Morning came slow.
Soft light filtered through the curtains, casting golden warmth over tangled sheets and bare skin. Ariella stirred first, her limbs still wrapped around Lucien's, his breath warm against her shoulder.
For the first time since meeting him, she felt… still.
Safe.
Wanted for more than her silence or obedience.
Lucien didn't speak when he woke. He just kissed her shoulder, her neck, then lay back beside her with a hand resting flat on her stomach — like he couldn't believe she was real.
They didn't need to talk.
Not yet.
But reality never stayed away for long.
Lucien's phone buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
He ignored it.
The third time, Ariella gently touched his chest. "It might be important."
Lucien exhaled sharply, reluctantly reaching over and checking the screen.
He froze.
A beat passed.
Then another.
"…Lucien?" she asked, watching his face tighten.
His jaw clenched. His thumb hovered above the answer button. Then he stood from the bed and answered it.
"Kane."
Silence.
Then his voice dropped.
"What did you say?"
Ariella sat up, heart racing.
Lucien's back was turned, shoulders stiff.
"When?" he asked quietly. "Where?"
Another pause.
His voice lowered to a whisper.
"No. This changes everything. Don't move. I'm on my way."
He ended the call and didn't turn around.
Ariella stood, wrapping the sheet around her. "What is it? What happened?"
Lucien didn't speak for a moment.
Then he turned, and the look in his eyes was unlike anything she'd seen before.
Not rage.
Not arrogance.
Not desire.
It was fear.
"Your father," he said flatly. "He's alive."
Ariella's breath caught. "What?"
"He resurfaced. Someone saw him in Rome. Under a new alias. Same face, different name. I had people looking for him for years, but now—" He stopped, running a hand through his hair. "Now he's reaching out."
"Why?" she asked, voice trembling.
Lucien looked her straight in the eyes.
"Because someone leaked information about the Roth debt investigation. And if that someone wasn't him…"
His voice trailed off.
Her blood ran cold.
"…then someone else wants you gone."