جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

LUCIANWhen she walked out of my office on Tuesday—after she’d asked, no, boldly demanded that I attend the fundraising event—I’d been left with a quiet, satisfying sense of victory since that day. I had the upper hand and she knows it.When my PA buzzed in to let me know a Corinne Sterling had called, the first thing I felt like surprise.She’d already declined the appointment already and instead of focusing back on the thousand and one things I had going on, I gave it just ten seconds of thought.“Tell her to be here in an hour’s time,” I said.There was a pause on the other end of the intercom. “Sir,” my PA said carefully, “you have a meeting scheduled with the board of directors in an hour’s time.”“Reschedule it for tomorrow.”She hesitated, just long enough for the unspoken question to hang in the air. She’d been working for me long enough to know better than to voice it.“Yes, sir.”I rolled my shoulders and reached for my coffee, only to find the cup empty. Again.“Fuck…”Curio

LUCIANShe is pissed. At me.And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t entertaining.Pushing her buttons, watching that tight line form between her brows and the way her jaw set every time was far more engaging than the situation I was currently trapped in.“…so I managed to secure a million-dollar deal with a private investment firm out of Cobalt, even though my advisors said it wasn’t advisable to move that fast,” the bald man beside me continued, clearly proud of himself. “But I told them you don’t get anywhere playing it safe. Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts and take the leap, especially in this market.”His wife nodded aggressively, eyes wide like she was auditioning for supportive spouse of the year. “Oh, he barely slept for weeks.” She added. “I kept telling him to consider his health but when he sets his mind to something, there’s no stopping him.”“There never is,” the man said with a laugh, lifting his glass.“Of course,” I said, already tuning them out. “Risk is u

12 hours agoLUCIAN“I fucking hate you,” the words dragged behind one another like they weighed too much for her mouth to carry. “All you… rich… assh—” She stopped, frowned like the syllables had wandered off on her, then continued. “—assholes. Every. Single. One of you.”The insult lost momentum halfway through. So did she.She swayed forward and her forehead bumped against my chest, like she’d forgotten what she was in the middle of doing. Her slacked hand stayed fisted in my jacket, fingers barely holding on.I glanced down at it. Then at her face.“I’m going to count to three,” I said, not really sure if she could even hear my voice. “Get off me.”There was no response. Instead, she sank further, her knees giving way as if my chest had been the only thing keeping her upright to begin with. I caught her automatically, my arm wrapping around her waist before she could slide to the ground. Her head tipped to the side, coming to rest against my shoulder, breath warm and choppy against

LUCIAN“I need you,” she whispered.Absolutely not.But I found myself asking instead. “What are you talking about.”She shook her head again and again, like she was trying to shake the thought loose as mascara dragged in uneven black trails down her cheeks. “I didn’t do it,” she said thickly. “I swear… I swear I didn’t.”This is the second time she’s saying the same thing this night and I’m more confused than ever.“You’re not making any sense here. Didn’t do what?”She opened her mouth, closed it, then hiccupped softly. “It’s… it was…” Her hand lifted and fell uselessly in the air. “I didn’t… it wasn’t me.”“That’s not an answer,” I said.“It was Nathan,” she slurred, the name stretching awkwardly on her tongue. “Him. He said he’d… he’d make it bad.” She frowned at the floor. “He’s the bad one.”Nathan.Her ex-fiancé.I let out a sigh, completely tired of chasing meaning through half-formed sentences. A few hours ago, I would’ve wanted everything—the truth, the reasons, the explanati

CORINNECity streets blurred past and cab lights reflected off the windows, but I haven’t been able to stop laughing the entire drive back to my apartment. The paper bag containing his shirt and that ridiculous file was tightly clutched in my hand even when my mind was completely tangled in him—Lucian Delacroix.I had barely pulled his shirt off me, ready to storm out of his house like a sensible adult, when he’d glanced at the fabric and said, “Take the trash with you.”I snorted so hard at the memory that the cab driver shot me a concerned look again, like maybe I’d lost my mind. I didn’t even have the decency to apologize. Why would I? Amongst everything else… nothing about today—or last night—made sense.Did I actually say something when I was drunk that gave my identity away?Was he the one who’d changed me out of my dress?Why did the memory of his hands on me still make my skin prickle?Why…why the fuck is the mere thought of him making me feel all hot and bothered when he’s my