One Night with My Ex's Billionaire Best Friend のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

Lena takes me to lunch three days after the elevator incident.Not the cafeteria. An actual restaurant two blocks away where Blackwood Technologies employees don’t usually go.“Okay, spill,” she says the moment we sit down.“Spill what?”“Whatever’s going on with you and Lucian.” She holds up a hand before I can protest. “And don’t say nothing. I have eyes.”My stomach drops. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Really? Because the entire marketing floor noticed you’ve been avoiding the executive level. And then there was the elevator situation.” She leans forward. “Word is you two were trapped for forty-five minutes. You came out looking like you’d seen a ghost. He came out looking like he wanted to punch something.”“The power was out. It was uncomfortable.”“Uncomfortable.” Lena studies me. “That’s one word for it.”The waiter appears. We order. He leaves.“Lena, seriously, there’s nothing—”“I’m not judging.” Her voice softens. “I’m trying to help. Because whatever this is,

Sophia drags me to three boutiques before we find it.Midnight blue. Silk that flows like water. A neckline that’s elegant without being modest. A slit that goes higher than anything I’ve ever worn.“This,” Sophia says, holding it up. “This is the one.”“It’s too much.”“It’s perfect.” She shoves me toward the dressing room. “Try it on.”The dress slides over my skin like a second heartbeat. When I look in the mirror, I don’t recognize myself.This woman is powerful. Dangerous. The kind who walks into rooms and stops conversations.“Oh my God.” Sophia’s voice behind me. “You have to get this.”“It’s four thousand dollars.”“It’s an investment.” She circles me. “Ariana, you look incredible. Like, stop-traffic incredible.”“That’s the problem. I don’t want to stop traffic. I want to blend in.”“Then you’re going to the wrong event.” She meets my eyes in the mirror. “That gala isn’t about blending in. It’s about being seen. And in this dress, you will absolutely be seen.”I touch the fab

His hand settles on my waist like it belongs there.We’re on the dance floor. Orchestra playing something slow and elegant. Two hundred pairs of eyes watching.Including Ethan’s.“Relax,” Lucian murmurs. “You’re stiff as a board.”“We’re being watched.”“We’re always being watched. Might as well give them something worth seeing.” His hand presses gently, guiding me closer. “Follow my lead.”We move. One step. Two. Finding the rhythm.“You dance well,” I say. Need to fill the silence with something that isn’t the pounding of my heart.“Boarding school. Required classes.” He spins me. Smooth. Effortless. “You’re not bad yourself.”“YouTube tutorials. Required for not looking stupid at weddings.”Almost a smile. “Practical.”“That’s me. Practical Ariana. Making practical decisions like dancing with her boss at a charity gala while her ex-boyfriend watches.”“He’s still watching.” Lucian’s eyes never leave mine. “Been watching since we stepped on the floor.”“Good or bad?”“Depends on wha

I escape to the garden because the ballroom is suffocating.Too many eyes. Too many whispers. Too many people who saw that dance and drew their own conclusions.The garden is quieter. String lights overhead. Marble fountain in the center. Air that doesn’t taste like champagne and judgment.I sit on the fountain’s edge. Let the cool stone ground me.My phone’s been buzzing nonstop.**Sophia: Those photos are EVERYWHERE. Call me.****Lena: You and Lucian are trending on Twitter. TWITTER.****Unknown number: This is Chelsea from college. Just wanted to say you look amazing and Lucian Blackwood?? DAMN GIRL.**I silence it. Shove it in my clutch.The water behind me burbles softly. Peaceful. At odds with the chaos inside my head.“Hiding?”I don’t turn. Know that voice like I know my own heartbeat.“Regrouping,” I say.Lucian’s footsteps approach. Stop beside me. Not sitting. Just standing there in his perfect tuxedo being perfect.“You disappeared,” he says. “Marcus was worried.”“Marcus

I wake up to my phone vibrating off the nightstand.Seven AM. Sunday morning. The day after the gala.The day everything changed.I grab it. Ninety-three notifications. All overnight.Instagram. Twitter. Email. Text messages from numbers I don’t recognize.My hands shake as I open the first one.It’s a link. To a society blog.The headline makes my stomach drop.**Mystery Woman Steals the Show at Blackwood Foundation Gala**Below it, photos. So many photos.Me arriving. Me on the dance floor with Lucian. Me laughing at something Marcus said. Me standing alone by the champagne tower while Lucian watches from across the room.But the worst one, the one that’s been shared eight thousand times, is us dancing.His hand on my waist. My eyes on his face. Both of us looking at each other like nothing else exists.The caption underneath: *Lucian Blackwood and new hire Ariana Vale share an intimate moment at Saturday’s charity gala. Sources confirm Vale joined Blackwood Technologies just three