جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 15

Lucian didn’t take her home.That realization settled slowly, unease curling in her stomach as familiar streets gave way to quieter ones. The city thinned out, buildings taller, darker, more imposing.“Where are we going?” she asked.“Somewhere safer,” he replied.“That’s vague.”“It’s intentional.”The car pulled into an underground garage, security lights flickering on as they passed. The doors shut behind them with a final, echoing thud.Sienna’s heart kicked up a notch.Lucian stepped out first, scanning the space before opening her door. His hand hovered near her back—not touching, but close enough to feel.“Stay beside me,” he said.She didn’t argue.They took an elevator up, the ascent silent except for the low hum of machinery. When the doors opened, Sienna stepped into a space that felt less like an apartment and more like a fortress—sleek, controlled, impersonal.“This is where you live?” she asked.“One of the places,” he said.Of course it was.Lucian locked the door behin

Lucian took her somewhere public on purpose.A café near the financial district—busy, polished, expensive. The kind of place where no one lingered too long and everyone pretended not to see each other.“Isn’t this risky?” Sienna asked as they stepped inside.Lucian scanned the room before answering. “Risky is predictable. This is camouflage.”They sat near the window. Lucian positioned himself so he could see the entrance, the street, and her—all at once.“You really don’t miss much,” she murmured.“It keeps me alive.”A waiter approached. Lucian ordered without looking at the menu. Sienna noticed how easily he commanded attention—how people responded without question.“Does everyone around you just… comply?” she asked.“No,” he said calmly. “Only the ones who understand power.”She frowned. “And the ones who don’t?”Lucian’s gaze flicked to the window. “They learn.”Her phone buzzed.Unknown number.Her heart skipped. “Lucian.”“I know,” he said quietly. “Don’t answer.”The phone buz

The car didn’t move for a long moment after Lucian pulled over.The engine idled softly, a low hum that filled the silence between them. Outside, the street was empty—just a stretch of asphalt under flickering streetlights, the city distant and indifferent.Sienna stared at her hands in her lap, fingers clenched so tightly her knuckles ached. Elias’s voice echoed in her mind, smooth and certain.Power always demands payment.“What didn’t you tell me?” she asked at last.Lucian didn’t answer immediately. His hands rested on the steering wheel, steady, controlled, but she could see the tension in the way his jaw was set. He looked like a man calculating risk in real time—and hating the variables he couldn’t remove.“More than I wanted you to know this soon,” he said finally.Her throat tightened. “That’s not an answer.”He turned to face her then, fully. The streetlight caught the sharp lines of his face, the shadows beneath his eyes. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked… t