Worlds Apart

Between Duty and Desire

*Lucia’s POV*

I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed, though I had no memory of how I ended up in the bed on the jet. It didn’t matter, though. The soft sheets wrapped around me like a cocoon, and I could still smell his scent on the pillow. Adrian. His scent was a clean, masculine, and rich one that made my heart race just a little.

I wasn’t supposed to be happy about that. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about him. My mind kept telling me that I needed to move on from Damien, not fall for Adrian. But his presence, his scent—it had a strange way of making me feel like everything was... different.

The ride to the hotel felt better than the ride from the office. There was still an unspoken distance between us, but it wasn’t as suffocating as before. Maybe I was just overthinking it, trying to make sense of the storm of emotions inside me. When we arrived at the hotel, I was blown away by its size. It was stunning, everything about it just screamed wealth and luxury. The flowers outside the building were beyond beautiful, and I found myself momentarily distracted by their vibrant colors.

Adrian led me to my room, explaining that his would be just opposite mine. "Don’t disturb me unless it’s necessary," he said, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was secretly hoping I’d stay out of his way. I wasn’t planning on causing trouble—this wasn’t even my world.

Once inside my room, I couldn’t resist the urge to shower. The warm water hit my skin perfectly, relaxing me in a way I didn’t expect. Afterward, I slipped into a nightie and lay down on the bed. It felt so soft, like I could just sink into it forever.

I started watching a random show on the TV, trying to distract myself from everything swirling in my head. But then my stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten all day.

In my rush this morning, I’d completely forgotten about eating. Now, I was starving.

I thought about knocking on Adrian’s door, but quickly dismissed the idea. I didn’t want to get into any trouble with him, not after the tension at the office. So, instead, I picked up the phone and ordered food, hoping to satisfy my hunger without any complications.

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was my food, I opened it quickly, only to be met by Adrian’s intense gaze. He stood there, looking at me for a moment before speaking.

“I’m heading to the meeting now,” he said, his voice steady.

I couldn’t understand why he felt the need to inform me, but before I could process it, the food arrived.

Without saying another word, I locked the door behind him and dove into the meal. I savored every bite, letting the rich flavors fill me as I tried to focus on something other than the tension that had been lingering in the air since this morning.