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Carmell would be arriving the following morning. She’d agreed to meet Lucien in his office as soon as he arrived at work.

He didn’t want to go to the penthouse that night. The idea of going home made his chest feel tight. Being near her right now was like standing too close to a fire when you’re already parched. Tempting, but dangerous.

Not because he hated her, but because he needed to keep a clear head, and there was nothing Kendall did better than mess with his rationality. And she didn’t need much to do it. She just needed to stare into his eyes whilst she spoke in that soft voice of hers.

That was enough to fuck with him until he was blind to all her red flags.
But he made himself go home to her anyway. When he walked and she looked up from her laptop, he made himself smile at her.

Tonight, she didn’t smile back.

Slowly, she put aside her laptop and stood. He watched her walk over to him.

Lucien's heart clenched. Her black hair had grown and now brushed her collarbone. She had no makeup on and, in his t-shirt and a pair of pink shorts, she looked more beautiful than anything he’d ever seen.

Was that why it hurt? A girl he’d been so sure he could control his feelings over, and now, he found her beautiful at all moments, and he ached to have her with no barriers between them. No lies, no pretence.

But it wasn’t possible. Because she’d lied to him.

Just like Harley had.

The thought slid in like a knife. He still remembered the way Harley could smile and lie in the same breath, the way she’d made him doubt what was real. The memory twisted his heart in his chest, and Lucien swallowed hard, watching Kendall stop right before him.

He’d tried his hardest not to compare them. Lucien knew that he compared every woman to Sabrina’s mother, but Kendall had been different. The opposite of Harley.

Until now. He just needed to find out if their lies were similar, too.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

He blinked, dragged out of his thoughts. He noted the tension in her expression.

Always cautious, always afraid. Afraid of her lies crumbling.

He slowly shook his head. “Nothing.”

She didn’t believe him, but Lucien silently tugged her closer, wrapping her in a hug before she could say anything else.

His gaze pointlessly roamed as thoughts filled his mind. He wouldn’t let his thoughts affect her. Not yet.

Tomorrow, Carmell could dispel his suspicions. She could tell him that he was wrong and that Kendall had never been anywhere near the club.

Lucien knew it was wishful thinking, but that was all he had.

And he’d cling to it.



“Judith was at a club in New York last night,” Arlo said.

Lucien leaned back in his chair, looking at his office telephone where Arlo was on loudspeaker. “Doing what?”

Arlo scoffed. “Meeting Eliott Cross.”

“I fucking knew it,” Lucien muttered. “Justin was right.”

“It was brief, thirty seconds max. She came out, he stopped his car, and lowered the window. They spoke, he threw an envelope of money at her, and took off.”

“That bastard. I need evidence that she’s his daughter. You got pictures of their meeting?”

“I do, but I have something better than pictures. I have the girl.”

Lucien’s jaw clenched, anger sparking in his blood. He’d make her pay.

“What do I do with her?” Arlo questioned.

“Keep her,” muttered Lucien. “I’ll tell you when I want to see her. In the meantime, do whatever you can to get her to tell you the truth.”

“You got it, Sir.”

There was a knock at the door. Lucien ended the call and glanced up. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Patrick stuck his head in. “Hey, boss!”

Lucien blinked. “What is it?”

“You have a very beautiful visitor. She was roaming the building, trying to find you.” He straightened in the doorway. “I was gracious enough to—”

A pretty woman poked her head in. “Hey!”

Lucien tensed. “Carmell.”

“I’m here,” she announced, strutting over to an armchair.

“Patrick, leave,” Lucien said, getting out of his chair and marching over to where Carmell was seated.

“No ‘thank you’?” Patrick dryly teased.

The chilly glare he received was more than enough warning, and, saluting, he hurried out of the office.

“How was your flight?” Lucien asked, sitting down across her.

“Meh,” she answered. “The usual.”

“I’d offer you something to drink, but I don’t have an assistant right now.”

“I’m fine, Lucien. You said we needed to talk.”

Carmell was tense inside. By the look on Lucien’s face, she could tell this was serious. She had a feeling he wanted to ask her about Kendall. There was no other reason he’d bring up the club, unless one of his business partners had been a client.

Sighing, Lucien stared at the table for a moment, his fingers tightly linked together. Carmell could tell he was bracing himself.

She wanted to protect Kendall’s secrets, but she had no idea how much Lucien knew.  She’d let him explain, and then she’d see if she would be able to protect Kendall.
Had he not taken her away from the hotel that night in D.C., Carmell would’ve been able to get Kendall’s number and would’ve been able to discuss this with her before meeting Lucien.

But she hadn’t, so she sat there in tense silence, waiting for him.

Finally, Lucien looked at her.
“I’m gonna get straight to the point.”

She nodded.

“You worked at Club Riviere in Miami.”

She nodded again. “I did.”

Lucien paused. “First. The man you protected Kendall from at the Washington event. Was he ever a client there?”

Carmell briefly relaxed. This was about Eliott? If Lucien was just digging into Eliott’s past and didn’t know the connection between him and Kendall, then Carmell didn’t need to worry.

Nodding, she quickly agreed, hoping the conversation wouldn’t steer anywhere near Kendall. “Yeah, he was. For years. In fact… he was one of my most loyal patrons. I was seventeen when I joined the club, and I met him when I was eighteen. I was stubborn. Got bad vibes from him, so I told Sly I wouldn’t serve him. He was relentless. Demanded me for years until, three years later, he finally cornered Sly into handing me over.”

Lucien’s jaw was so tight, he couldn’t speak. For a moment, he just sat there, grinding his teeth and suppressing dread. He had one more question.

“Okay.” His voice was rough. “So, Eliott was a loyal client. Now, about Kendall…”

Carmell tensed.

Lucien swallowed hard. “Was… was Kendall at Club Riviere with you, Carmell?”