze swept the ballroom. He stood near the entrance, dark and dangerous in a perfectly tailored black tux. His sharp jawline caught the golden light, his broad shoulders filling out the expensive suit like he’d been born in it. His expression was unreadable, but his storm-gray eyes were locked on me.

My stomach twisted.

Lucian Kane was the kind of man who didn’t just own the room he owned the entire building. And probably the city block surrounding it. Conversations hushed as he moved closer, a predator among prey, the kind of man people instinctively stepped aside for.

“Darling, remember,” my mother hissed under her breath, “he’s not the enemy tonight. He’s a solution.”

A solution. That’s what my life had come to viewing the man who ruined us as my only chance at survival.

I plastered on a smile as he approached.

“Miss Hale,” he said, his voice smooth, deep, with just enough of a rasp to make it dangerous.

“Mr. Kane.” I dipped my head in a polite nod, praying he couldn’t hear the pounding of my heart.

“Lucian,” he corrected softly, his gaze steady. “I don’t think we need formalities between us.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m not sure we need anything between us.”

The corner of his mouth curved, not quite a smile. “I disagree.”

I hated that his voice slid under my skin like warm honey. I hated that he smelled faintly of cedarwood and something darker. And I hated that every woman in this room would probably kill to be standing where I was.

He offered his arm. “Walk with me.”

I hesitated. My mother’s hand pressed lightly to my back, urging me forward. I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm, and his warmth radiated through the fine fabric of his jacket. He led me through the glittering crowd, people watching us like a live drama unfolding.

We stepped onto a balcony overlooking Manhattan’s skyline, the cool night air hitting my bare shoulders.

“Still hate me, Celeste?” His voice was calm, unreadable.

I forced myself to meet his gaze. “Hate’s a strong word.”

“Then use a stronger one,” he said, his tone low, almost amused.

I blinked. “Why am I here, Lucian?”

“You’re here,” he said smoothly, “because you need me.”

I bristled. “You think that because my family’s company is in trouble, I’d grovel for help from the man who destroyed us?”

His eyes darkened, storm clouds brewing. “I didn’t destroy your family, Celeste. Your father’s arrogance did that.”

I flinched. “You”

“Don’t waste your breath blaming me for his mistakes. We both know why you’re here.” He took a step closer, his voice dropping. “You’re drowning. I can save you.”

I crossed my arms, holding my chin high. “And what’s the price of your mercy?”

He smiled slowly, like a wolf that had cornered its prey. “Marry me.”

My breath caught. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

The city lights flickered behind him, a kaleidoscope of color against his sharp features.

“This isn’t a joke, Lucian.”

“I don’t joke about business,” he said coolly. “This is mutually beneficial. You get protection for your family, stability, and your company back on its feet. I get…” He paused, his gaze flickering over me in a way that made my heart pound. “Something I need.”

“And what’s that?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

“An heir.”

I froze. “An heir?”

He leaned against the balcony railing, completely unfazed by my shock. “The board wants me married. They want a wife on my arm, a polished image. They’re whispering about succession. My enemies are circling like vultures. A wife solves everything. You solve everything.”

“I’m not a pawn in your empire,” I snapped.

“No,” he said softly, stepping closer, his presence overwhelming. “You’re a queen. Which is why I’m offering this to you.”

I blinked at him, stunned by his words, by his audacity.

“You don’t know me,” I managed.

“I know enough,” he murmured.

“Why me?”

“Because you hate me.”

The words hit me like a slap.

“Hate,” he continued, “is safer than love. You’ll never try to manipulate me with your heart. You’ll never expect me to bare my soul. You’ll play your part, take the money, save your family, and in a few years, we’ll quietly go our separate ways. Clean. Simple.”

He was terrifyingly logical, and I hated that a part of me was listening.

“Marry me, Celeste. Sign the papers. I’ll wire your family what they need, and no one will ever touch you again. You’ll be the wife of Lucian Kane. Untouchable.”

I stared at him, words failing me. The night wind tangled my hair, and I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold.

“And if I say no?”

His eyes hardened, steel replacing the storm. “Then I’ll buy your family’s company. Piece by piece. And I’ll let the sharks have their way with what’s left.”

The blood drained from my face.

He leaned in, close enough that I could feel his breath. “Think carefully, Celeste. This isn’t just business. This is survival.”

I hated him. I hated that he was right. And I hated that some reckless, masochistic part of me was intrigued by the challenge in his eyes.

“I…” My voice trembled. “I need time to think.”

He straightened, smoothing his cufflinks. “You have twenty-four hours.”

“Twenty-four hours?”

He turned toward the balcony door. “Say yes, and you save everything. Say no…” He looked over his shoulder, his expression utterly ruthless. “And I take everything.”

My chest tightened as he walked away, the scent of cedarwood lingering in the cold air.

---

I stayed out there for what felt like hours, my mind spinning.

Could I do this? Could I marry Lucian Kane the man who had ruined my family to save us?

A sharp voice cut through my thoughts.

“Celeste Hale.”

I turned, startled. A man I didn’t recognize stood at the edge of the balcony, his smile razor-sharp. He was tall, lean, his dark eyes glittering with something dangerous.

“You don’t know me,” he said smoothly, “but I know him. And if you marry Lucian Kane…”

He took a step closer, his smile widening.

“…yo

u won’t survive the year.”

---

 Celeste is left shaken by a stranger’s chilling warning about Lucian, just after he’s issued his ruthless ultimatum.