Chapter 4: Public Enemy
741 Words
The first rule of staying invisible is simple: don’t let anyone look too closely.
Lucien broke that rule before sunrise.
“You’re coming with me.”
I looked up from the kitchen island where I was nursing a mug of coffee that tasted far too expensive for the morning. He stood across from me in a tailored charcoal suit, coat already draped over his arm, expression set in that unreadable way that made it clear this wasn’t a discussion.
“To where?” I asked.
“A board reception.”
I laughed once, sharp and humorless. “Absolutely not.”
He didn’t react. Instead, he slid his phone across the counter toward me.
On the screen was a headline, freshly published.
DISGRACED ANALYST RESURFACES: WHERE IS MAYA HALE NOW?
My stomach dropped.
“They’re sniffing around again,” he said calmly. “You being seen with me shuts that down.”
“You want to use me as a shield.”
“I want to control the narrative,” he corrected. “And so should you.”
I pushed the phone back toward him. “Your board hates me.”
“They don’t know you,” he said. “They know a story. Tonight, they’ll see something else.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to be?” I asked. “Your assistant? Your hostage?”
His gaze lifted slowly, dark and intent.
“My guest.”
The word sat heavy between us.
I should have refused. Every instinct screamed to stay hidden, to stay safe. But the truth was uglier—I was already exposed. And Lucien Blackwell was the only thing standing between me and the wolves.
“Fine,” I said. “But I don’t play pretend.”
He smiled faintly. “You don’t have to. Just don’t contradict me.”
The car ride was silent. The city blurred past the tinted windows as we climbed toward one of the most exclusive hotels in the country. When we stopped, he stepped out first, offering his hand without looking at me.
I hesitated.
“Don’t,” he murmured. “They’re watching.”
So I took his hand.
Cameras flashed instantly. Murmurs rippled through the entrance as we moved together, his palm warm and steady around mine. I hated how natural it felt. Hated that my body adjusted to his presence like it had been waiting for it.
Inside, the air buzzed with wealth and power. Conversations dipped as we passed. Eyes followed us—curious, calculating, suspicious.
“This was a mistake,” I whispered.
“No,” he said quietly. “This is leverage.”
A woman intercepted us near the bar. Tall, elegant, dressed in red silk that screamed confidence and ownership.
“Lucien,” she said, eyes flicking to me with open appraisal. “You didn’t mention bringing company.”
“I don’t report my movements,” he replied coolly. “Elena, this is Maya.”
Elena’s smile sharpened. “Of course. That Maya.”
I stiffened, but Lucien’s hand tightened subtly on my back.
“She’s under my protection,” he said.
The words sent a strange jolt through me.
Elena arched a perfectly groomed brow. “Is that so? I thought you preferred assets you could control.”
“I control what matters,” he said, gaze never leaving Elena’s.
The tension crackled.
As Lucien was pulled into conversation with a board member, Elena leaned closer to me, her voice low.
“Be careful,” she said. “Men like him don’t keep liabilities. They eliminate them.”
I met her stare evenly. “Then I suggest you stop seeing me as one.”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Lucien returned moments later, his jaw tight.
“We’re leaving,” he said.
Outside, the cool night air hit my lungs like freedom. He released my hand once we were inside the car, leaning back with a slow exhale.
“You did well,” he said.
“I was ambushed,” I replied. “By your past.”
His eyes flicked to mine. “She’s irrelevant.”
“People don’t look at irrelevant things the way she looked at me.”
He didn’t respond.
As the city lights stretched before us, I realized something terrifying.
Being seen with Lucien Blackwell didn’t make me safer.
It made me visible.
And visibility, in his world, came at a cost neither of us had calculated yet.
- Writer
