Chapter 55 Chapter 55. Disdain Consumed by Desire.

Chapter 55 Chapter 55. Disdain Consumed by Desire.
Chapter 55.

Disdain Consumed by Desire

Alicia closes her eyes, feeling a shiver of discomfort from the tension Lucas left behind as he exited the room. His words—the accusation of flirting and the declaration of possessiveness (“Because you are mine!”)—had hurt her. Not because she lied, but because of the brutality of his lack of trust.

She goes down for breakfast. The dining room, usually filled with a deceptive peace, feels oppressive today. Lucas is already seated, reading a newspaper that doesn't seem to interest him. His jaw is set, his eyes fixed, and his face radiates a coldness that cuts through her. For the first time, Alicia notices an unbearable disdain in his gaze, a certainty of her guilt that deeply wounds her.

Carolina, who is beside him, pretends to pour coffee with discreet concern.

Alicia cannot bear the distance. She puts down her fork.

“Can we talk?” Alicia asks, focusing on him, her voice trying to be firm despite the knot in her throat.

Lucas looks up. His eyes, usually filled with a hidden warmth meant only for her, are now two icebergs. He simply looks at her coldly, giving no verbal response, letting the silence act as a biting denial.

Alicia interprets the silence as a public humiliation. Without waiting for his permission, she grabs her bag. “I’ll wait for you in the study.” The phrase is an order, a declaration that she will not allow this conflict to be aired in public.

Alicia goes to the study and leans against the mahogany desk. When Lucas enters minutes later, his walk is slow, deliberate, full of the morning's frustration. He closes the door with a dry thud. He looks at her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants, his posture that of a judge.

“It’s not what you think,” Alicia begins, her voice low and urgent.

“Then what is it?” he asks, his tone monotone and dangerous. “Enlighten me, Alicia.”

She takes a deep breath. “I don't know him, Lucas. I met him by chance at the projector center, as I told you. Seeing him at Sofía’s building was a coincidence; he was visiting his aunt. I just met him. I swear there is nothing more.”

She takes a step closer. “Believe me. Why would I cheat on you? It wouldn’t make sense. I have everything with you.”

“I don’t know,” Lucas replies, without moving. “You sounded very sure of yourself a moment ago, challenging me. The truth was not your priority.”

“You caught me off guard,” she defends herself, her frustration palpable. “You sent your guards to follow me. That bothered me a little, yes. Don’t I have the right to be upset that you treat me as if I were your property?”

“Because it only bothers you if you weren’t doing anything wrong,” he insists, returning to the main point. “The jealousy is not unfounded. You say you just met him, yet in the video they sent me, you looked completely comfortable, laughing alone in the parking lot at three in the morning.”

Alicia knew that reason would not work. Fear and jealousy are stronger. She walks up to him, closing the distance he had imposed. Her eyes, full of honesty and desire.

“It’s not like that, my love. Trust me, I’m not lying to you. I just met him, and I doubt we’ll see each other again; it was just a chance encounter. He is not a threat. You are everything.”

She whispers the last sentence, going up on her tiptoes. She gives him a short kiss on the lips, a soft touch that seeks the breach in his armor.

“Trust me,” she pleads, her voice sweet and mellow. She kisses him with more passion, using desire as her only weapon of defense. Lucas, despite his fury, responds to the kiss. The contact of their mouths is an instant fire that devours the coldness of the morning.

Lucas gently pushes her against the desk, his rage dissipating into the addictive chemistry they share.

“Do you want to drive me crazy?” he growls, pulling away only to look into her eyes. “I lose my mind when I see you with someone else, Alicia. I swear.”

“It won’t happen again, I promise you,” she replies, knowing her promise refers to not getting caught.

Lucas kisses her again fiercely, his hand squeezing her right thigh, feeling the firmness of her body beneath the fabric. He grips her with a possessiveness that needs no words.

“I desire you,” he tells her in her ear, his breath hot. “Let’s meet at the apartment at noon. I need you.”

“Okay,” she accepts without hesitation. Her desire mixes with the urgency to calm him.

Alicia leaves him a wet, seductive kiss on the neck and pulls away, triumphant.

“I’m leaving. Have a good day. Don’t be late.”

“You too, Alicia.” His voice is still rough, but the light in his gaze is no longer disdain, but anticipation.

The Draining of Anger

Alicia goes to the university; her day is a farce of normalcy. She attends classes, but her mind is already at the secret loft. The encounter with Alexei and the confrontation with Lucas have been completely superseded by the need to drain the tension.

At noon, Alicia drives directly to the apartment, her heart pounding. Upon arriving, she quickly undresses. She waits for Lucas on the sofa, her body wrapped only in the soft light filtering through the window.

Lucas arrives, his face still bearing traces of anger and frustration. But as soon as his eyes meet Alicia’s naked body, all the anger dissipates. Passion is the only solvent capable of dissolving the poison of jealousy and suspicion.

He moves toward her. The encounter is not just about love; it is a territorial declaration. Lucas takes her with an intensity that is a mixture of desire and reaffirmation. He pushes her toward the wall, their mouths meeting with a loving violence.

Lucas lifts her, leaning her against the wall. Their bodies merge in a dance of urgency. His hands trace her skin, demanding the certainty that his words did not give him.

“Aaaah!” Alicia moans, her back arched by the intensity of his entry. Lucas’s voice is low and hoarse, a threat of possession.

“You are mine, Alicia, only mine,” he whispers, driving his certainty into her, his anger and jealousy drained by the ecstasy.

“I am, my love, I am yours,” Alicia replies, giving herself completely.

Passion is the only antidote to chaos.