Chapter Four
942 Words
Lucian’s POV
Two Years Later
Lucian stood across the street from St. Mary’s Hospital.
Watching her.
Again.
The evening crowd moved around him, cars passed by, and life continued like nothing unusual was happening.
But for Lucian, everything stopped when he saw her.
Through the glass entrance, he watched her move through the emergency ward.
Dr. Mekilda.
The name suited her now.
A faint smile touched his lips.
She had done it.
She had become exactly what she always wanted.
The girl who once worked endless shifts at Steamy Chicken Restaurant was gone.
In her place stood a woman shaped by discipline and purpose.
Strong.
Independent.
Beautiful.
Everything she was meant to be.
Lucian slipped his hands into his coat pockets.
He should leave.
He knew that.
But he never did.
Not when it came to her.
A voice came from beside him.
“Sir.”
Mark.
His most trusted man.
Lucian didn’t respond.
Mark followed his gaze.
“You’ve been standing here for three hours.”
Lucian didn’t look at him.
“So?”
Mark sighed. “Normal men don’t do that.”
Lucian’s eyes stayed fixed ahead.
“I’m not normal.”
Mark shook his head.
For a man feared across half the underworld, Lucian could be strangely stubborn when it came to one thing.
Her.
“Why don’t you just talk to her?” Mark asked.
Lucian didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes stayed on her.
She was speaking to an elderly patient, smiling softly, completely unaware of the weight of the eyes watching her from across the street.
“No,” Lucian finally said.
“Why?”
Lucian’s voice lowered.
“Because the moment I step back into her life, she becomes a target.”
Silence followed.
Neither of them argued that.
Because it was true.
Lucian wasn’t just dangerous.
He was connected to something far worse.
Something old.
Something feared.
His father.
The Mafia King.
A man the world didn’t just respect.
They feared him.
They called him—
The Devil.
Lucian exhaled slowly.
Anyone close to him got pulled into that darkness eventually.
Everyone.
Even her.
Especially her.
The memory of that rainy night flickered in his mind.
Blood on the street.
Rain mixing with silence.
And her.
A stranger who should have walked away.
But didn’t.
She saved him.
Twice.
Lucian reached into his wallet and pulled out a worn photograph.
Mekilda and her mother.
Smiling.
Alive.
Normal.
A life that felt like another world entirely.
Mark noticed the faint change in his expression.
“That smile of yours is dangerous,” Mark said quietly.
Lucian didn’t look away.
“What, I smiled?”
Mark nodded once.
“The last time you laughed like that… a whole village went silent.”
Lucian finally glanced at him.
“…It was an accident.”
Mark raised a brow.
“That’s not what they said.”
A brief silence.
Then Lucian smirked faintly.
“Only once.”
Mark didn’t reply. He didn’t need to.
Because they both knew what Lucian meant.
Once was already too much.
The hospital doors suddenly opened.
Lucian’s attention shifted instantly.
Mekilda stepped out.
His focus tightened.
She looked tired.
Her white coat hung loosely over her shoulders, a few strands of hair falling from her tie.
Yet she still carried herself with calm confidence.
A young doctor followed behind her.
He said something.
She smiled.
Lucian’s jaw tightened slightly.
Mark noticed immediately.
“Oh no.”
“What?” Lucian asked without looking away.
“That look again.”
“What look?”
Mark sighed.
“The one where you pretend you don’t care.”
Lucian exhaled slowly.
“I don’t.”
Mark didn’t argue.
The man said something else, and Mekilda laughed lightly before waving him off.
He left.
Mekilda turned and walked alone toward the parking lot.
Lucian found himself relaxing slightly.
Which irritated him more than it should have.
He had survived wars.
Ambushes.
Betrayals.
But one woman walking across a parking lot made him lose focus.
Pathetic.
Mark crossed his arms.
“Say it.”
Lucian glanced at him.
“Say what?”
“That you’re leaving.”
“I am.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
Mark smirked.
“And you’re not following her again?”
Lucian didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Mark sighed under his breath.
Before he could say anything else—
His phone rang.
The shift was immediate.
No teasing.
No humor.
Just silence.
Mark answered.
His expression changed within seconds.
Lucian noticed instantly.
“What is it?”
Mark didn’t speak right away.
When he finally did, his voice was lower than usual.
“…Sir.”
Lucian’s gaze sharpened.
“Speak.”
Mark swallowed.
“It’s the palace.”
Lucian went still.
Mark hesitated again.
Then said it.
“The King is missing.”
A pause.
Lucian’s eyes darkened.
“…My father?”
Mark nodded once.
“The Devil hasn’t been seen since last night.”
Silence.
Across the street, Mekilda kept walking toward her car, unaware of anything changing.
But Lucian wasn’t looking at her anymore.
His world had just shifted.
Not because of love.
But because power itself had cracked.
And the man who ruled it all…
was gone.
Mark tightened his grip on the phone.
“There’s more,” he added quietly.
Lucian’s voice dropped.
“What.”
A beat of silence.
Then—
Mark spoke.
“…You’re needed at the palace. Now.”
Lucian slowly turned away from the hospital.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“I’m coming.”
And as he walked away—
For the first time in years…
Lucian didn’t look back at her
- Writer
