Chapter 43 Tapped
Anna's POV
Eve’s words echoed in my head. Lucas’ love is selfish.
I swallowed. “So all those times she was warning me…” I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Lucas took a step closer. “Anna—”
I raised a hand slightly, stopping him.
“Don’t,” I said quietly. “Just… don’t come closer for a second.”
He actually stopped. I needed space to think.
I turned back to face him slowly, studying his expression. Like always, he was controlled.
“How many times?” I asked.
Lucas hesitated. That alone told me everything. “Enough,” he finally said.
I nodded slowly, my lips pressing into a thin line. “And you expect me to just… ignore that?” I asked. “Ignore the fact that the same woman you were sleeping with is now standing here warning me about you?”
Lucas frowned slightly. “Eve is trying to manipulate you.”
“Or maybe,” I cut in sharply, “she knows you better than I do.”
That landed. I saw it in the slight tightening of his jaw. For a brief second, the calm mask slipped. Then it came back.
“Anna,” he said, his voice softer now, “whatever happened between me and Eve is over. It was never serious.”
“Not serious for you,” I replied. “But clearly serious enough for her to warn me.”
Silence stretched between us. Then he took another step forward, slower this time.
I didn’t stop him. “I’m not lying to you,” he said. “What I feel for you is different.”
I searched his eyes, trying to see past the words… trying to understand what exactly “different” meant to a man like Lucas.
“And what exactly do you feel for me?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t hesitate this time. “I want you,” he said.
My heart skipped. Not I love you. Not even I care about you. Just— I want you.
I let out a slow breath, nodding slightly as if I understood… even though I wasn’t sure I did. “That’s honest,” I admitted.
Lucas reached out, his fingers brushing lightly against my arm. “Anna…”
I didn’t pull away this time. But I didn’t lean in either.
I just stood there, letting the contact exist between us without responding to it. “You said you’d let me go if I didn’t feel the same,” I reminded him.
His jaw tightened again. “Yeah,” he said.
“Would you?” I pressed.
He held my gaze. Then he looked away briefly before looking back at me. “Honestly, I don’t know, it's hard," he admitted.
There it was, the truth. I nodded slowly. “I figured,” I said.
Another silence followed, but this one felt different. Like something had shifted between us.
Lucas wasn’t the perfect savior anymore. He was… complicated. Dangerous in his own way, maybe.
Lucas suddenly cupped my face gently, pulling my attention back to him. “But I’m still going to get you out of here,” he said. “No matter what.”
I searched his eyes again. And this time… I believed him. Not because he was good.
But because he was determined. And in this world, determination was sometimes more powerful than morality.
“Okay,” I said softly.
He leaned in slightly, like he wanted to kiss me again— But then a knock came at the door.
We both froze.
Lucas stepped back immediately, his expression hardening. “Who is it?” he called.
“Boss wants everyone downstairs,” a voice replied from outside.
My heart skipped again.
Lucas glanced at me, then back at the door.
“Alright,” he responded.
Footsteps faded away. The room fell silent again.
Lucas looked back at me. “It’s time, I'd leave you to get dressed.”
I nodded. Xavier’s “little party.” The one I still didn’t fully understand.
Lucas walked to the door, then paused before opening it. He looked back at me one last time. “Stay close to me tonight,” he said.
I didn’t answer immediately.
My mind drifted… not to Lucas— But to Xavier.
I exhaled slowly. “I’ll try,” I finally said.
Lucas nodded, then opened the door.
I waited. I didn’t move. I didn’t speak. I didn’t even breathe properly until I heard the door click shut behind Lucas.
Only then did I move quickly.
I crossed the room in long, silent steps, my heart already beginning to race. Every instinct in me was screaming that something was wrong… terribly wrong.
I bent slightly and reached for the exact spot where I had hidden my phone.
Still there. Untouched… or at least it looked untouched.
I grabbed it immediately and straightened, my fingers already dialing Serena’s number before my mind could even catch up.
It rang once, then she picked.
I opened my mouth to speak— “Don’t say anything.” Her voice came sharp.
I froze. My throat went dry instantly.
“There’s a problem,” Serena continued, her voice dropping lower. “It appears your phone has been tapped from your end. Someone has access to it.”
My heart stopped. Tapped?
For a second, I thought I heard her wrong. My fingers tightened around the phone as my eyes slowly widened.
Someone was listening.
A cold chill ran down my spine, spreading through my entire body like poison.
I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t.