"What do you say, bellissima?"
"Stop calling me that, Arius."
"Over my dead body, wife."
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Lucian West was in desperate need of a job to pay for her mother's loan. When she finally gets the job, her boss offers h...
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--- 《♡°♡°♡°☆°♡°♡°♡》
LUCIAN
The gala was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
The moment Arius and I stepped through the towering glass doors of the Grand Haven Ballroom, I felt the shift in the air. It was a world I didn’t belong to—a world of effortless wealth, whispered secrets, and power exchanges wrapped in silk and diamonds.
Everywhere I looked, there were people. Powerful people.
Men in tailored tuxedos, women draped in designer gowns that probably cost more than my rent for a year. Conversations hummed like a well-orchestrated symphony—polished, rehearsed, each word carefully chosen for impact.
And I was right in the middle of it.
Arius’s hand remained at the small of my back, a silent command to stay close, a reminder that my role wasn’t just to be here—it was to belong.
I tried not to fidget. Not to let my nerves show.
But I felt watched.
"Lucian."
A smooth voice pulled my attention. A woman, mid-forties, striking in a black gown that shimmered under the chandelier light. Her gaze swept over me like she was assessing something, before her red-painted lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Charlotte Harrington," she introduced herself, offering a gloved hand. "We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting."
I shook it, ignoring how my palms felt "Lucian."
"Yes," she said lightly, studying me like I was an exhibit. "Arius’s fiancée"
I stiffened at the slight pause before that word.
Arius, still standing beside me, didn’t react. He was calm, unreadable, as if this was just another business transaction.
Mrs. Harrington turned her attention to him. "And here I thought your father had other plans for you."
The way Arius’s jaw tightened, how his fingers flexed slightly against my back, told me he wasn’t amused.
"My father and I have different priorities," he said smoothly.
Mrs. Harrington hummed. "Of course you do."
I didn’t miss the way her eyes flickered to me once more, a silent assessment. A test.
I lifted my chin, refusing to look away.
She held my gaze for a moment longer, then smiled. "Welcome to the circle, dear."
Then she was gone, disappearing into the crowd as if she hadn’t just made it perfectly clear that I was under a microscope tonight.
I exhaled slowly. "That wasn’t terrifying at all."
