CHAPTER 12 — PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS
The morning sunlight spilled into Velasco Empire Holdings, but the brightness did little to ease the tension that lingered in the air. Aria Sarmiento arrived at the office earlier than usual, her mind restless, her body still buzzing from the events of the previous night. Lucien's warning, his intensity, and the palpable danger surrounding them had left her both anxious and inexplicably drawn to him.
She tried to push aside her emotions, reminding herself of the professional boundaries she had sworn to uphold. But as she approached her desk, her pulse quickened at the sound of his voice behind her.
"Miss Sarmiento," Lucien said, appearing silently as though he had materialized from the shadows. His gray eyes, sharp and commanding, scanned the office before settling on her. "I need to discuss something important with you privately."
Aria's stomach fluttered. Privately? That word carried weight, promise, and danger all at once. She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.
Lucien led her to a small conference room, one that was rarely used and shielded from prying eyes. He closed the door behind them, the click of the lock echoing ominously in the quiet space. The distance between them felt charged, like static electricity in the air.
"Sit," he ordered, his tone soft but firm.
Aria obeyed, trying to steady her trembling hands. She avoided looking directly at him, focusing instead on the papers in front of her, though her thoughts betrayed her. Every glance, every movement he made seemed to draw her attention irresistibly.
Lucien leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed, his presence dominating the small room. "Last night," he began, voice low, controlled, "made me realize something. You're not just part of my work anymore. You're part of my life. And because of that… you are in danger."
Her chest tightened, and she looked up at him, eyes wide. "Danger? Sir, I—"
"I don't care if you're my secretary, my responsibility, or anything else," he interrupted, his tone suddenly sharper, more protective. "If someone threatens you, I will not allow it. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," she whispered, a mixture of fear and something else, something intoxicating filling her chest.
Lucien stepped closer, and the proximity made her heart race. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, the faint scent of his cologne wrapping around her senses. Every instinct in her screamed to stay composed, but her hands shook despite her best efforts.
"I'm serious, Aria," he continued, softer now, almost intimate. "You are… important to me. And anyone who tries to hurt you will regret it."
Her breath hitched, caught between awe, fear, and something dangerously close to desire. She realized in that moment that Lucien's protectiveness wasn't just professional. It was personal. Deeply, irrevocably personal.
He studied her face, gray eyes sharp yet softened by a flicker of vulnerability rarely shown to anyone. "I don't say this lightly," he added. "But I need you to trust me. To let me protect you, even if it means crossing boundaries you think exist between us."
Aria's mind raced. Boundaries. Rules. Forbidden attraction. All of it had become tangled with something far more potent: the undeniable connection growing between them. She swallowed hard, then whispered, "I… I trust you, sir."
Lucien's lips curved slightly a ghost of a smile but it didn't diminish the intensity of his gaze. He leaned closer, just enough that the heat from his body brushed against hers. "Good," he murmured. "Because from now on… I will be watching. Always."
Aria's pulse thundered in her chest. Every word, every movement from him made her feel simultaneously safe and exposed, alive and dangerously vulnerable.
For the rest of the morning, Lucien stayed nearby, moving silently, almost like a shadow that never left her side. Every time someone approached her desk, his eyes flicked toward them, gray and calculating, warning without words. Aria felt a strange mix of fear and exhilaration. She had never felt so protected or so acutely aware of her own feelings for someone.
During a brief moment alone, she dared to speak. "Sir… you don't have to—"
"Yes, I do," he interrupted gently but firmly. "You are part of my life now, whether you like it or not. And I will not risk losing you to someone else, or anything else. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she whispered again, the word barely audible, yet heavy with emotion.
Lucien's expression softened slightly, though the intensity never left his eyes. "Good. Remember this, Aria. I will protect you. But you need to be careful, too. Danger doesn't announce itself politely. And we can't afford mistakes."
Her heart raced. The office, once a place of routine and rules, now felt like a battlefield. But in the center of that battlefield stood Lucienbcommanding, protective, impossible. And she realized, with a mixture of fear and longing, that she wanted him there. Always.
As the day wore on, Aria found herself stealing glances at him, noticing the subtle ways he remained alert, aware, always near. She understood, painfully, that the danger surrounding them wasn't just external it was emotional, personal, and utterly consuming.
When the evening came, and she prepared to leave, Lucien approached, his presence once again dominating the space. "You're leaving," he said, voice low and careful. "Not alone."
Her stomach fluttered as he extended his arm, a silent, protective gesture. She hesitated for a moment, then slipped her hand into his, feeling the firm, reassuring grip that made her feel both safe and achingly alive.
As they exited the building, walking into the dimly lit streets, Aria realized something terrifying and exhilarating Lucien's protectiveness had crossed a line she could no longer ignore. It wasn't just about safety. It was about him, and about the dangerous, forbidden attraction that now pulsed between them like an electric current.
And she knew, with every beat of her heart, that she would follow him into the storm whatever it might bring.
Because standing close to him, feeling his strength and intensity, she understood the truth she could no longer deny: she was no longer just a secretary. She was part of his world, part of his life, and she couldn't escape it even if she wanted to.
And Lucien… Lucien Velasco would stop at nothing to protect her.