Three Beeps
1147 Words
Chapter Three
A gunshot.
Bang...!!!
Silence.
“Lucian…”
The voice was faint.
Distant.
Almost swallowed by the darkness.
“Lucian…”
A clock began to sound.
Beep!!!!
Trembling hands.
Beep!!!.
A sharp breath.
Beep!!!
Then—
BOOM.....!!!!
Lucian’s eyes snapped open.
He sat upright in bed, breathing heavily.
For several seconds, he remained still.
Sweat covered his forehead, and his chest rose and fell beneath his black shirt.
The same dream.
Again.
Lucian dragged a hand across his face before getting out of bed.
He walked toward the window and opened it.
Cold morning air brushed against his skin.
He reached for his cigarette case.
A moment later, smoke filled his lungs.
He exhaled slowly, watching it disappear into the darkness.
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
There was no amusement in it.
Only pain.
His eyes remained fixed on the city.
“Coward.”
The word left his lips quietly.
His jaw tightened.
For a brief moment, the memory threatened to return.
The gunshot.
The trembling hands.
That voice calling his name.
Then the explosion.
Lucian’s fingers tightened around the cigarette.
He barely noticed the heat.
After a moment, he crushed it into the ashtray.
He had buried that memory years ago.
He wasn't going to dig it up now.
Valenti Corporation..........
Later that morning, Mr. Valenti sat inside the main conference room of his company.
Several potential investors surrounded the long glass table.
The Valenti Corporation was preparing for a major expansion, and they needed the right investor to help take the company to the next level.
Mr. Valenti adjusted the documents in front of him.
“We're looking for someone interested in long-term growth,” he explained. “Not someone looking for a quick return.”
One of the investors nodded.
“We've reviewed the company's projections. They're impressive.”
Another glanced at his notes.
“We also heard you've been in contact with Lucian.”
Mr. Valenti nodded.
“Yes.”
He had heard about the man.
Young!!!...Wealthy!!!...Powerful!!!
And extremely selective about the businesses he invested in.
He was known simply as Lucian.
He rarely used the Moretti name in business.
The conference room doors opened.
Lucian walked in.
Mr. Valenti looked up.
Something about him felt strangely familiar.
He couldn't explain why.
Lucian took his seat without wasting time.
“Let's begin.”
His voice was calm.
The meeting continued.
One of the investors presented their projections.
Lucian looked through the figures.
“That number is inflated.”
The investor hesitated.
“Excuse me?”
“You're projecting growth based on a market that no longer exists.”
He turned another page.
“And your second-quarter estimate is unrealistic.”
The man shifted uncomfortably.
Lucian continued through the proposal, questioning almost every assumption.
He wasn't rude.
He simply wasn't easy to convince.
Mr. Valenti watched him carefully.
There was something unsettlingly familiar about the way he spoke.
The way he examined every detail.
The way he seemed to notice things everyone else overlooked.
Eventually, Mr. Valenti leaned back.
“You seem particularly difficult to convince.”
Lucian lifted his eyes.
“I'm not difficult.”
A pause.
“I simply don't invest in things I don't trust.”
Lucian's gaze drifted toward the antique clock standing against the wall.
He pointed at it.
“See that?”
Everyone followed his gaze.
“The clock?”
Lucian nodded.
His expression remained calm.
“After three beeps…”
He paused.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
“…boom. I'm out of this place.”
Mr. Valenti frowned slightly.
He wasn't sure whether Lucian was joking.
The meeting continued.
Nobody mentioned the clock again.
Lucian sat quietly, waiting.
Then—
Beep.!!!
Mr. Valenti glanced toward the clock.
Beep.!!!!
Lucian remained completely still.
Beep.!!!!
The third beep sounded.
Lucian immediately closed the file in front of him.
He stood.
Mr. Valenti's eyes widened.
And then it happened.
Those words.
"After three beeps… boom".
Something inside Mr. Valenti jolted.
A shallow memory flashed through his mind.
A voice...
A clock...
Then nothing.
He blinked rapidly.
The memory disappeared.
His fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
Why did that phrase feel familiar?
Lucian picked up his jacket.
Mr. Valenti looked at him.
“Lucian.”
Lucian stopped.
He turned slightly.
Their eyes met.
For one strange moment, Mr. Valenti felt as though he was looking at someone he had known a very long time ago.
But that was impossible.
Wasn't it?
Lucian said nothing.
He simply turned and walked out.
The door closed behind him.
Mr. Valenti remained seated.
He stared at the door.
Where have I seen him before?
He shook his head.
Impossible.
He would have remembered.
Wouldn't he?
Serena
Serena sat at her desk in her room, trying to concentrate on her work.
She had been staring at the same document for several minutes.
Nothing was registering.
Her mind kept drifting somewhere else.
To him.
Lucian.
She remembered his dark hair.
His cold eyes.
The way he had looked directly into hers.
Something about him intrigued her.
She couldn't understand why.
She barely knew him.
Yet she couldn't seem to get him out of her mind.
Then she remembered his words.
Too brave for a Valenti.
Serena frowned.
Was a Valenti supposed to be scared?
Why had he said that?
And more importantly—
How did he know her surname?
She hadn't introduced herself.
She hadn't told him who she was.
So how did he know?
Serena stared at the document in front of her.
For a brief moment, an uncomfortable thought crossed her mind.
Is there something about my family that I don't know?
She immediately dismissed it.
No.
That was ridiculous.
Her family had nothing to hide.
At least, as far as she knew.
Serena sighed and forced herself to focus.
She picked up her pen.
Enough thinking about Lucian Moretti.
She had work to finish.
A few minutes later, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
Xavier.
She answered.
“Hello?”
“Are you busy?”
Serena leaned back in her chair.
“Why?”
“Because we barely got to talk yesterday.”
She smiled.
“That was your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Yes. You spent half the time panicking about Lucian.”
Xavier laughed.
“Okay, maybe.”
“So what do you want?”
“Meet me.”
“Where?”
“There’s an eatery not far from your house. Come have lunch with me.”
Serena hesitated for a moment.
Then smiled.
“Fine.”
“Good. I'll see you soon.”
The call ended.
Serena looked at the time.
She closed her laptop and stood.
Maybe getting out of the house was exactly what she needed.
She walked toward her wardrobe.
And for the first time that day, Lucian Moretti disappeared from her thoughts.
At least for a little while.
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