Inherited sins

UNDER ONE ROOF

Vivienne’s POV

I stared at Lucien for a second before turning away.

“Fine”

I didn’t wait for him to say anything else. I picked up my bag and headed upstairs.

I hated that I could still feel his eyes on me.

The second I reached the hallway, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

What a day .

Just hours ago, I’d been in my father’s office, annoyed because he’d moved my things without telling me. Now I was standing in a penthouse with a man I’d never heard of, trying to understand why my father thought living with a complete stranger was a good idea.

I pushed open the door to the room I believed was mine.

The room was simple, but still beautiful. A large bed sat in the middle, with a dresser against the wall and tall windows that looked out over the city. A few boxes were already stacked neatly in one corner, probably the things my father had moved without bothering to tell me.

Of course Dad had actually moved them.I dropped my bag onto the bed and sat beside it.

For a few seconds, I just stared at the room.

This was supposed to be exciting.

My own place. My own space. No one checking when I came home or asking where I’d been.

Except somehow, my father had managed to ruin the excitement in less than a day.

I started unpacking mostly because I needed something to do.

About twenty minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Sloane.

I smiled when I saw her name.I answered.

“You’re alive.”

“Barely.”

There was a pause.

“What happened?”

I leaned back against the headboard.

“You’re not going to believe me.”

“Try me.”

I hesitated.

“I walked into the penthouse and there was a man living there.”

Silence.

“I’m sorry, what?”

I laughed despite nothing being funny

“Exactly.”

Vivienne, what do you mean there was a man living there?” Sloane asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“I mean exactly what I said. A man, half naked. In the penthouse.”

“Your penthouse?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“The one your father just gave you?”

“Yes.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

“Was he dangerous?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you call the police?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because my father knows him.”

“Your father knows him?” she repeated, sounding even more confused.

“Apparently.”

Sloane went quiet for a second.

“Okay. That’s worse.”

I smiled weakly. “I know.”

“So who is he?”

“Lucien Cole.”

Another pause.

“Wait. Lucien Cole?” she asked.

I frowned. “You know him?”

“Know of him. Obviously.”

“Obviously?” I repeated, rolling my eyes.

“Vivienne, please. Even I know who he is.”

“Great.” I sighed. “So apparently I’m the only person who didn’t get the memo.”

“What’s he like?” she asked.

I thought about it for a moment.

Annoying.Arrogant.Too calm.And unfortunately, very difficult to ignore.

“He’s…”

I stopped.

“What?” Sloane asked.

“Nothing.”

She laughed. “Oh my God.”

“What?” I asked, already knowing where this was going.

“You’re doing that thing.”

I frowned. “What thing?”

“The thing where you pretend you don’t have an opinion because you’re already thinking too much.”

I scoffed. “I’ve known the man for approximately one hour”

“And?” she asked. “And he’s annoying.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

She hummed suspiciously. “Okay.” “Wait, why is Lucien Cole in your penthouse?”

“I don’t know Sloane, dad said something about him also owning the penthouse”

“What?”

I sighed “it’s been a long day”. Sloane let out a loud breath

“Just be careful please”

That made me pause.

“I will”

“And lock your door.”

I glanced toward the bedroom door.“That’s exactly what he told me.”

Sloane went silent. “What?” she finally asked.

“Lucien told me to lock my door.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Vivienne.” Her voice had changed slightly.

“I know.”

I rubbed my forehead, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. The whole situation felt a lot less funny now.

“I’m just tired,” I admitted. “I’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

“Promise you’ll call me?” she asked.

“I promise.”

“And don’t let him scare you.”

I smiled, even though she couldn’t see me.

“I won’t.”

“Good.”

We stayed quiet for a moment.

Then she suddenly asked, “And please tell me he at least has a shirt on now.”

I burst out laughing.

“Sloane!”

“What?” she asked innocently. “I’m asking an important question.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I need details.”

“Goodnight.”

“Wait…”

I ended the call before she could finish.

For the first time all day, I laughed properly.It felt good.

I put my phone down and looked around the room.

I finished unpacking a few things before taking a shower and changing into something comfortable.

When I finally climbed into bed, I expected to fall asleep immediately.

I didn’t.

My mind kept going back to the same questions.

Who exactly was Lucien Cole? Why was he living here?

Why did my father know him?

And why did Lucien act like finding me in this apartment was an inconvenience rather than a surprise?

I stared at the ceiling for a while, replaying the conversation in my head. The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.

Whatever was going on, I knew one thing.

I wasn’t letting it go tomorrow

The next morning, I woke up later than I intended.

For a few seconds, I forgot where I was.

Then I looked around the unfamiliar room and remembered.

The penthouse.

Lucien.

Yesterday.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my face. I really didn’t want to deal with him this early.

Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed.

After getting ready, I headed downstairs.

I could hear something playing from the living room.

When I walked in, I stopped.

Lucien was sitting on the couch, his laptop open in front of him.

He looked nothing like he had yesterday.

He was already dressed, wearing dark trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He glanced up.

“Morning.”

I blinked.

“Morning.”

That felt weird.

Yesterday, I’d thought he was some random stranger who had somehow broken into my home.

Today, I was saying good morning to him like this was normal.

It wasn’t.

I walked toward the kitchen.

“Do you always wake up this early?”

“Usually.”

I opened the fridge.

Then stopped.

The groceries were still there.

I stared at them for a second before remembering why they’d bothered me yesterday.

“You buy all this?”

Lucien looked up from his laptop.

“Some of it.”

“Some?”

“The rest was already here.”

I turned around.

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“You really like saying that.”

He gave a small smile.

“I do.”

I grabbed a bottle of water and closed the fridge.“Do you mind if I make breakfast?”

“It’s your kitchen.”

I looked at him.

“Right.”

I pulled out a pan and started opening cabinets, looking for whatever I could use.

Behind me, I heard him typing on his laptop.

Neither of us said anything for a while.

It was actually kind of nice.

Then his voice cut through the silence.

“Your father called this morning.”

I stopped what I was doing.

“What did he want?” Lucien looked up from his laptop.

Lucien shrugged

I frowned.

“And?” He shook his head. “He said he’d be home tonight.” I told him

“Okay.”

I turned back toward the kitchen.

Then I stopped.

Something about the way Lucien had said “okay” felt weird.

I looked over my shoulder.

“You knew he’d be coming tonight?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

His eyes met mine.

“I just know” I stared at him.

Of course.

Somehow, everyone seemed to know what was happening except me