When the night came, I stepped onto the rooftop bar, city lights stretching out beneath me like a glittering ocean. The wind tugged at my hair, and the faint hum of music mixed with laughter floated through the air. I drew a deep breath and scanned the crowd.
There he was.
Lucian leaned against the railing, tall and impossibly calm, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The neon lights hit his profile just right, sharp as stone.
I slid into a seat at the edge of a table with the others, smiling politely, tossing out casual small talk. But my eyes kept drifting back to him but he never glanced my way.
As the night wore on and the drinks flowed, someone shouted for a round of Truth or Dare. The group erupted with laughter. When it was Lucian’s turn, he chose ‘truth’.
A guy across from him leaned in, grinning. “Alright, Sullivan. Tell us what kind of person do you hate the most?”
The chatter died down.
Lucian tapped the rim of his glass with one finger, “I hate people who think they can have it both ways. The ones greedy enough to take profits from one side, then run to collect benefits from the other.”
He paused. Then turned. His eyes found me, slicing through the distance like a knife.
“You know the word for that, Aurelia?”
My blood ran cold.
The room went quiet for a second. Then someone quickly cracked a joke to ease the tension, and the chatter started up again.
Lucian muttered a cold apology and stood to leave.
“Lucian, wait… please!” I hurried after him.
Just as I turned the corner, someone yanked my wrist.
“Lucian doesn’t want to see you. Why are you keep chasing him? Are you really this desperate?”
Viktor. Again. He was everywhere.
His grip was like iron. I tried pulling away, but he wouldn’t let go. “This is none of your business!”
A sly look flickered in his eyes and then he snapped his fingers. Two bodyguards appeared, each grabbing one of my arms.
“Let me go! Viktor, what are you doing?!”
“Relax,” he said softly, almost sweetly. Then one of them forced a small red pill into my mouth, holding my jaw so I couldn’t spit it out.
“Mm—!” I tried to choke it back, but Viktor tipped a glass of liquor against my lips. The burn shot down my throat, making me cough until my eyes watered.
He watched me with an awful kind of satisfaction. My face felt hot, my breaths quick and shallow. He waved the men away, slid an arm around my waist, and pulled me close.
“Easy now. I’ll take care of you,” he tugged me down the hall toward his suite.
The drug made me dizzy. My hands pushed weakly at his chest, but it probably looked like I was clinging instead of resisting.
Then I saw him.
Lucian stood at the far end of the corridor, his eyes locked on Viktor’s arm around me.
“...Aurelia.”
It made my heart twist. He started walking fast toward us. And god, I tried to reach for him, “L-lucian, please hel—”
Viktor cut me off, “Don’t embarrass yourself. You’ve had too much to drink and you came looking for me. Begged me to give you another night, like the one in the presidential suite.” He dragged out the words.
“No… that’s not true!” I whispered, but my voice was broken, barely there.
“Shh, sweetheart. Don’t say nonsense. Mr. Sullivan is watching.” Viktor brushed a tear from my cheek, then looked at Lucian, his smile turning cold.
“Mr. Sullivan, are you planning to interfere? Aurelia is mine. I’ll marry her. Do you think I’d hurt her? You should keep your distance.”
Lucian froze. His hand, half raised, slowly dropped to his side and something inside me went dark. The last spark of hope in me died right there.
I stopped fighting. My body went slack as Viktor dragged me back to the private room.
The door shut hard behind us. He shoved me onto the leather sofa, and the drug made my limbs heavy. I saw his shadow bend over me, his fingers pulling at the buttons of his shirt, one by one.
The last thing I remembered was his grin hovering above me before everything slipped away.
**
I blinked slowly, my lashes heavy, the glow of the chandelier above me coming into focus. My head pounded, my body ached all over, and every inch of my skin felt sore. A bitter taste rose in my throat. I leaned forward, gagging, though nothing came out except a little sour water.
I pulled my dress back over my shoulders, trying to fix it enough to look presentable, and forced myself up. My legs were unsteady, but I somehow made it out of that suffocating room and into the cool air.
The parking lot lights flickered dimly. I almost wanted to just sink to the ground, but then I saw him. Lucian.
He was leaning against his Bentley, a cigarette burning low between his fingers. He looked like he had been waiting there for a while.
When he saw me stumbling toward my car, his whole posture shifted. He dropped the cigarette, eyes narrowing, and walked toward me quickly.
“Aurelia…”
I froze. That hand he held out… I knew it. That same hand had pushed me away earlier. Pushed me straight to Viktor.
I shook my head and stepped back. “Don’t,” I whispered.
