Chapter 4 – Lucien Devereuxl
587 Words
Lucien POV
“Are you planning to burn a hole through the waitress with your eyes?”
Damien’s voice barely registered in my head.
I continued staring toward the kitchen doors where Aria had disappeared moments ago.
Aria.
The name lingered strangely in my mind.
I didn’t understand why.
I had met countless women before—models, actresses, daughters of politicians and billionaires. Beautiful women practically threw themselves at me wherever I went.
None of them had ever held my attention longer than a few minutes.
Yet somehow, one exhausted waitress carrying coffee had managed to distract me completely.
Interesting.
“She’s pretty,” Xavier admitted while sipping his drink. “But this level of attention from you is terrifying.”
Theo adjusted his glasses calmly. “You’ve looked bored for months. Maybe your heart finally works.”
I ignored them.
My eyes shifted toward the rain-covered windows of Rosewood Bistro.
Coming back to Country E after months abroad should have felt satisfying. Instead, the endless business meetings, expectations, and family pressure only made me more irritated.
Everyone wanted something from me.
Investors.
Media.
Women.
My parents.
Especially my parents.
“You’re quiet,” Damien observed carefully.
“I’m thinking.”
“That alone is dangerous.”
Normally, I would have smirked at his joke.
Tonight, I didn’t.
Because for the first time in a long while, my thoughts weren’t consumed by business.
They kept returning to the girl with tired eyes and a pencil tucked behind her ear.
A pencil.
Who even carried pencils around anymore?
Most people chased appearances. Expensive things. Attention.
But there had been something real about her.
Something painfully unpolished.
“You know,” Xavier said casually, “she looked nervous the second she realized who you were.”
Of course she did.
The Devereux name always changed people’s behavior.
Fear.
Greed.
Obsession.
I hated all of it.
But Aria…
Her reaction felt different.
Like she wanted to avoid attention instead of gaining from it.
The kitchen doors opened again.
My attention moved instantly.
Aria stepped out carefully balancing trays of food while another waitress rushed beside her. A loose strand of dark hair had escaped near her face, and she looked completely unaware that half the restaurant was staring at her.
Including me.
“She’s your type?” Damien asked curiously.
I finally spoke.
“I don’t have a type.”
Theo nearly laughed. “That’s exactly what men say before ruining their lives over a woman.”
I leaned back against the booth silently.
Maybe.
But something about her already felt dangerous.
Not because she was seductive.
Not because she was trying to impress me.
Quite the opposite.
She looked like someone fighting to survive.
And somehow, that pulled me toward her even more.
A loud ringtone suddenly interrupted the table.
I glanced at my phone.
Mother.
Annoyance settled immediately.
“She found you already?” Xavier muttered sympathetically.
I answered coldly. “What?”
“Where are you?” Beatrice Devereux asked sharply. “Your father wants you home tonight.”
“I’m busy.”
“With what?”
My gaze lifted toward Aria again.
“…Dinner.”
My mother paused suspiciously.
“Since when do you waste time eating in bistros?”
I ended the call without answering.
Damien whistled softly. “You’re in trouble.”
“I’m always in trouble.”
But strangely, tonight didn’t feel unbearable anymore.
For the first time since returning home, something had finally caught my interest.
And her name was Aria Monroe.
- Writer
