Young Master Lucien’s Bride

Chapter Nine

Lila’s POV

The restaurant was filled with the city's wealthiest snobs, and every single eye was on us the exact second we walked through the doors. It was disgusting. Women in diamonds and men in tailored tuxedos actually stopped chewing their tiny, overpriced food just to gawk at us. Lucien’s hand was still wrapped firmly around my waist, his palm warm and heavy against the green silk, guiding me through the crowded dining room toward a private booth in the back like he didn't just blackmail me into this life. He looked completely unbothered, his chin held high, while I felt like a prize pony being paraded around for entertainment.

The second we finally sat down in the plush leather booth, the waiter scurried away, and the tension between us became so thick you could literally cut it with a knife.

Lucien sat across from me, adjusting his cuffs, looking perfectly calm. I, on the other hand, was vibrating with pure adrenaline. The panic from the paparazzi outside was fading, instantly replaced by a hot, vengeful anger. He wanted a perfect public dinner? He wanted to show the world his sweet, compliant new bride? Oh, I was determined to play the part of the nightmare wife. If I was trapped in this fake marriage, I was at least going to make it hurt his wallet.

The waiter returned, sweating through his suit, holding a little digital notepad. "Good evening, Mr. Knight, Mrs. Knight. May I start you off with some appetizers or drinks?"

"Yes," I snapped, snatching the leather-bound menu and slamming it flat on the table. I didn't even look at the descriptions or the prices. I just ran my finger down the page, picking the absolute most absurd, ridiculously expensive items I could find. "We'll start with the white truffle caviar, the wagyu beef tartare, and the roasted blue lobster tail. Oh, and bring out a bottle of your most expensive vintage champagne. The one that costs more than a decent used car."

The waiter’s eyes practically popped out of his skull. He glanced nervously at Lucien, his pen hovering over the pad. "Uh... certainly, madam. And for the main course?"

"I'll have the gold-leaf dry-aged rib eye," I said, leaning back and flashing Lucien a sweet, entirely fake smile. "And a side of those matsutake mushrooms. Actually, make it two sides."

I leaned over the table, waiting for the annoyance to finally c***k Lucien's perfect, robotic composure. I wanted him to tell me to calm down. I wanted him to look at least a little bit panicked about the bill.

But Lucien just sat there. He didn't blink. He didn't sigh. Instead, he just watched me with this amused little glint in his dark eyes, his lips twitching into the absolute faintest hint of a smirk. It was a look that made me want to reach across the white tablecloth and kick him right under the table.

"Is that all, sweetheart?" Lucien asked, his voice smooth and dripping with casual mockery. He turned his eyes to the pale waiter. "You heard her. Bring everything she just listed. In fact, just bring two of everything she mentioned. We're celebrating."

"Right away, sir," the waiter squeaked, bowing quickly before turning on his heel and practically sprinting toward the kitchen.

I clamped my jaw shut, glaring at my new husband. "You think this is funny?"

"I think you have expensive taste," Lucien replied smoothly, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. "And since I have an endless bank account, I find it incredibly entertaining that this is your grand plan to punish me."

"I am just getting started," I hissed, leaning forward, so the surrounding tables couldn't hear me. "I am going to make your life a living hell, Lucien. I'll buy out entire designer stores. I'll ruin your reputation. I will be the absolute worst thing that ever happened to the Knight family name."

"I'd like to see you try," he murmured, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch.

I felt a sarcastic, scathing monologue bubbling up in my throat, ready to completely rip his arrogance to shreds. I opened my mouth to launch into it, but as I glanced past his shoulder toward the grand entrance of the dining room, the words completely died in my throat.

My heart completely dropped straight into my shoes.

Standing right by the coat check, looking completely wasted, was Jason.

My body went entirely numb. His hair was a wild mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was wearing a wrinkled button-down shirt that looked like it had been pulled off his bedroom floor. He was staggering slightly, arguing with the hostess who was desperately trying to block him from entering the main dining area.

"Jason," I whispered, the name slipping out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Lucien’s eyebrows knit together. "What?"

Before Lucien could even turn around, Jason’s wild eyes scanned the room, and he spotted me sitting in the back booth. The second his gaze locked onto mine, his face twisted into an expression of pure, ugly fury. He violently shoved past the hostess. Before the restaurant's security guards could even react to the breach, Jason was storming down the center aisle straight toward our table.

"Lila!" Jason screamed, his voice booming through the elegant restaurant. "Lila, you hypocritical little b***h!"

The entire restaurant went dead silent. The clinking of silverware stopped instantly. People at neighboring tables gasped, immediately pulling out their phones to start filming the absolute train wreck unfolding in front of them.

"Jason, please, stop!" I begged, my voice cracking as I tried to shrink back into the leather booth. I felt like I was about to faint from the sheer, suffocating humiliation of it all. Everyone was watching. Everyone was recording.

Jason reached our table, his chest heaving, smelling strongly of cheap beer and stale sweat. He slammed his hand down on the edge of our booth, glaring at me with total disgust.

"Look at you!" Jason yelled, pointing a shaking finger at my emerald dress. "Dressed up like a queen! You sold your soul for a billionaire's bank account, didn't you? You cried to me about your mom, cried about having no choice, and then you immediately ran to his bed the second he threw some cash at your dad! You're disgusting, Lila! A total gold-digging w***e!"

"Jason, that's not true, stop it!" tears instantly blurred my vision, my voice breaking completely.

"Shut your mouth," a new voice commanded.

The tone was so cold, so lethal, it made the temperature in the room feel like it dropped to sub-zero. Lucien slowly stood up from his seat. He didn't look angry; he looked like a predator that had just decided its prey wasn't worth the effort to chase. His face was a blank, terrifying mask of stone.

"Get out of my restaurant, Jason," Lucien said, his voice dangerously low, vibrating with a quiet rage that made my skin crawl. "Before I have my men throw you out onto the pavement."

"Oh, the big bad CEO is going to protect his bought-and-paid-for little housewife?" Jason let out a harsh, volatile laugh, his face turning bright red. He looked completely out of his mind with jealousy and alcohol. "You think you own her, Lucien? She was mine first! She wore my clothes, she slept in my bed, and she'll never love a monster like you!"

"Jason, stop it, please!" I sobbed, covering my face with my hands.

Jason didn't listen. He spun around, his eyes landing on a service tray that a terrified waiter had abandoned on a nearby stand. Sitting on the tray was a freshly poured, full glass of heavy red wine. Jason’s face twisted into something wicked. He grabbed the stem of the glass, lifting it high, and looked like he was about to throw the staining liquid right into my face.

I flinched, closing my eyes tightly and bracing for the impact.

But it never came.

Lucien moved faster than a lightning strike. Before Jason could even flick his wrist, before a single drop of wine could spill onto the white tablecloth, Lucien lunged across the space. His large hand shot forward, catching Jason violently by the wrist, freezing his arm mid-air with a grip that looked like iron.

Jason let out a sharp cry of pain, his fingers instantly loosening as Lucien squeezed. The wine glass rattled dangerously, but Lucien caught the base with his other hand, setting it down perfectly on the table without dropping a single spill.

"I told you to shut your mouth," Lucien whispered, his face inches from Jason's. His eyes were completely black with fury. "And you are never, ever going to touch my wife.”