Aria POV
Something was wrong.
The moment Lucien stepped into my apartment the night before, I knew it.
He smiled when he saw me.
But it wasn't a real smile.
It looked forced.
Painful.
As if he was carrying a burden too heavy to share.
And that frightened me.
Because Lucien Devereux was not a man who frightened easily.
---
The next morning, I woke up with a strange feeling in my chest.
Anxiety.
The kind that appears before a storm.
I tried to ignore it.
I had work.
I had sketches to finish.
I had a future to focus on.
But the feeling refused to leave.
By noon, my phone rang.
An unknown number.
Normally, I would ignore it.
For some reason, I answered.
"Hello?"
"Miss Monroe."
My stomach tightened immediately.
Beatrice Devereux.
I recognized her voice instantly.
"Wh
