ChapteThre:TheManWhoChoseMe
1318 Words
“Let’s move to the dining room,” Victor said with forced enthusiasm. “Perhaps we can continue this conversation while we wait for your son.”
My stomach twisted.
Wait for your son.
The words echoed inside my head.
So Lucien Laurent wasn’t even here yet.
The man responsible for turning my life upside down hadn’t bothered to show up.
Wonderful.
Soon, everyone was seated around the enormous dining table.
Crystal chandeliers illuminated the room while expensive silverware glimmered beneath the soft lighting.
The atmosphere should have felt elegant.
Instead, it felt like an execution.
Vivienne Laurent and Celeste chatted comfortably.
Armand Laurent and Victor discussed business as if they were old friends.
I sat quietly, pushing food around my plate.
No one noticed.
Or perhaps they simply didn’t care.
Unable to take another second, I rose from my chair.
“Excuse me.”
Without waiting for permission, I left the dining room.
The cool evening air immediately greeted me as I stepped outside.
Finally.
I could breathe.
Crossing my arms tightly over my chest, I walked toward the gardens.
Moonlight bathed the estate grounds in silver.
Normally, I would have admired the view.
Tonight, all I felt was trapped.
Frustrated, I kicked at a patch of grass.
Then another.
And another.
A childish reaction.
But at that moment, I didn’t care.
I was angry.
At my parents.
At Adrian.
At Chloe.
At Lucien Laurent.
Mostly, I was angry at myself for being powerless.
“Those poor blades of grass.”
I froze.
A masculine voice drifted from behind me.
Deep.
Smooth.
Dangerously amused.
Slowly, I turned around.
My breath caught.
A tall man stood several feet away.
Dark hair.
Sharp jawline.
Tailored black suit.
The moonlight highlighted striking features that looked almost unfairly perfect.
His hands rested casually inside his pockets.
As though he didn’t have a care in the world.
Meanwhile, mine was falling apart.
His lips curved slightly.
“Do you often declare war on innocent landscaping?”
Heat rushed to my face.
Wonderful.
I’d been caught.
“Maybe the grass deserved it.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Silence settled between us.
I should have walked away.
Instead, I remained rooted to the spot.
Something about him felt familiar.
Not because I knew him.
Because I had heard about him.
A lot.
His gaze lingered on me.
Observant.
Calculating.
As if studying every thought passing through my mind.
“Rough evening?”
The question caught me off guard.
I laughed bitterly.
“You could say that.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“Family problems?”
That earned him a sharp look.
“Are you always this nosy?”
“Only when someone looks seconds away from committing murder.”
Despite everything, a small laugh escaped me.
His smile widened slightly.
There it was again.
That strange feeling.
Like I should know him.
Like he already knew me.
I frowned.
“Who are you?”
His expression darkened with amusement.
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
“You’ve spent the entire evening discussing me.”
My stomach dropped.
No.
No way.
The realization hit me instantly.
Lucien Laurent.
My fiancé.
The man who had chosen me.
The man standing directly in front of me.
I suddenly felt very, very stupid.
“You.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“Me.”
I stared.
This wasn’t what I expected.
Not even close.
The rumors painted Lucien Laurent as some ruthless monster.
A cold-hearted king ruling over an empire.
Yet the man standing before me seemed calm.
Dangerous.
But calm.
Which somehow felt worse.
“You’re late.”
His expression remained unchanged.
“I was working.”
The casual answer irritated me.
“Of course.”
A soft chuckle escaped him.
Then his gaze sharpened.
“You don’t want to marry me.”
Straight to the point.
My throat tightened.
“No.”
The answer came easily.
For a moment, he simply watched me.
No anger.
No offense.
No surprise.
As though he’d expected it.
“And why is that?”
I laughed bitterly.
“Do I really need to explain?”
“Humor me.”
I folded my arms.
“I don’t know you.”
A nod.
“Fair.”
“I don’t love you.”
Another nod.
“Also fair.”
“I’m being forced into this.”
For the first time, something flickered behind his eyes.
Gone almost instantly.
But I saw it.
“You think you’re the only one being forced?”
The question surprised me.
I hadn’t considered that.
Still…
“I just want my life back.”
The confession escaped before I could stop it.
His gaze softened slightly.
Only slightly.
Then it disappeared.
Replaced by something unreadable.
“Unfortunately, that’s no longer an option.”
The words felt like a punch.
My chest tightened.
“Then call it off.”
A long silence followed.
Then—
“No.”
The answer was immediate.
Certain.
Absolute.
I felt anger flare inside me.
“Why?”
His eyes locked onto mine.
The intensity nearly made me step back.
Because suddenly this wasn’t amusing anymore.
This was dangerous.
“You really don’t know?”
A chill crawled down my spine.
“What am I supposed to know?”
Lucien took a step closer.
Not enough to invade my space.
Enough to make me nervous.
“Years ago,” he said quietly, “someone shared information about my family.”
My pulse accelerated.
No.
No.
No.
“You told authorities things you should never have known.”
I swallowed hard.
Every nerve in my body screamed.
“I was trying to help my family.”
His expression remained unreadable.
“Were you?”
The simple question hurt more than any accusation.
Because now I wasn’t sure.
My family had convinced me the Laurent empire threatened us.
Convinced me they were dangerous.
Convinced me to act.
And now those same people had handed me over.
Lucien seemed to read the realization on my face.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Exactly.”
I hated that smile.
Because it meant he understood.
Understood just how thoroughly I’d been used.
“Is that why you’re marrying me?”
I whispered.
His eyes held mine.
For several long seconds.
Then—
“No.”
The answer surprised me.
“What?”
“If revenge was my goal, there are far easier ways.”
A chill ran through me.
The terrifying thing?
I believed him.
Lucien Laurent didn’t need marriage to destroy someone.
Power radiated from him effortlessly.
“Then why me?”
His expression became impossible to read.
“You’ll learn eventually.”
I hated that answer.
Before I could respond, his attention shifted.
Toward my wrist.
The bracelet.
Adrian’s bracelet.
The one I’d forgotten to remove.
Something dark flickered across Lucien’s face.
Gone almost immediately.
Yet somehow more frightening than anger.
Without warning, he reached for my hand.
My breath caught.
His fingers wrapped gently around my wrist.
Firm.
Warm.
Certain.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Neither of us spoke.
His thumb brushed across the engraved initials.
A and E.
His jaw tightened.
Then, with one smooth movement, he unclasped it.
The bracelet slipped free.
Falling into his hand.
My eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
Lucien stared at the piece of jewelry for a moment.
Then dropped it into a nearby trash bin.
Just like that.
Gone.
His gaze returned to mine.
Steady.
Possessive.
Dangerously calm.
“You won’t be needing that anymore.”
My heart skipped.
Not because of what he said.
Because of how he said it.
As though the decision had never been mine to make.
As though I already belonged to him.
And somehow, standing beneath the moonlight with Lucien Laurent staring at me like that, I realized something terrifying.
This marriage was happening.
And nothing I did was going to stop it.
- Writer
