Lucien POV
She avoided me for three days.
Not completely.
Aria still served our table because her manager assigned her there, but the easy softness between us had disappeared. She became careful again.
Guarded.
Every time our eyes met, she looked away too quickly.
I hated it more than I should have.
“She’s pulling back,” Theo observed while sipping coffee.
“I noticed.”
Damien smirked. “Congratulations. You scared the poor girl.”
I leaned back silently, watching Aria place desserts at another table.
After what happened with those girls, I understood why she was distancing herself.
People around me were ruthless.
Everything became gossip.
And Aria clearly hated attention.
But instead of making me lose interest, it only made me more certain about one thing.
She was nothing lik
