The elevator seemed to shrink around us.
I looked at Lucien.
He didn’t react.
No anger.
No panic.
No disbelief.
Just… silence.
Damien let out a frustrated breath.
“Say something.”
The elevator doors opened.
Lucien stepped out without a word.
We followed him into the underground parking garage.
The air was cool and smelled faintly of rain.
Only when we reached the car did Lucien finally stop.
“They’ve wanted this for years.”
His voice was calm.
“I just didn’t expect them to move this quickly.”
Damien ran a hand through his hair.
“They used your absence against you.”
“I know.”
“They claimed you’d abandoned the company.”
Lucien gave a humorless smile.
“I chose my wife.”
His words caught me off guard.
“You chose me…”
He turned to face me.
“There was nowhere else I was
