Not his first choice

chapter 5

Lucian's POV

The door shut behind her with a soft click.

I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin as I stared at the list she had just handed me. The crisp paper felt heavier than it should have—Sienna’s precise handwriting filling every line with names I barely recognized.

My eyes skimmed over the first few: Vivienne Lancaster. Eleanor Hayes. Camilla Davenport.

I should have been relieved. Should have been satisfied that she’d completed the task without issue, without hesitation. Yet something about the way she’d handed it to me—so professional, so… detached—left an unsettling feeling in my chest.

Sienna never hesitated. She anticipated my every need, understood my preferences better than anyone. But today, she hadn’t met my gaze as she set the list down. Her expression had been unreadable, her voice steady but lacking its usual warmth.

I shouldn’t care.

It didn’t matter how she felt about this. She was my secretary, and this was just another assignment. Another decision to make for the company, for my future.

Yet, as I glanced back at the door she had walked out of, an unfamiliar sense of unease settled in my gut.

Shaking it off, I turned my attention back to the list, scanning the names again. My grandfather would want me to make a decision soon. The logical choice would be someone poised, elegant—someone who could fit into my world seamlessly.

My gaze landed on Camilla Davenport.

A good match. On paper, at least.

We had known each other in passing through business circles, and she was everything expected of a Sterling wife—polished, well-bred, ambitious.

I tapped my fingers against the desk, considering my next move. I needed to make a decision quickly before my grandfather started pressing harder.

Still, despite the logic behind the choice, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

Not about Camilla.

About Sienna.

Why did it feel like something had shifted when she walked out that door?

And why did I suddenly have the irrational urge to call her back?

I exhaled sharply, shaking off the thought as I reached for my phone.

This wasn’t complicated. I had a date tonight—one I should be focusing on instead of whatever was distracting me right now.

Pulling up Camilla’s number, I typed out a simple message:

Dinner tonight? I’ll have reservations set.

I barely had time to set my phone down before it buzzed with her reply.

Of course. 8 PM?

Efficient. Straight to the point. No unnecessary pleasantries.

That should have reassured me. Instead, it only reminded me of how different she was from—

I clenched my jaw, cutting that thought off before it could form fully.

8 PM. I’ll send the details.

I tossed my phone onto the desk and leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. This was the right choice. It made sense. Camilla was intelligent, accomplished, and from the right family. She wouldn’t make demands, wouldn’t complicate things.

So why did I still feel that lingering discomfort in my chest?

My gaze flicked toward the door again.

I shouldn’t call her back.

Shouldn’t question why Sienna had seemed so… distant.

But for the first time in years, I felt like I’d missed something. And that thought unsettled me more than I cared to admit

I forced myself to focus on the rest of my work, drowning in contracts and acquisition reports until the numbers blurred together. Efficiency had always been my strength—compartmentalization, an art I’d perfected over the years. But tonight, it wasn’t working.

Every so often, my mind drifted back to Sienna. The list. The way she’d walked out of my office without a second glance.

By the time I checked the time, it was nearly 7:30 PM.

I pushed back from my desk and headed to my penthouse to change. The driver was already waiting downstairs when I emerged in a sharp black suit, my tie fastened with practiced ease.

As the car pulled up to the restaurant, I spotted Camilla before I even stepped out. She was waiting by the entrance, poised and effortlessly elegant in a fitted red dress that hugged her curves. Her dark blonde hair was styled in loose waves, and her lips curved into a knowing smile as I approached.

"Lucian," she greeted smoothly, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."

"Not likely," I replied, placing a hand on the small of her back as I led her inside.

The maître d' seated us at a secluded table, the dim lighting casting a warm glow over the space. It was the perfect setting for an important discussion—intimate but controlled, exactly the kind of environment I preferred.

Camilla crossed her legs, swirling the wine in her glass as she studied me. "So, I assume you didn’t invite me here just for a casual catch-up."

Straight to business. Another reason she was a logical choice.

"I didn’t," I admitted, setting my glass down. "You’re aware of my grandfather’s expectations."

She raised a perfectly sculpted brow. "That you settle down?"

I inclined my head. "He’s made it clear he wants me to marry. And you’re at the top of the list."

Camilla let out a soft, almost amused hum. "I expected as much."

I studied her reaction carefully. No surprise, no hesitation—just calculated interest.

"I know what this would be," she continued, tilting her head slightly. "A marriage of mutual benefit. No unnecessary emotions. No complications."

"Exactly," I said, nodding.

"And in return?" She leaned in, her gaze sharp. "What do I get out of this, Lucian?"

I wasn’t naïve. Camilla was ambitious, and she wouldn’t agree to this unless it served her as well.

"You’d be the future Mrs. Sterling. A seat beside me, access to everything that comes with it." I let my gaze hold hers. "Power. Influence."

Her lips curled. "It’s a tempting offer."

I leaned back, waiting for her to continue.

"But?" I prompted when she didn’t.

She smirked. "I’ll need time to think."

I nodded once. "Take your time. But don’t take too long."

Camilla lifted her glass in silent agreement, but as I took a sip of my own drink, I felt the weight of something unspoken hanging in the air.

And despite my best efforts to ignore it, Sienna’s face flashed in my mind again.