69

Lucien

Breathtaking.

That was all she emitted, standing so tall in that blue dress that hugged her body perfectly. The slit on the left side revealed her long, smooth leg with every elegant step she took. For a minute, despite not showing it—I felt lost.

And then, for the first time in my life, I felt something else.

Jealousy.

The thought alone burned through me like wildfire. What if someone else was staring at her right now? What if some bastard in this room thought they had the right to admire what belonged to me?

My fingers curled at my side as my jaw tightened.

Why did my heart feel so constricted? Why was I this angry?

Moore stood before me, Lillard standing a step behind her, while she simply stared at me. Her eyes. Those deep blue eyes that I had tried so hard to forget since we arrived in Thailand held something I couldn’t quite place. Shy, yet bold.

It did something to me. Something I would rather die of than admit.

She was beautiful. I had known that from the moment I first saw her all those years ago. I had taken in every detail of her face, every delicate feature, and wondered, just for a fleeting second, what it would be like to have her trapped between my arms, pressed against a wall, while I tasted her lips.

I had done that, and I'm having that thought right now. That very one to have her trapped against the car she came out of.

And maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t only my daughter’s relentless pleading that had made me propose to a stranger that day. Maybe it was also because, somehow, my heart had skipped a beat when she lifted her blue eyes to stare at me.

Now, with her standing in front of me, dressed in that gown, her black hair cascading in soft waves over her bare shoulders, and her lips painted a seductive red,.

It took everything in me not to grab her, tilt her head back, and do the one thing I swore I’d never do—kiss her.

But instead, I smirked, masking the storm inside me.

I cleared my throat, forcing my expression to remain neutral. “You're not going to stand there ogling forever, are you?” My lips moved, but my face remained impassive.

She swallowed, then took a hesitant step toward me. Her long frail fingers clenched tightly around her purse, her nails perfectly manicured, glistening under the golden lights.

God, I was taking in every little detail about her, and as much as I want to hate it, I can't.

Not only was I captivated, she was too.

I could see it in the way she looked at me, the way her gaze roamed over every inch of me, taking in the details she probably wished she didn’t care about. There was something else, too, a flicker of relief. Relief that I was here. That I was well.

But she was quick to mask it.

I watched as she concealed whatever concern she might have felt, replacing it with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

Then, she took a slow breath.

My eyes followed the movement, sliding down to her neck, to the delicate line of her jaw, before returning to her face. Her pulse quickened, and I noticed it just like I noticed how her every step toward me was measured.

She walked with practiced precision, looking every bit the woman she had been raised to be.

A perfect performance.

I almost smiled.

And damn, she was good at pretending.

One more step, and she was right beside me.

Her perfume, something soft yet intoxicating, messed with my brain. I tilted my head slightly, catching the scent fully, and I saw her body react. A sharp breath in. Then her lips parted slightly as she exhaled.

Fucking sexy.

Get the fucking hold of yourself, Lucien!

She was messing with my head. And it was so damn tempting.

“Place your hands on each other.” I instructed.

She did as she was told, no hesitation. I let my fingers slide against her bare back, my fingers curling across her skin, then down to her waist.

Another sharp inhale.

Good.

I wanted her to remember who she belonged to. To know that my touch still had power over her.

Her lips parted again, and my body tensed in response.

I leaned in just enough for my voice to be a whisper against her ear. “One more intake of air from you, and I'll give you exactly what you've missed for two weeks straight.”

She turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as she met my gaze. But I had already straightened.

“Smile, Moore,” I instructed smoothly as we began walking forward. “You don’t have to let the entire world know how much you hate being here with me.”

She obeyed, her lips curving into a perfect, delicate smile, one that looked entirely real. And yet, it wasn’t. But I don't give a fuck.

I guided her into the grand hall, where the event was already in full swing.

The moment we stepped inside, all eyes turned to us.

I felt it instantly. The shift in the atmosphere, the whispers that spread like wildfire. Everyone knew who we were. Everyone knew how I had treated her like an object of ridicule since I married, no—bought her.

And yet, here I was, walking beside her as if we were a perfectly poised couple.

Moore’s face remained calm, her smile unwavering. My own expression stayed unreadable.

She played her part well.

We made our way toward the podium, where I was set to give my speech. I didn’t know why I had insisted on her walking me here. I could sense her surprise, as well as Greg and David raising their eyes at me as if to question me, I had never done this before, not even with Athena.

But then I settled for an answer as to why I did it, maybe because, for once, I didn’t want to humiliate her in public.

That was something I would do in private, when no one else was watching. And somehow, I want to get this over with so I could fully punish her for being too pretty to mess with me.

She stopped beside me, her hands resting elegantly at her sides as I turned toward the audience. I delivered my speech effortlessly, detailing the launch of our new app, an innovation set to dominate markets across Asia, Europe, America, and Africa.

Applause erupted as I finished, and I turned back to Moore.

For a moment, I wanted to keep her there, to have her stand beside me as I greeted the elites who approached.

But then, she turned to me and spoke softly, “I need a drink.”

I hesitated for half a second before nodding.

I watched her walk away, my eyes following every movement, every sway of her hips in that damned dress that had every man in this room looking at her.

It's okay if I felt this way. Moore was my property, my possession. I bought her and owned her. I marked her as mine two fucking weeks ago in the most cruelest way.

And then, just as I was about to turn towards the elite waiting for me to greet them while the launching continued, a voice rang beside me.

A voice I had anticipated the moment I approved his invitation.

“What a pretty property you had there, Lucien Giordano.”