LUCIEN pov
The boardroom was like a cage of polished mahogany and glass. It was a space designed to project power, but today, it felt like a prison. The air was thick with the scent of old coffee and the low hum of calculated cruelty. The men seated around the table were my board members and my supposed allies who were like a pack of wolves with their eyes gleaming with the promise of a feast. And I, their prey, was still fighting. Every nerve in my body screamed, a raving throb that the medicine I used only barely contained and my hands, hidden beneath the table still trembled from the shot I'd given myself an hour ago.
The illness I have was a demon in my veins, a cold and relentless reminder that my time was running out.
I slammed a hand on the table. The sound cracked through the tension showing a brief moment of pure authority. "You will release the quarterly reports as planned. I don't care what the media is saying about our stock. They can cry all they want but this company is not for sale." My voice was a low and controlled but inside, a cold fury was rising. I felt caged like someone who was cornered and defiant.
Gregory Mays, my CFO, cleared his throat. It was a practiced, subtle sound of disapproval, a sound that always managed to get under my skin. "Lucien, with all due respect, this is risky. Your health... it's been a topic of concern and the board is getting antsy. They all want a solution and also want to know if there's someone to step in if..." He trailed off, his words a thinly veiled threat. He didn't need to finish the sentence. Everyone in the room knew what he meant: if you die.
I cut him off, the raw fury now a wave in my throat. "I am not an investment to be discussed. This is my company,My father's company. And it will stand." The words were a warning, a desperate attempt to reassert control. I knew what they were doing.
They were looking for a sign of weakness, for a crack in my armor and I would not give them one. My father had taught me that a leader never shows their fear, and that emotions were a liability. I had been raised to be a protector, to fight for my family's legacy. My parents' death had only hardened that resolve. The weight of their legacy, the legacy of an empire, was a constant, crushing pressure on my shoulders.
Although Mays backed down, but his eyes, sharp and calculating, lingered on my trembling hand, a twitch I couldn't control. He was watching for a sign of weakness. They were all watching. Just then, the door opened and my grandmother, Vivienne, walked in. The men around the table straightened, their subservience a testament to her power. She moved with the silent confidence of a queen.
"Well my grandson has found a solution," she said, her voice smooth and deliberate. "A wife."
The words were a calculated strike, and the silence in the room was absolute. A gasp echoed from the far corner. My gaze met hers although I knew what she was doing. I was a weapon in a war, and she had just given me a shield. She had found a way to secure my position, to give them a reason to back down, But the cost was my freedom.
Later, in her private office, Vivienne placed a folder on her desk. "This is a contract. You will get married and you will secure the company."
I looked at the file, then at her. "And who is she?" I asked, my voice a low, dangerous sound I didn't give a thought to. "is she some gold-digger you plucked from the streets?" I knew she wouldn't have chosen a gold-digger as She had too much at stake.
Vivienne smiled, a thin, knowing twist of her lips. "No she is a woman who just lost everything. An ex-fiancé, a job… and a best friend. All of it was orchestrated by your very own CFO, Gregory Mays, who was paid to do it by his still unknown backers and You see, she's not a pawn, Lucien. She's a loaded weapon. A weapon we can use to destroy Mays and whoever is behind him once and for all."
The words hit me and my jaw clenched. I stared at the picture of a girl with quiet hazel eyes and a tired, defeated face. Selena Vane also known as selene. She was beautiful in a way that didn't scream for attention I mean she was just... there. But she was broken. I saw the pain in her eyes. It was a pain I knew and felt all too well.
The irony was bitter. My entire life had been a series of calculated moves. I had been raised to be a protector, to fight for my family's legacy.
My father's death had taught me that emotions were a weakness and that trust was a liability. But now, I was being asked to put my trust in a stranger. A stranger whose life had been ruined by my own war.
I looked at her picture, and I knew what I was doing. I was using a woman to save my empire but I wasn't sure if I was the hero or the villain. The thought made my stomach churn. I felt a pang of guilt, a feeling I hadn't allowed myself to feel in years. But my father's legacy… it was everything. I had to protect it. I had to protect my family. And now, I had to protect her. The woman who was about to become my shield, my wife, my weapon.
I looked at Vivienne. "I'll do it." I said, my voice barely a whisper. "But she will not be harmed or be in my way. Not ever. Do you understand?"
Vivienne's smile was thin, but her eyes held a flicker of pride. "Of course. She is our key to winning this war."
I took the file and left the room, the weight of the decision settling on my shoulders like a tombstone. I was a king, but I was about to marry a queen I didn't know, for a war I wasn't sure I could win. And I was haunted by the thought that I was just as cold and manipulative as the enemies I was fighting.