THE PADDOCK CONTRACT PRINCESS

CHAPTER 13

The Morning After

The following morning felt different because Sofia no longer knew which parts of Lucien’s world were real. She woke in the penthouse before him and stood in the kitchen staring at the city while memories from the previous night collided with everything she had learned. Project Sovereign was active, Mateo had been paid for silence, Henri had secretly traveled to Mauritius, and someone inside Vantari had manipulated the property acquisition. Yet beneath all of those facts sat one question Sofia could not answer: how much had Lucien truly known?

Lucien entered the kitchen quietly. He had changed into a dark suit, but his tie remained undone, making him look less like the untouchable team principal the world knew and more like the exhausted man she had glimpsed after Henri collapsed. He poured coffee and waited for her to speak. Sofia finally asked whether he had ever been inside the Sovereign archive before their engagement.

He said no. Sofia believed him for approximately three seconds before remembering his earlier admission that he had tried to access the project after Mateo’s death. She asked what happened during that attempt. Lucien said Henri had stopped him and told him that Project Sovereign was a dead chapter connected to a disgraced engineer.

Sofia looked away because the answer confirmed what she had feared. Her father had been turned into a villain inside the Chevalier family, and Lucien had accepted that version without questioning the evidence. She told him that she could understand being young, but she could not understand never looking again.

Lucien said he had looked. Sofia turned back toward him. He admitted that years after Mateo’s death, he had quietly reviewed several records and discovered inconsistencies, but Henri had threatened to remove him from Vantari Racing if he continued. Lucien had stopped because he believed protecting the team was more important than reopening an old family scandal.

Sofia asked whether he regretted that decision. Lucien answered, “Every day.” The simplicity of his response silenced her.

He stepped closer and told her that he had spent years believing control could prevent disaster. He had controlled the team, the finances, the family board, and even his own emotions, but he had failed to control the one thing that mattered: the truth. Sofia said she did not want his guilt; she wanted honesty.

Lucien nodded. He told her that from that morning forward, she would see every document he discovered, even if the information damaged his family. Sofia asked whether he understood what that could cost him. He said yes.

“Then why are you doing it?” she asked. Lucien looked at her and said, “Because I would rather lose my family’s approval than lose the possibility of earning your trust.”

Sofia hated how much the answer affected her. The kiss from the yacht returned to her mind, followed by the memory of Lucien catching her when she stumbled. She told herself that attraction did not equal trust. Lucien seemed to understand because he did not touch her.

Instead, he told her that the Monaco race was only hours away. Vantari had qualified poorly, and the car remained unstable in high-speed corners. Sofia asked whether the engineering team had tested her revised setup. Lucien said they had, and the data looked promising.

She went with him to the garage. The engineers were already preparing the car, but Sofia noticed tension everywhere. The team had been affected by the corporate scandal, and several mechanics were worried that the internal investigation could distract Lucien from the race.

Sofia asked to see the latest telemetry. The chief engineer hesitated before handing her the tablet. She studied the numbers and noticed that the aerodynamic instability had shifted but not disappeared. The car was now faster through medium-speed corners but vulnerable under heavy braking.

She proposed a change to the rear suspension settings. One engineer objected because the adjustment could increase tire temperatures. Sofia explained that the risk could be managed through a revised brake balance and tire-pressure strategy. Lucien listened, then asked the engineering director whether the solution could work.

The director admitted that it could. Sofia expected Lucien to order the change, but instead he looked at her and asked, “What do you recommend?” The question mattered because he was giving her authority rather than simply accepting her advice.

Sofia told him to test the configuration during the final practice session. Lucien approved it. As the engineers moved into action, Sofia realized she was no longer standing beside the team principal as a fake fiancée.

She was becoming part of his world. And that frightened her because she was beginning to enjoy it.

After practice, the car posted a significant improvement. The engineers congratulated Sofia, and Lucien watched her from the edge of the garage with an expression she could not interpret. When she approached him, he said, “You were right.”

Sofia smiled and told him he should get used to it. Lucien laughed quietly, and the sound surprised them both. It was the first time she had heard him laugh without calculation.

The moment was broken when Elias appeared at the garage entrance. He congratulated Sofia on her contribution, then told Lucien that Henri wanted to see them both before the race. Sofia asked whether Henri was well enough for visitors, and Elias smiled.

“He has been waiting for you,” he said. Sofia felt a cold sensation move through her because she suddenly understood that Henri might not be waiting to apologize.

He might be waiting to tell her something Lucien had never known.