Chapter 10 Inferno
Lucien-
What was worth celebrating? Marrying you for revenge? I shouldn't have gone back there, but when I did, I couldn't douse the high-charged inferno that burned out of control since morning.
How was it so easy for her to ask me to touch her? To sit next to me with my chest the only thing on her body and legs bare. They were tempting-long and sexy.
Damn it. This wasn't what this arrangement was supposed to be. I had made it clear before I even had it down on paper.
She claimed I asked her to pick me. I was yet to know what that meant. The only reason I had agreed to this marriage was to prove a point to that old bastard. He wanted her name so badly, I was going to take it away from him.
Our marriage would be a transaction, one I would still win when we both choose it would end.
My ex-girlfriend, Bianca, had scarred me enough to realize that I couldn't trust that easily. I had been nothing but a fool for her antics.
But whatever made me kiss Celeste like that? The taste of wine from her lips lingered on mine, sweet and faint.
Damn it, have you quickly forgotten that good things don't last, you can't pull her into your darkness, Lucien? I reminded myself.
You can't make things more complicated than they ought to.
"Sir, the bar is closing in five minutes," an attendant reminded me. I nodded. After that nameless kiss, I stormed off to be myself in a private area in the bar. Hours had passed since then.
I couldn't go back to the room now, but I couldn't leave either. Couldn't call Jackson either. She was my wife now. My responsibility.
When I finally returned, she was fast asleep, lying on her side of the bed like she expected me to fill the other. But sleep was foreign to me, and I only rested when my body demanded it. So I took a seat across from her, watching her breath, until I finally drifted off.
An hour later, my phone blared. 5 a.m., it read. One hour-that's all the sleep I ever managed these days. She was still asleep when I slipped out to make some arrangements. Jackson was already waiting outside the hotel, ready to handle everything I couldn't.
Celeste was awake when I returned, wide-eyed, smiling as if the kiss had suddenly made us become friends.
I ignored it. "I got you a set of clean clothes. I don't know if it's your size though," I said, but it was a lie. I had made Jackson sweep across ...to find all her dimensions. Her tastes. Shoes, clothes, style.
"Thank you," she said, a small smile at the corners of her eyes. She looked stressed, but tried to hide it. "About yesterday?"
"What about yesterday?" My tone cut sharper than I intended.
She hesitated, then caught my eyes. "You kissed me."
I gave a small nod, keeping my expression neutral. "I did. So?"
Her face faltered, and the tense silence between us grew, demanding I explain myself.
What the hell are you doing, Lucien? Find an excuse. End this now. My mind screamed.
"It was just a kiss," I said flatly. I walked past her and sat, my face blank, showing nothing. "People kiss all the time."
She rose to her feet and walked up to where I sat, her steps swift, almost like a challenge. "Then why do it if it meant nothing?" she asked, her tone rising.
How audacious.
I let out a low scoff, leaning back, masking the heat that threatened to surface. Did she think she was that special? "Because I could. Because I wanted to. And if I did it again, and again, it still wouldn't mean a damn thing."
Her lips parted, as if she wanted to say more, to push through my dismissal.
"Jackson claims the paparazzi are already lurking outside the hotel," I cut in smoothly. "He's sent a helicopter to pick us up." Another lie. I'd spotted those brazen bastards myself, listened to their chatter while I was briefly outside.
She nodded quietly, as if she'd expected me to offer more than the scraps I gave her. Pathetic, if you ask me. Expectations only ever bred disappointment.
"The helicopter will be here in thirty minutes. Get ready, I'll be outside waiting."
Half an hour later, the city stretched out beneath us as the helicopter moved through the morning sky. Steel, glass, and smoke rose to meet us, Manhattan glittering in its ruthless glory.
I had arranged a penthouse in Tribeca. Discreet. Expensive. Mine. The kind of place where a man could disappear above the city and still look down on it all.
When we finally settled in, I heaved a sigh of relief.
"My boss lets me use this place whenever I need to lay low." That was a lot of lies for one day, more than I had ever told before.
She walked over to the skyline, letting the morning sun nestle on her face.
Damn. "Your boss sounds... generous." She turned, her voice laced with a tone I couldn't name.
I ignored it, holding out her phone. "This came in my apartment's mail. Your grandmother's been calling."
Her expression faltered as she reached for it, but before she could answer, my phone buzzed. Jackson.
"I told you not to-"
"Sir, it's urgent," he cut in. His voice was tight. "Two investors just pulled out. And your father just called. He wants you gone. If I don't fire you, he'll see to it every client walks."
"What?" My pulse spiked.
He continued, "Even worse, the real estate market's reacting. Prices are sliding, deals are freezing. The headlines are everywhere!"
"Fuck." The word tore out before I could stop it. I hung up as my screen lit up with notifications from Jackson. Headlines. Everything was crashing down right in front of me.
"Are you-" Celeste's voice came from behind me.
I turned, rage burning through me. This was a bad time. "Stay the fuck away from me! This is all your fault!" I snapped without hesitation.
She froze, her eyes wide with shock, "I'm just... I was just trying to-"
"Don't." My tone cut her off. "Ever since you've been in my orbit, not one thing has gone right for me!"
Her eyes hardened. My jaw clenched.
Without warning, she stepped forward, brows arching in annoyance. "My fault?" She scoffed. Her voice was sharp, like she had been waiting for this moment all morning. "What's your problem? You made this choice yourself. You're a grown man, not a robot!" She spat. "You think snapping at me makes you strong? No-it just shows you've got nothing under control!"
Damn this woman!
In two strides, I was in front of her. My hand shot up, fingers gripping her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes.
I gritted my teeth. "You don't know a damn thing about me," my voice was cold. "But if there's anything I've never lost, it's control."
Her chest heaved, her pulse drumming against my fingers, yet her eyes flashed with defiance. I stepped away, letting her chin go. I let her go, only to lean closer, lips brushing her ear.
"Don't mistake this marriage for choice. No sane man would have picked you."