Chapter 7: The Knock That Changed Everything
322 Words
The knock echoed again—louder this time.
Ariella’s heart slammed against her ribs as Lucien pulled her closer, positioning himself slightly in front of her without thinking.
Instinct.
Protection.
“Go upstairs,” he murmured.
“No,” she whispered back. “I’m not running.”
Lucien glanced at her, surprise flashing briefly across his eyes. Then something else followed—approval.
“Stay behind me,” he said quietly.
The door creaked open.
Two men stood outside, both dressed too neatly, their eyes sharp and calculating. The kind of men who didn’t knock unless they already knew the answer.
“Lucien,” one of them said with a thin smile. “You’re hard to track.”
Lucien’s jaw tightened. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“And yet,” the man replied mockingly, glancing past him—straight at Ariella. “We finally found her.”
Ariella stiffened.
Found her.
Lucien stepped fully in front of her now. “You don’t have permission to look at her.”
The second man chuckled. “She doesn’t belong to you.”
Lucien’s voice dropped dangerously low. “She doesn’t belong to anyone.”
The air grew heavy, thick with unspoken threats.
“We’re not here to fight,” the first man said. “Just to deliver a message.”
Lucien didn’t move. “Say it. Then leave.”
The man smiled again, cold and satisfied. “Running won’t save her. The past always collects its debt.”
Lucien slammed the door shut before Ariella could react.
The silence afterward was deafening.
Her legs trembled. “They knew me.”
“Yes,” Lucien said grimly. “And now they know where you are.”
Fear rose in her chest. “What did I do?”
Lucien turned to her slowly, his eyes dark with something dangerously close to guilt.
“You survived,” he said. “And that made you valuable.”
- Writer
