Chapter 78 Tomorrow The World Will See Her As Mine
Lorenzo’s POV
The door opened.
Gideon stepped in, tall and solid, his presence cutting through the tension already boiling in the room. He paused the moment he felt it, his eyes remained steel like he was waiting for permission to speak.
Kim said nothing.
She looked at Gideon first, then slowly turned her gaze to me. Her eyes burned, dark and sharp, filled with something ugly. Rage. Frustration. She didn’t need to speak again. I could hear everything she wanted to say screaming behind her silence.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Then she spun on her heel and stormed out, the door slamming so hard it rattled the shelves. The sound echoed long after she was gone.
I exhaled in relief.
Gideon waited a beat before speaking. He shut the door properly this time and turned to face me.
“She’s furious, is anything the matter, boss?” he asked carefully.
“Nah. Nothing I can’t handle,” I replied, my hand lifting in a dismissive wave.
He studied me for a moment, as if weighing his words, then closed the distance between us.
“Lucifer….. it concerns the charity gala,” he said again. “It’s that time of the year, and I’m here to seek your permission to carry out the preparations.”
I rolled my eyes and dropped back into my chair, giving it a lazy spin.
“No.” The word left my mouth before he even finished his sentence.
Gideon didn’t blink, from his face it was obvious he wasn’t ready to take that as an answer.
“We don’t have to,” I added. My head tilted with all seriousness, arms crossing over my chest. “There will be no party. Not now. Not with Evelyn here.”
He cleared his throat intentionally. “But Lucifer……”
“I repeat again no. Let everyone wait till next year, this is not a good moment for granting deals.” My voice dropped, sharp and final. “I won’t have the estate crowded. Not when Evelyn might see it as an opportunity to disappear into the noise. I’m sure Nolan will not seize the opportunity to carry out his plans about running away with her.”
Gideon exhaled slowly, he tried to speak but swallowed up immediately. After a short silence he came up with his words.
“With respect, Lucifer.” he said, choosing his words carefully, “this gala isn’t optional and we both know that.”
I turned my head sharply. “Everything is optional when I say it is.”
He met my gaze without flinching. “Not this one, boss. You have to think about it very well before making this decision.”
Of course Gideon will always have to remind me of the consequences of disobeying rules.
My own rules.
If I cancel this yearly event, a lot will fall apart. This isn’t just some party, it’s something I’ve been doing for as long as I’ve existed. Year after year, people from all over America come together, with their wishes written on pieces of paper and hoping I’ll choose them.
I always do. I pick the ones I can grant. But nothing comes for free.
Every wish comes with a deal. A deal sealed in blood. They write down the name of the person they’re willing to sacrifice in exchange for what they want. Power. Love. Revenge. Freedom. They know the price, and they pay it without any other options.
Now the problem is this. If I cancel it, they’ll believe the news about me losing my power, which I have being trying to hide for so long. If they find out they will all call me weak. And once people believe that, everything changes.
My enemies will poison their minds and plant the strength of war against me in them.
If I stop this event now, they won’t just walk away disappointed. They’ll come looking for answers. They’ll come to challenge me.
I pushed off the desk and paced the room, my boots scraping against the floor. “We can come up with excuses, can’t we?”
“Maybe we could cause chaos somewhere in the country, something big enough to pull their attention away. Before they even realize it, they’ll forget about this year and start hoping for the next one.”
“The people are wiser now,” Gideon replied, “I believe they have been waiting for this opportunity to confirm the rumors that have been spreading and if you cancel it right now then it will only mean one thing.”
Rumors?
I stopped pacing. “What rumor again?”
He continued, steady now. “They now believe that you have found Delilah.”
“No.” I groaned. “How did the news get out?”
He eased his shoulder slightly, but his face was still that steel. “I don’t actually know, but from what I have gathered, I still believe someone here still shared the news.”
“And we need to move fast, before they find out it’s Kim. All they want is someone to rule beside you. They don’t care who it is. So I suggest you present Ms. Martins. Once you get your powers back, you can fake her death, send her out of the country, and tell the people she died of natural causes.”
I dragged a hand down my face and went back to my desk, perching at the edge while my gaze focused on Gideon.
“Is that even possible, will it be convincing enough?”
Yes boss.” He cut in sharply. “You only need to give them hope. In return, they give you loyalty.”
I scoffed. “I don’t need loyalty bought with wine and music.”
“No,” Gideon said, “you earn it by reminding them who you are.”
I turned away to the window view.
“They see you as their God on earth,” he went on. “The one who listens. The one who provides. The one who grants what no other power can. Canceling the gala won’t just disappoint them. It will shake their faith.”
My jaw tightened.
“I don’t care,” I said. “They can all rot in hell for all I care.”
“And what happens when they decide you’re hiding something?” Gideon asked quietly.
“Ohhh. Fuck!”
I dragged a hand down my face, exhaustion settling deep into my bones. Every path felt poisoned. Every choice cut something open.
“So you see,” Gideon said softly, “presenting Ms. Martins is the lesser risk.”
I let out a slow, bitter breath.
“So what you mean is that I should make her my woman in front of the people?” I muttered. “Like I should crown her the First Lady of my empire when we know that she wouldn’t want that.”
“People don’t need to know what she wants,” Gideon said. “Only what you claim.”
I looked up at him, anger flashing. “This could put her at risk. Most of my enemies will now come after her.”
“We are here to protect her, boss.”he replied. “It will only last for a year and all this will be over.”
I went speechless without knowing what else to say.
I walked to the window and stared out at the dark estate grounds. Tomorrow, it would be filled with lights. Laughter. Strangers. Eyes watching everything.
Evelyn’s face crossed my mind. Her defiance. Her fear. The way she looked at me like she was always planning an escape, even when she claims that she wants to be close to me.
She would hate this.
But hating me had never stopped her from surviving.
If I don't present her, I will be forced to introduce Kim as Delilah. And that was the last thing I refused to accept.
I turned back to Gideon.
“Fine,” I said at last.
Relief flickered across his face, quickly masked by professionalism.
“We’ll host the gala,” I continued. “Tomorrow night.”
Gideon nodded. “And Ms. Martins?”
My voice hardened. “She’ll stand beside me.”
His head arched to level with mine. “As….?”
“My woman,” I said firmly. “The First Lady of my empire.” The words tasted strange in my mouth, but it is what it is for now.
Gideon bowed his head slightly. “We will begin the arrangements.”
“Do one more thing,” I added.
“Yes?”
“Tell Patrica to get Eve ready,” I said. “Tomorrow’s party won’t wait for her fears.”
Gideon hesitated. “And if she refuses?”
A slow smile curved my lips, dark and knowing.
“She won’t,” I said. “Just don’t tell her what it is all about. I want to take her off guard.”
Gideon responded finally and left the office.
When the door closed behind him, I stood alone in the silence.
Tomorrow, the world would see Evelyn as mine and I would pray she survived it.