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Lucien paced before the door, waiting for it to be opened.

Kendall could be pissed at him if she wanted, but he’d be damned if he sat in his car any longer.

He’d chosen to be civil by waiting for Liam to leave. Once Kendall was alone, he’d come up and have a mature conversation with her. He’d apologize if he had to, and then convince her to leave the creep's house.

But then Liam never came out of the apartment. Lucien had been waiting for over an hour. He’d called Sabrina countless times, insisting that she check on Kendall. But, of course, his daughter had just told him to mind his business.

So, unable to take it any longer, he’d come inside. Security hadn’t been a problem.
With a curse, he raised a fist, knocking on the door again.

“Okay!” came a muffled, annoyed reply.

The door was wrenched open, and Liam stood in the doorway, staring out at him.

He sighed. “What the hell? What are you doing here, Mr Sinclair? How did you get in?”

Lucien frowned, studying the young man’s appearance. “Where’s Kendall?”

“Kendall’s fine. We’re… busy.”

“Let me see her.” Lucien had a bad feeling in his gut. He needed to see her to make sure she was okay. He wasn’t being possessive, he told himself. Only protective. He’d do the same thing for Sabrina.

Despite being visibly annoyed, Liam forced a smile. “That might be difficult right now. She’s… naked in my bed.”

Lucien’s heart stopped. Staring at Liam, he found himself unable to speak.

Liam grinned, satisfied at the look on Sinclair’s face. “Still wanna see her?”

Fighting the urge to throttle the kid, Lucien clenched his jaw. But before he could say anything further, a muffled sound reached his ears. A dull, repetitive thumping.
He frowned. “What the hell is that?”

“What?” Liam was quick to say. “Probably a neighbour. Look, Mr Sinclair, we’re really busy. Good night, Sir.”

A door slammed somewhere inside the apartment. “Lucien!”

Not a second after his name was screamed, the front door came slamming toward Lucien. He lunged forward, shoving his shoulder against the door.

It flew open, throwing Liam back into the wall. With a groan, the kid dropped to the floor, but Lucien didn’t care.
He was already rushing into the apartment. “Kendall?”

He found her, crumpled on the floor before a broken door, like all the strength had drained from her. Her gaze rose to his, tears glistening on her face.

“Kendall!” He crashed to the floor beside her, both hands cupping her face as his urgent gaze roamed over her, checking that she was unharmed. “What the fuck did he do to you?”

She was cold, shaking. He noted her bruised lip and then noticed the missing buttons on her shirt.
Lucien froze.

Fury, like flaming lava scorching the earth’s surface in a fiery river, slowly crept into his veins. His jaw tightened, his face trembling as he battled to contain the catastrophe within.
“Kendall,” he muttered tightly, voice dark with murderous intent. “Did he hurt you?”

Liam scrambled into the room, screeching to a halt behind Lucien. “No, I didn’t!” he yelled.

Her hands, trembling, curled around Lucien’s wrists, holding onto him like she was afraid he’d vanish.
“Did he hurt you?” Lucien repeated, staring into her eyes.

Biting her bottom lip, Kendall found herself afraid to confirm it. Why? She’d done nothing wrong; she had nothing to fear.
But… what if Lucien blamed her for it all?

It wouldn’t be the first time someone looked at her pain and saw it as her fault. She didn’t think she could survive that again. Not from him.
But, still. She couldn’t lie. Not for Liam, of all people!

Swallowing hard, she nodded.

Not a second after Kendall had that thought, she jerked back, startled as Lucien spun around and lunged toward Liam.
The kid barely had enough time to blink before Lucien’s fist connected, knocking his head back.

Blood sprayed out, and Liam crashed to the floor, scrambling away as Lucien loomed over him, slowly following him across the room. It was animalistic and terrifying; there was murderous intent in every step he took.

Liam, clutching his nose, stared up at him with terror-filled eyes. His chest was tight, his mind going blank as he was suffocated by Lucien’s presence. It felt like certain death.
With a tightly loaded fist, Lucien grabbed Liam’s collar, arm snapping back for the punch.

“Stop!” Kendall’s voice broke through the scene. “Please, just… don’t. Please.”

Faces inches apart, Lucien stared into Liam’s eyes as his fist trembled with restraint. His blood was boiling, stomach rolling with revulsion.
To Liam, it felt like a miracle when Lucien shoved him away, letting him drop to the ground.

Turning away, he marched past Kendall and started throwing doors open, searching until he found her suitcase. He grabbed her stuff and marched out.
Stopping beside her, Lucien raised her to her feet and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

He started leading her out and then paused where Liam was still sitting pathetically on the floor, glaring down at him in disgust.
“You’ll hear from me,” Lucien muttered furiously.

With that, he led Kendall out of the apartment and away from the creep inside of it.


The drive was silent.

Kendall wasn’t trembling anymore. She was so relieved, she could cry. And she was grateful Lucien had come, but was slightly too scared to tell him so.
He was practically vibrating with rage beside her. Cautiously glancing at him, she pursed her lips.

She gathered courage and turned slightly toward him, deciding to break the ice.
“Uhm… so… earlier, w-when I called you Lucien. Sorry about that.”

He didn’t say anything.

He hadn’t said a word since they’d left the apartment. Kendall bit her lip, anxiously turning away. Why did it feel like he was angry at her? He did blame her, didn’t he?
Her fingers tugged anxiously at each other.

“Th-thank you for saving me,” she softly said, glancing at him. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come.”

He didn’t even look at her. But Kendall did notice his hard gaze slightly soften. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.

Saddened by his lack of reaction, she joined him in the silence, her stomach churning with unease.

Finally, they reached their destination, and Lucien drove into an underground parking lot where he parked the car.

He got out, took her stuff out, and then opened her door. She blinked at him and then scrambled out of the car. Without a word, he marched away, carrying all her stuff.

She rushed after him, and they got into an elevator. The elevator doors slid shut behind them with a soft swish, sealing them inside the sleek, mirrored interior.

Lucien didn’t say a word. He pulled a slim black keycard from his wallet and tapped it against a discreet panel beneath the buttons. A green light blinked once. Only then did the “PH” button glow.

Her eyes widened when he pressed the button.

He was… taking her to his penthouse.