The First Night.
1255 Words
ELENA
I barely slept.
Not because the bed was uncomfortable.
The bed honestly felt softer than anything I had ever slept on before.
The problem was everything else.
The penthouse.
The contract.
Lucien.
My entire life changing overnight.
I stared at the ceiling while city lights reflected faintly through the curtains beside the bed. The room remained silent except for the distant hum of traffic far below.
It still did not feel real.
At some point during the night, I finally drifted into sleep.
Only to wake up hours later completely disoriented.
For a second I forgot where I was.
Then reality hit again.
Lucien Blackwood’s penthouse.
Right.
I sat up slowly rubbing my eyes.
Sunlight now filled the room softly while the city stretched beautifully outside the windows.
The view honestly looked unreal in the morning.
I stepped out of bed carefully and walked toward the balcony doors.
The skyline glowed beneath the early sunlight while the city slowly woke below.
For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.
Then my phone vibrated.
Reality returned immediately.
Camille:
ARE YOU ALIVE?
Camille:
The internet is getting worse.
Camille:
Please answer before I assume the billionaire murdered you.
Despite everything, I laughed softly.
Me:
I’m alive.
Her reply came instantly.
Camille:
OH THANK GOD.
Camille:
Do rich people actually sleep in giant penthouses like movies?
I looked around the massive room.
Me:
Unfortunately yes.
Camille:
I still think you’ve lost your mind.
Me:
That makes two of us.
Another message appeared.
Camille:
How is he?
I paused slightly.
How was he?
Cold.
Calm.
Protective.
Lonely.
Dangerous.
Confusing.
Me:
Complicated.
Camille:
That is the worst possible answer.
I smiled faintly before locking my phone again.
Complicated really was the only word that fit Lucien.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
“Miss Rivers?”
I turned toward the door quickly.
“Yes?”
“The breakfast is ready downstairs.”
Right.
Staff.
I still was not used to that either.
“Okay,” I answered awkwardly.
A few minutes later, after changing clothes and fixing my hair slightly, I stepped out into the hallway.
The penthouse looked even larger during daylight.
Everything appeared clean and perfectly organized.
Not a single thing out of place.
I followed the smell of coffee toward the kitchen area.
And froze slightly.
Lucien stood near the counter wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled above his wrists while reading something on his tablet.
He looked unfairly attractive for someone drinking coffee at eight in the morning.
Dangerous thought.
Very dangerous.
I quickly looked away.
Lucien glanced up immediately.
“You’re awake.”
“I can see that.”
A pause.
Then unexpectedly his mouth twitched slightly.
I stared.
“Was that almost a smile?”
“It was nothing.”
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I walked toward the kitchen slowly.
The dining table already held breakfast.
Fresh fruit.
Coffee.
Toast.
Eggs.
Enough food for an entire family honestly.
“You eat all this?”
“No.”
“Then why order this much?”
Lucien set the tablet down calmly.
“The chef prepared options.”
Chef.
Of course he had a chef.
Why was I even surprised anymore?
I sat carefully across from him.
The silence between us strangely did not feel awkward this morning.
Still quiet.
But calmer somehow.
Lucien took another sip of coffee before speaking.
“You should avoid social media today.”
Too late.
“I already checked.”
“That was a mistake.”
Probably.
I picked lightly at the food on my plate.
“People really hate me already.”
Lucien’s expression remained unreadable.
“People enjoy scandal. It has nothing to do with you personally.”
“That doesn’t make it feel better.”
“No,” he admitted calmly. “It usually doesn’t.”
I looked toward him carefully.
“You really understand attention like this?”
Lucien leaned slightly back in his chair.
“I’ve lived with it for years.”
“Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Not anymore.”
That answer felt sadder than he probably realized.
Before I could say anything else, another voice suddenly interrupted us.
“Well this is unexpectedly domestic.”
I nearly jumped.
Ethan walked into the penthouse looking entirely too comfortable here.
“You just enter people’s homes without warning?” I asked.
Ethan shrugged casually.
“I own the building’s access system.”
Lucien looked unimpressed.
“You abuse that privilege constantly.”
“Correct.”
Ethan sat down beside the table before looking between both of us carefully.
“You two already look married.”
I nearly choked on my coffee.
Lucien looked completely calm.
“How disappointing,” Ethan continued dramatically. “I expected more emotional chaos.”
“There’s still time,” I muttered.
Ethan grinned.
“Oh there definitely is.”
He pulled out his phone quickly before sliding it toward Lucien.
“The situation with Nathaniel escalated.”
My stomach tightened immediately.
Lucien picked up the phone calmly while his expression slowly darkened.
“What now?” I asked quietly.
Ethan looked toward me carefully.
“Nathaniel gave an interview this morning.”
I froze.
“He what?”
Ethan sighed.
“He implied you were manipulated by Lucien during a vulnerable moment.”
I stared blankly.
Manipulated?
Anger flared instantly inside my chest.
Lucien’s expression turned colder with every second he read.
The atmosphere around him shifted sharply again.
Dangerous.
“You know,” Ethan muttered carefully, “I genuinely think Laurent wants to die.”
Lucien stood slowly from his chair.
And somehow that was more intimidating than shouting would have been.
“What did he say exactly?” I asked.
Ethan hesitated briefly.
“He said you were emotionally unstable after the breakup and vulnerable to powerful influences.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Wow.”
Lucien looked toward Ethan calmly.
“Schedule the press conference.”
Ethan blinked slightly.
“Today?”
“Yes.”
My stomach dropped immediately.
“Press conference?”
Lucien turned toward me.
“We end this publicly.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
“You don’t need to speak much.”
“That’s not comforting.”
Lucien walked toward the windows calmly while holding his phone.
“Nathaniel is attempting to destroy your credibility before the marriage becomes official.”
Hearing it spoken aloud made the betrayal hurt all over again.
I looked down at my hands quietly.
Four years.
Four years together.
And somehow I no longer recognized the man I once loved.
Lucien’s voice softened slightly when he spoke again.
“You don’t deserve this.”
The simple honesty in those words affected me more than I expected.
I looked up slowly.
Lucien was already watching me.
And suddenly the room felt too quiet again.
Too small.
Dangerous.
Ethan looked between us carefully before standing dramatically.
“Well,” he announced awkwardly, “I’m leaving before this turns into emotional staring again.”
I immediately looked away.
Heat rushed into my face.
Lucien looked entirely unaffected.
Liar.
Ethan smirked slightly before heading toward the door.
“Oh,” he added casually, “the internet gave you two a couple nickname already.”
I frowned.
“A what?”
Ethan grinned.
“BlackRiver.”
I stared at him in horror.
“That sounds like a disease.”
For the first time ever, Lucien actually laughed quietly.
A real laugh.
Low.
Brief.
But real.
And the sound shocked all three of us into silence.
- Writer
