LOVE AND DEATH のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 35

LUCIANI forced the party to stop.The music died mid-note, the chatter fading into confused murmurs as I raised my good hand and told everyone to leave. They hesitated, glancing at each other, at the blood still dripping from my palm, at the mess I'd made of my suit. But they left. One by one, they filtered out of the ballroom until only the staff remained, standing awkwardly with their trays and their bandages.I let them take me to the clinic on the third floor. The company's infirmary was smaller than the estate's, just a single room with white walls and a row of beds separated by curtains. A nurse with gentle hands cleaned the cut, her fingers cool and precise as she worked. The antiseptic stung, burning into the wound like liquid fire, but I didn't flinch. I'd felt worse. Much worse."Some pain relief," she said, pressing two pills into my palm. "And rest for at least an hour before you leave."I swallowed them dry, the bitter taste coating my tongue.She finally left. And I wa

LUCIAN “When do I start?” The words scraped out of my throat like gravel. Ceal chuckled, leaning back in the chair until the wood creaked under his weight. His arms crossed over his chest, and I caught the slight wince as the movement pulled at something. Good. At least I wasn’t the only one in pain. “You’ll sign first,” he said, his voice carrying that calm, measured tone that made me want to break something. “You don’t think I’m letting you off just like that, do you?”Smart, too smart. He knew exactly what kind of man he was dealing with—knew I’d start looking for cracks the second he turned his back, looking for any way to slip out of whatever leash he thought he’d hooked into me.This guy. He was unpredictable in a way that made my skin prickle. One minute he’s cold as stone, the next he’s screaming in my face with his fists clenched. I couldn’t read him, couldn’t map the edges of him, and that scared me more than the threats.“Fine.” I bit the word off, letting the anger bleed

LUCIANThe drive back home was one of the most infuriating silences I'd ever endured, and I hated every second of it. Not that I had anything against silence, but this time, trapped in a car with Ceal behind the wheel, it felt suffocating.He had texted me to come outside, nothing more than a curt instruction that left no room for argument. By the time I made it down, the building had mostly emptied, the last stragglers filtering out through the lobby doors. And there he was, already in the driver's seat, engine running, his profile illuminated by the dashboard lights. He'd dismissed the driver with a wave of his hand, told him to find his own way home, and then turned those cold eyes on me through the rearview mirror.Of course I obeyed. What choice did I have?"What is all of this supposed to mean?" I finally voiced, after fighting the question down for ten minutes too long.He glanced at me through the rear mirror, his expression hard at the edges. "What's that?""Why are you drivi