Dangerous Solace

LUCIEN HALE VERDAN HAD EVERYTHING that ordinary people don't have. The power, money, fame, influence, and a surname capable of opening doors before he even reached them. Siya ang legitimate heir ng Verdan Group. A powerful conglomerate built on generations of wealth, reputation, and carefully guarded secrets. The Verdan family didn’t chase attention. Ito ang kusang lumalapit sa kanila. Sa nakikita ng ibang tao, perpekto ang buhay ni Lucien. Name it—tailored suits, private jets, and the board meeting where executives twice his age listened when he spoke. Perpekto man sa paningin ng iba, pero sa likod ay isang bakal na rehas. Nobody saw the invisible chains around his neck. Every decision had already been made for him before he was old enough to understand them—his education, training, and future. His father called it responsibility. But Lucien called it a prison—an invisible prison. Namatay ang ina ni Lucien, bata pa lamang siya. She only leaves behind memories that faded a little more each year. Soon after, his father remarried. Later, he was sent abroad. At sa batang edad, naintindihan na niya ang laro ng pamilya nila. During his years abroad, he learned how to fight, to shoot, and how to survive, and most importantly, he learned how to obey. At nang bumagsak sa crisis ang Verdan Group, pinabalik siya ng kaniyang ama upang pamahalaan ang Verdan Group. Because it was his mother’s hard work that the Verdan Group was thriving before, he did everything he could to solve the financial crisis of the company. Pero nang muling gumanda ang takbo ng kumpanya, his father let his half-brother take over the company. Hanggang isang araw, napagod na siya sa kakasunod sa utos ng kaniyang ama. At twenty-six years old, Lucien began traveling under the excuse of business audits and overseas inspections. His father approved. The board approved. Walang makapagsasabi na hindi siya naghahanap ng pagkakataon upang paluguin ang Verdan Group. No one could tell that he was searching for air—for freedom that was taken away from him since his mother’s death. He was searching for something that belonged to him alone, and he never expected that search would lead him to a woman. “Neriah…” Ang babaeng nakilala niya noong nakaraang araw dito sa London, kung saan siya namalagi. And there was something on her that made him drawn to her. There was an energy on Neriah that caught his attention. Hindi niya ito masyadong kilala. But he could see a genuine person. Neriah could kill; he saw it with his own eyes, but she did that to protect herself. Kapagkuwan, natawa na lamang siya ng mahina nang may maalala siya. Neriah pointed at him, as if announcing a decision. “Lucien Verdan, you are mine.” Literal siyang natigilan. No one had ever claimed him casually like that, lalo na at ito pa lamang ang ikalawang beses na nagkita silang dalawa. Ngumiti si Neriah. “Don’t worry. I’ll take very good care of you.” “What an interesting woman,” he said. Tumayo siya at naglakad palapit sa floor-to-ceiling na bintana sa hotel room na kinaroroonan niya. The way Neriah claimed him, nobody had ever looked at him the way she had that day. She was fearless. But then he compared himself to her. Neriah was an ordinary woman, and he was a man trapped inside a gilded cage. His phone buzzed again in his pocket. Tiningnan niya ito at ganun na lamang ang pagkadismaya niya nang makitang ito ay mula sa kaniyang ama. Another message means another order. Another demand. Napailing na lamang si Lucien. He silenced his phone so no one could disturb him again. Then his gaze drifted toward the photograph lying on the table. A candid picture of him and Neriah. This was taken by Neriah when they were eating at the restaurant. They were laughing at something, but he couldn’t remember it anymore. Neriah might be a stranger to him, but he was more comfortable around her than sitting with his family at the dining table. Tinitigan niya ang larawan nilang dalawa. At hindi niya namalayan na nakangiti na pala siya dahil lamang sa isang simpleng larawan. Or perhaps… at someone. “You're mine, Lucien.” The word echoed in his head. Naipikit niya ang kaniyang mata. The way Neriah says it, as if it were inviting him to do something wild. Mahina siyang bumuntong-hininga saka napailing. Now, his mind was into wild imaginations. And he would never tell a single soul about it. MEANWHILE, Neriah was inside her room and scrolling through the photos she had taken earlier. And like Lucien, she was born into power. But she spent most of her life running from it. At twenty-three, she carried two prestigious family names that could command respect across industries and countries. The Laurent family and the Rios family. Laging nakasuporta ang mga ito sa kaniya mula sa likod. Pero walang gusto si Neriah sa mga ito. Wala siyang pakialam sa mana at titulo. While most people were after it, she preferred train stations, street markets, having random conversations with strangers, and photographs of ordinary people living ordinary lives. Other people chased influence, but Neriah chose to chase stories. Her family often called her reckless, but the truth was far more complicated, because beneath her bright smile and carefree personality, existed something few people knew. She was dangerous. Bata pa lamang siya, itinanim na ng kaniyang magulang na hindi lahat ng tao sa mundo ay mabait at totoo. So, she was trained. She learned self-defense, combat, awareness, and survival. Most people saw sunshine when they looked at Neriah, and very few people noticed the storm hiding underneath. Neriah preferred it that way. After all, people were more honest when they underestimated her. At ‘yon ang gusto ni Neriah—their stories, dreams, fears, and the little piece of humanity hidden beneath masks. At hindi niya inaasahan na mabibighani siya sa isang maskara. A man with calm eyes. Pero sa likod ng kalmado nitong anyo, nakikita ni Neriah ang totoong emosyon ni Lucien. A man hiding his sorrow beneath a polite smile. Unbeknownst to both of them, fate has brought them together. One was raised inside an invisible cage. The other spent her life refusing cages altogether. One carried the weight of expectations, and the other carried freedom like a second heartbeat. Hindi dapat magtagpo ang landas nilang dalawa. Magkaiba ang kanilang mundo at magkaiba ang tinatahak nilang landas. Yet fate has always enjoyed ignoring rules. And somewhere in a crowded city far from home, a man looking for freedom, a woman searching for stories, collided. Neither of them knew it yet. But that single meeting would change everything.