Chapter 146 Silent Devotion
Chapter 146 Silent Devotion
Briar's POV
Reginald Smith sat by the fireplace in his study, a silver pocket watch turning slowly between his fingers. His eyes were sharp as they tracked my movements across the room, assessing every detail of my appearance and posture. I didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"Mr. Smith, I'm here to steal an investment opportunity from you," I said, meeting his gaze directly.
He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Nobody ever complains about having too much money. What makes you think I'd be willing to let this one go?"
My phone buzzed in my pocket at that exact moment. I pulled it out just enough to see the screen. Oscar's message was simple: "OK" followed by a thumbs-up emoji. My shoulders relaxed slightly, my grip on the phone loosening as my confidence solidified. Harold Castellan had agreed to back me. I had the leverage I needed.
Reginald's eyes narrowed as he noticed the shift in my demeanor. "You came prepared, I see."
"I can convince Vincent to split his investment between Crescent Ventures and Vance Botanicals," I said, sliding my phone back into my pocket. "You won't need to put in any additional capital, and you'll still see direct returns."
"Bold claim," Reginald said, his fingers stilling on the pocket watch. "What makes you so certain Vincent will listen to you?"
"Because Sterling Pharmaceuticals is going to collapse," I said flatly. "Vincent will hear about it soon enough. And Apex Bio-Solutions won't be competing for this deal."
Reginald's eyebrows rose slightly. He leaned back in his chair, a knowing smile crossing his face. "Lucian Kincaid is letting you push his company aside? Has he become a soft target in your hands?"
Heat crept up my neck, but I kept my expression neutral. "We're discussing business, Mr. Smith."
"Of course we are," Reginald said, his tone suggesting he didn't believe me for a second. "So tell me, Ms. Vance, why should I bet on you?"
I leaned forward, my hands clasped on my knees. "You're not betting on Vance Botanicals. You're betting on whether I can turn this around when everything's stacked against me. My grandfather built this company from nothing. I have his blood and his determination. I won't let it die."
Something shifted in Reginald's expression. The sharp assessment softened into something almost paternal. "You remind me of him," he said quietly. "Your grandfather. This world should belong to young people like you who are willing to fight for it."
He stood and walked to his desk, pulling out a contract from the drawer. "I'll give you twenty percent of my share. That should be enough to convince Vincent you're worth his attention."
Relief flooded through me, but before I could thank him, Reginald held up a hand.
"But you need to thank Lucian Kincaid," he said, his tone matter-of-fact. "The two hundred thousand dollars you borrowed? He's guaranteeing half of it. If you can't pay it back, he will."
My fingers tightened on the armrest of my chair, knuckles going white.
"He's the one who guided you to me in the first place," Reginald continued. "He knew I owed your grandfather my life. He arranged for Daniel Cross to unite the Nightfall Pack against the Sterlings. He even suggested that the Crescent family buy up Vance stock at low prices to stabilize your share value."
The room felt suddenly airless. My throat constricted as I processed what Reginald was telling me. Every step I thought I'd taken on my own, every victory I'd claimed as proof of my capability, Lucian had been there first, quietly paving the way.
Gratitude and fury warred in my chest in equal measure.
I sat frozen for two or three minutes, my mind replaying every conversation, every decision. Finally, I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper. "He's a mute."
Reginald blinked, clearly confused by the non-sequitur.
I stood abruptly, pulling out my phone. My fingers trembled slightly as I typed a message to Ash. "Where is Lucian right now?"
The response came within seconds. An address I didn't recognize. His new apartment.
His sentence with me just got longer, I thought, a strange mixture of anger and something softer twisting in my chest.
I remembered the phone call from the night before I'd borrowed the money. Lucian's voice had been careful, measured. "Do you like Julian?" he'd asked.
I'd laughed bitterly. "I wish he were dead."
There had been a long silence on the other end. Then Lucian had said, "That's good. I've been thinking about some directions you might consider for investment. New energy, plant-based medicine, international ventures, real estate. Which one feels right to you?"
At the time, I'd thought he was just brainstorming. Now I understood he'd been laying groundwork, testing which path I'd choose so he could clear obstacles before I even knew they existed.
I left Reginald's estate without another word.
---
Lucian's POV
The apartment was dark when I arrived home just past midnight. Ash had texted earlier that he was going with Daniel and Susan to visit family graves, and Iris had already gone to bed. I expected silence and solitude.
Instead, when I pushed open the door and flipped on the lights, I found Briar sitting at my dining table.
Moonlight had been streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting her silhouette in silver. Now, under the harsh overhead lights, she looked up at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. In front of her sat a plate and silverware that Iris must have set out for Ash and forgotten to clear away.
My pulse quickened. "How did you get in here?"
"Ash gave me a spare key," she said, her voice calm.
We stared at each other across the room, the air between us charged with something dangerous and unspoken. Then Briar stood and walked toward me with deliberate slowness. Her hand reached for my tie, fingers closing around the silk and pulling it free in one smooth motion.
Before I could react, she pushed me backward onto the dining table. One of her hands slid down my suit jacket to my waist while the other dangled my tie above my chest, letting the fabric brush against me in a slow, teasing rhythm.
She leaned close, her breath warm against my ear. "You seem very good at holding things in."
My breathing quickened despite my efforts to control it. Heat spread through my body as her hand traced the line of my abdomen through my shirt, feeling the muscles tense beneath her touch. She shifted closer, her lips hovering near my neck.
I grabbed her wrist, my voice coming out rough. "Briar, what are you doing?"
Her expression changed instantly, warmth replaced by cold fury. "If devotion stays buried underground, it never sees daylight. If I can't see it, I can move on guilt-free. Men are everywhere. I could easily find someone better than you."
Something snapped inside me. I reversed our positions in one swift movement, pressing her down against the table and pinning her wrist above her head. My other hand cupped the back of her neck as I brought my lips close to her face, my voice dropping to a hoarse whisper.
"But I can't find anyone better than you."