Chapter 67 My Fears
Anna’s POV
Eve repeated it with a shy little smile, as if saying it twice would make it more real. “We had sex.”
I forced out a chuckle, but it sounded hollow even to my own ears. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the strange twist in my stomach.
Jealousy? Why the hell would I feel jealous?
Maybe Lucas had done it to hurt me, to get back at me for marrying Xavier so quickly. The thought stung more than it should have.
I tilted my head at Eve. “If I remember correctly, you warned me to stay away from Lucas. Now you’re standing here glowing because you had sex with the same man?”
Eve went speechless for a second, her cheeks flushing. She recovered quickly. “I didn’t say it would be bad for you to have sex with him. I just said it would be bad if you fell in love with him or started an affair. What happened between Lucas and me was casual. It’s not like we haven’t had sex in the past before.”
I wasn’t fully convinced, but I shrugged it off, not wanting to dig deeper into whatever complicated history they shared. “Does Xavier know about your past… affair with Lucas?”
Eve shook her head. “We hid it from him. Very carefully.”
“I see,” I muttered. I lifted the silver lid off the breakfast tray and began picking at the food, mostly to give my hands something to do.
Eve watched me closely. “You don’t look happy about the news.”
I paused, fork halfway to my mouth. “No offense, Eve, but I have a strong feeling Lucas did this to get back at me for marrying Xavier.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I doubt that. He specifically told me not to tell anyone about it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you telling me now?”
“So you can know the kind of person he really is,” Eve said, her voice dropping slightly. “He doesn’t care about you, Anna. He just wants your body.”
“Hmm. Thank you,” I replied dryly, though her words unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.
I took another bite, forcing myself to chew. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m married to Xavier now.”
Eve leaned against the dresser, arms crossed. “Yes, you are. But that doesn’t mean Lucas is going to give up on having you.”
“I don’t think Lucas would be stupid enough to cross Xavier,” I said, though even as the words left my mouth, doubt crept in.
Eve let out a soft, knowing laugh. “Lucas is a snake. He doesn’t have to cross Xavier directly. Xavier thrives on confrontation and noise, but Lucas moves silently. By the time he’s done, even Xavier won’t see it coming.”
That statement hit me harder than I expected. My appetite vanished instantly. I set the fork down, staring at the half-eaten plate.
A cold feeling settled in my chest. Lucas moving in the shadows… betraying Xavier quietly because of me. The idea was terrifying.
“Enough about Xavier or Lucas,” I said abruptly, pushing the tray away. “Let’s talk about something else.”
Eve nodded, sensing the shift. “What would you like us to talk about?”
Before I could answer, the door swung open without a knock. Lucas stepped inside with two armed men flanking him.
Both Eve and I froze.
Lucas’s eyes moved between us, sharp and calculating. “What were you two talking about?”
Eve recovered first, flashing a bright, innocent smile. “Just girl talk, Lucas. Anna was telling me how the wedding night went. You know how newlyweds are.”
Lucas stared at Eve for a long, uncomfortable moment, as if trying to read through her lie. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push further.
Instead, he turned his cold gaze to me.
“Anna. Come with me.”
I blinked. “Where?”
“Don’t ask questions,” he said flatly. “Just follow me.”
Eve and I exchanged a quick, worried glance. My pulse quickened, but I stood up anyway. There was no point resisting in front of his men.
I followed Lucas out of the room, the two guards trailing behind us silently.
As we walked down the long corridor, I noticed how unusually cold Lucas was. His shoulders were stiff, his steps brisk and mechanical.
This wasn’t the Lucas who had grabbed my arm in anger yesterday. This version felt more dangerous.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Where you belong,” he replied without looking back.
My heart skipped a painful beat. “Lucas… it’s better if you don’t do anything stupid.”
He stopped abruptly and turned to face me, eyes dark. “What stupid thing do you think I’m planning, Anna?”
I didn’t answer. The tension radiating off him made the air feel thick.
We continued walking, descending a narrow staircase I had never used before. The further down we went, the colder and dimmer it became.
When we reached the basement level of the mansion, Lucas turned to his two men. “Go back upstairs. I’ll take it from here alone.”
The men nodded once and retreated without question, their footsteps fading up the stairs.
Now it was just the two of us in the dimly lit basement corridor.
The silence was heavy, broken only by the distant hum of the mansion’s generators.
Lucas grabbed my wrist,not roughly like before, but firmly enough that I couldn’t easily pull away, and led me deeper into the basement.
“Lucas, talk to me,” I said, my voice echoing slightly off the concrete walls. “What is this about? You’re scaring me.”
He didn’t reply immediately. We stopped in front of a heavy metal door. He punched in a code on a keypad, and the lock clicked open with a loud metallic sound.
“You think marrying him makes you safe?” he finally muttered, his voice low and bitter. “You think spreading your legs for Xavier changes anything between us?”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my breathing even. “Lucas, whatever you’re thinking—”
“Shut up,” he cut in, pulling me inside the room. It was sparsely furnished, a single chair, a table, and dim overhead lighting.
The door shut behind us with a heavy thud.