Two week has passed since she had returned to her father's house. The space was familiar, yet it felt like a distant memory. Her once-comfortable home now felt like a cage, and her father's legacy weighed on her shoulders with every step. She spent her days drafting proposals, having a meeting and arranging a new building to continue her father's work. She was expected to take charge, to take the reins but her mind kept drifting back to him.
Lucien.
It started slowly. At first it was just telling Linda to help check his business dealings, then his movements. It was harmless, or so she told herself. But the days went on, she found herself tracking him, noting the people he met, his patterns. She was like a ghost following his every step, unable to sever the connection.
She knew it wasn't healthy. She should let him go but the thought of another woman in his arms shattered her in ways that hurt. Her phone rang as she was about going to bed for the night.
"Linda," she said and yawned. "I'm not going to one of your night clubs again."
"Aria," Linda said, voice trembling. "I just got a call. Lucien... he's dead."
The words hit her like a physical blow. Her chest tightened. "How did he die?"
"He was shot many times by a crime boss. He's in his house, being prepared for burial."
She moved, her hands trembled slightly as she grabbed her car keys from the counter. She didn't change out of her nightdress. She didn't care what she looked like. The cold night and the ache in her heart made her shiver. The engine roared to life beneath her but the sound barely registered in her ears. She didn't know how she got there but she was there, parked outside. She ran to the main gate, pushing away the men at the gate who recognized her but wondered what she was doing.
Aria barely remembered how she got to his door. Whether she had flown or walked. One moment she was standing outside, and the next, she was at his door. Her fingers fumbled at the handle, she pushed the door open, feeling the cold air rushed past her to add to her emotions. Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks streaked with tears that she hadn't bothered to wipe away.
Lucien.
He stood in front of her, bare-chested, his skin pale. His usual confidence was gone. His posture was tense, as if he had just received the worst news of his life, and then, he saw her. In a heartbeat, he was at her side, his hands gripping her with an urgency that made her pulse race. There were no explanation, but the raw need that has been building between them since the moment they first met.
His lips found hers, claiming her with a desperate kiss that melted everything inside her. His mouth was warm and urgent, like he was trying to devour her, like he feared if he let her go for one moment, she'd slip away forever. Tears streamed down her face as she kissed him back, the heat between them burning away the pain. He pulled her into his arms and carried her to the bed with the same urgency. His kisses never stopped, as if he was trying to bring her up from the dead.
"They told me you were dead." she cried, her voice breaking with the weight of the confession. "I thought I lost you."
He groaned, his hands stroking her cheek as if he couldn't believe she was here. "Same here," he murmured. "We were both fooled." he leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. "Who told you?"
"Linda." she whispered, her chest rising and falling with the speed of her heartbeat.
"The twins told me," he muttered.
A small smile tugged at her lips as she stroked his chest, her fingers tracing the lines of muscle. "I thought it was true."
"Me too," he cupped her face in his palms. "But whether it's true or not, Aria..." his voice dropped low, becoming a low, intimate growl. "I'm not letting you out of this room."
His lips were on hers again, she kissed him, her body aching into his as the world outside his room seemed to disappear.
Linda couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at her lips as she stood at the door, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.
"Target claimed. Over." she said quietly to her earpiece.
"Operation successful." Fernando said. "They are not getting out until we see a baby. Over."