CHAPTER 2
1118 Words
For the next hour, I tried my best to focus on the event.
Unfortunately, it wasn't easy.
The gala was still going on, voices blending into soft music, glasses clinking, laughter floating through the air like everything here was perfect.
But my mind wasn’t there anymore.
It kept drifting back.
To him,
Lucien Duro.
I didn’t even like saying the name in my head. It sounded too heavy, too important—like something I shouldn’t be involved with.
I told myself it was nothing.
Just a random encounter.
Just an accident with champagne and embarrassment.
But every time I tried to convince myself, my eyes betrayed me.
They kept searching.
And each time, they found him.
He was never still.
Always surrounded.
Always being watched.
But what unsettled me most… was that sometimes, when I looked at him, he was already looking back.
It made my chest feel tight in a way I didn’t understand.
So I stopped looking.
At least I tried to.
By the time the event was finally coming to an end, I felt exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with physical tiredness.
It was mental.
Emotional.
Like something had shifted inside me without my permission.
I collected my coat quietly, careful not to draw attention, and headed for the exit.
The moment I stepped outside, the cold night air hit my face.
I exhaled slowly.
Finally.
Freedom.
No more music. No more rich voices. No more Lucien Duro.
That was what I told myself.
But then—
A black car pulled up beside the curb.
Slow.
Controlled.
Like they already knew I would be there.
The tinted window rolled down.
And my steps stopped immediately.
Because I recognized him instantly.
Lucien Duro.
Sitting inside like the world belonged to him.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
The street noise faded.
Even the wind felt quieter.
His eyes locked onto mine.
Calm.
Sharp.
Unreadable.
Then he spoke.
“Get in.”
Just one word.
No explanation, No emotion.
My eyebrows pulled together.
“What?”
“I said get in, Zara.”
The way he said my name made something uncomfortable twist in my stomach.
Like it wasn’t just a name to him.
Like it meant something else.
I tightened my grip on my purse.
“You don’t even know me,” I said firmly.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“That’s why I’m offering.”
I blinked.
“That makes no sense.”
“It will.”
The confidence in his voice irritated me.
Like everything in the world, was already decided for him.
Like I was just something he expected to agree.
I took a small step back.
“No,” I said simply.
For the first time, I saw it.
A flicker.
Not anger.
Not annoyance.
Something else.
Interest.
Like my answer had actually surprised him.
Most people didn’t say no to Lucien Duro.
I just did.
I gave him one last look.
“Goodnight, Mr. Lucien.”
Then I turned and walked away.
Lucien’s POV
I watched her leave.
Not because I was waiting for her to come back.
But because I couldn’t stop watching, interesting.
That was the only word that came to mind.
She didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t negotiate.
Didn’t even try to play along.
She simply said no.
Most women I met understood the rules immediately.
Smile. Agree. Impress.
Zara Montgomery did none of that.
And somehow, that irritated me more than it should have.
Beside me, Jaden leaned back in his seat.
“I know that look,” he said casually.
I didn’t take my eyes off the street.
“What look?”
“The one where you’re about to ruin someone’s peaceful life.”
I finally glanced at him.
“I’m not ruining anything.”
Jaden raised an eyebrow.
“Sure.”
Silence stretched between us for a moment.
Then I spoke again.
“Find out everything about her.”
Jaden sighed.
“Of course you said that.”
“I want her background. Her work. Where she lives. Who she knows.”
“That’s a lot for someone who spilled champagne on you.”
I turned slightly toward the window again.
“She’s not about champagne.”
Jaden studied me carefully.
Then he nodded slowly.
“Alright… I’ll get it done.”
As the car pulled away from the curb, I looked back once more in the direction she had gone.
Something about her stayed in my mind.
Not just her face.
Not just her voice.
It was the way she looked at me.
Like I wasn’t supposed to impress her.
Like I had nothing to prove.
And for the first time in a long time…
I found myself wanting to prove something anyway.
Lucien remained silent for a few seconds after Jaden spoke.
His eyes were still fixed on the direction Zara had disappeared.
People around him were still talking, laughing, moving—but none of it registered.
For some reason, his mind kept replaying the same moment.
The way she looked at him.
Not impressed.
Not nervous.
Not interested in his money, his name, or the world he came from.
That alone should have meant nothing.
But it didn’t.
It stayed.
Jaden finally broke the silence.
“So… what now?”
Lucien didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he leaned slightly back in the seat, his expression unreadable.
Then he said quietly,
“Did you see how she looked at me?”
Jaden sighed.
“If you mean like you were a normal man and not Lucien Duro… yeah, I saw it.”
That made something faint flash in Lucien’s eyes.
Amusement.
Or irritation.
Even he wasn’t sure.
“Everyone else wants something,” Lucien said slowly.
“Money. Attention. Access.”
Jaden tilted his head.
“And she doesn’t?”
Lucien’s jaw tightened slightly.
“That’s the problem.”
A pause.
The car moved through the city streets, lights passing over the tinted windows.
Lucien’s voice lowered.
“She didn’t look at me like I mattered.”
Jaden almost laughed.
“That’s new.”
Lucien ignored him.
Instead, he pulled out his phone.
Typed a single message. Short and direct.
Then paused, before sending it.
His thumb hovered for a second longer than necessary.
Then he pressed send.
Jaden noticed immediately.
“Don’t tell me—”
Lucien put the phone away.
“Find her.”
Jaden groaned.
“I already said I would.”
Lucien finally turned his head slightly.
“This time, quickly.”
There was something in his tone now.
Not command.
Not business.
Something sharper.
Jaden noticed it too.
He stopped joking.
“…Alright.”
Silence fell again.
But this time it was different.
Heavier.
- Writer
