Chapter 12 Reckless
Lucien-
I followed her. I know I shouldn't have, but something in me couldn't let her face whatever she was running to, alone.
So I followed her ride, watched as she dealt with those miscreants without hesitation. I waited in the shadows while they clamored around, until I noticed a woman who had somehow slipped in and out of the building without anyone noticing.
Then I realized. She was the one who had pulled Celeste inside, away from the chaos. There was a back door. A way hidden from their prying eyes.
I might have stayed hidden. I should have. But when Colin arrived, all the restraint I had left broke. I didn't think, I just moved. Reckless and uninvited, slipping through the back door before anyone could notice.
Celeste froze at the sound of my voice like my presence hit her harder than the fool I called my nephew ever could. For a moment, she stood there, staring at me, while the rest of the world disappeared.
Gently, I reached for her hand, she didn't pull away. I led her outback. She gathered her things while I kept her close. I had kept the car out of sight, and before the paparazzi could even think about finding the back entrance, we were gone.
The drive was silent until she spoke. This time, it wasn't gratitude.
"I could have handled it. You made it clear, you're not my hero.
I had said those words. They shouldn't sting like this. And yet... they did.
"Then stop walking into trouble like it's a minefield-"
"My minefield! Not yours Lucien! I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do!" She snapped. There was a lot of anger in her voice, like she was angry at something I was unaware of.
The rest of the ride back to the penthouse was quiet and heavy with tension. I had to go to work, and she had to deal with whatever she had going on.
Once I was sure she was safe inside, I got back in the car and started driving. The weight on my chest didn't ease. I should apologize for this morning. I kept telling myself I should, but it wasn't my fault. Still, repeating it didn't change anything.
Every choice felt wrong. Every word felt like a risk. Nothing I did seemed enough.
My fingers ran through my hair. Lucien, you don't apologize. But maybe you should.
Abruptly, I jerked the wheel and turned back toward the penthouse.
It was quiet when I entered, and Celeste was nowhere in sight. Not until I wandered toward one of the bedrooms. The door was slightly ajar, and inside, I could hear her voice, trembling on a call-no, she was in tears.
She cried raw, heavy tears because she thought no one was listening.
"... Denise, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier... but you won't have to go back to the shop. We're being forced to close down. The landlord is selling the building, and she wants me out. I'm really sorry... She doesn't care that it's my mom, Denise. She doesn't."
Now I understood why she was angry. All I wanted to do was fucking apologize, but I couldn't. So I stayed still, listening, almost as if her pain was my own. Then, without a sound, I quietly walked away.
\---
"You may be competent, but you're reckless, Lucien! I've had enough!" Jackson roared in my face.
For a second, I caught the flicker of unease in his eyes. He wasn't used to raising his voice at me.
"Don't hold back," I murmured under my breath, low enough that only he could hear. "The employees are watching. Sell it."
His jaw flexed. Then louder-
"You think I can keep cleaning up after you? You put this company at risk with your impulsiveness!"
I kept my expression carefully practiced, the picture of a man refusing to beg for his job but hating every second of being publicly shamed.
"Go on," I urged, my lips barely moving. "They're buying it."
Jackson's throat bobbed, sweat beading at his temple as the office hushed around us. "Fine," he snapped, voice echoing. "You're fired, Lucien! Get out!"
Gasps rippled through the staff. Perfect. Exactly what I wanted.
I nodded, then bent, sliding papers and a few personal items into a cardboard box I had tucked under my desk this morning, because I knew it'd come to this.
Jackson shifted beside me, his voice dropping. Clearly, he didn't like the spot I had put him in. "Do you... want me to help you with that?"
I straightened, gave him a sharp look. "That's not how it works...I'll see you later."
Silence stretched. Dozens of eyes burned into my back as I walked through the hall with the box in my arms, head high.
Jackson had staged the circus of firing me in front of the employees. They would spread it like wildfire, just as planned, and father would hear of it soon enough. He would think he'd won.
Let him think that.
That evening, I met Jackson at his place for drinks since we publicly had a fallout.
"Bess from HR thinks I've ruined us by firing you," he laughed, shaking his head.
"Good. Let them all think that. Since my father wants a show, I'll give him one," I said.
Jackson grinned. "Look on the bright side. You get to work from home, go on a honeymoon... Celeste seems like a nice, simple lady. A contrast to all those stuck-up photos of her plastered on the internet."
I scoffed. "There's nothing simple about that woman."
He raised an eyebrow. "What's on your mind, Lucien? You've barely said a word."
I leaned forward. "There's this building around... in the Lower East Side. Brick exterior, slightly worn but will survive, small shop
spaces on the first floor, loft apartments above."
"The Danbury's?"
"Yes," I nodded.
He laughed, like I had said something funny. "Wait a minute, I tabled this deal a couple of months back, and you brushed it off. You said that area didn't have potential. Now you're interested?" I could hear the frustration in his voice.
"Is there a problem?"
"Yes!" He snapped. "That building? The Titan's already got their claws on it as we speak!"
I took a sip of my drink. "Then you will probably learn how to declaw."
He scoffed, fingers raking through his hair in annoyance. "You can't be serious!"
I ignored him. "We need to move fast. Offer them double what they've been offered if we have to. Lock it down before they even think about it."
He leaned forward. "Mind telling you why you've suddenly changed your mind?"
Because Celeste loves that place.
"When have I not, Jackson. I said, finishing my drink. "Let's just get it done."
He stared at me, dumbfounded. "You're reckless, you know that?"
I let the words hang because he was right, because, for the first time, this wasn't about profit or strategy,
It was about her.