Rebirth Of The Heiress And The Tycoon's Lover (Alina) novel Chapter 277

Chapter 277

AUTHOR’S POV

AGO

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A few seconds from her frozen shock, Alina’s body finally caught up with her mind. Her chest tightened, her pulse hammering so fast she could hear it in her ears. She blinked once, twice, her lips parting in disbelief as her breath trembled out of her.

“Lucian…” She whispered, her voice barely audible, the sound lost in the soft hum of it boutique. Her fingers gripped the edge of the glass display beside her as her knees wobbled beneath her.

Without another thought, she turned sharply, the chair scraping the polished floor as she stood. “Lucian!” She called, her voice echoing faintly as she hurried toward the tall glass doors. Her heels clicked against the marble tiles, urgency cutting through her movements.

Heads turned. Rosa and Luna looked up, startled, but Alina didn’t stop. She pushed the doors open, the chime above ringing sharply. Her eyes darted frantically around the street, the bustling sounds of Ravinne drowning her thoughts.

e, down the narrow stone–lined path that curved toward the plaza…she caught the fleeting glimpse of a call figure in a dark coat. His gait, his broad shoulders, the familiar tilt of his head. Her heart lurched painfully.

“Lucian!” She called again, louder this time, her voice breaking at the edges.

The man turned a corner.

“Wait!” She shouted, running now, the cold breeze slapping her face as she reached the curve and rounded it

-but the street was empty.

Her breath hitched as she spun around, her hair whipping in the wind. “No… no, I saw him. I clearly saw you.” She whispered to herself, eyes scanning every passing stranger, every shadow between the buildings.

“Alina!” Luna’s worried voice broke through the fog. Moments later, her mother’s hand grasped her shoulder. “Sweetheart, what happened? Why did you run off like that?”

Alina blinked, her heart still hammering as she looked up at her mother’s face. Luna’s expression was filled with worry, her blue eyes searching her daughter’s pale face.

“I… I thought I saw someone,” Alina murmured, her voice barely steady. “But maybe I was just mistaken.”

Luna followed her gaze down the empty street, her brow furrowing. “Someone you know?”

Alina hesitated, her throat tightening. “I don’t know,” she said after a moment, forcing a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It must have been someone who just… looked familiar.”

Luna exhaled softly, still unconvinced but unwilling to press. “You must still be tired, darling. Let’s go. The day has been long enough as it is.” She rubbed her daughter’s arm gently. “Come on.”

Alina nodded numbly, allowing Luna to guide her away. But as they turned back toward the boutique she

5:40 MEI, NOVI

Chapter 277

glanced over her shoulder one last time.

The street remained still. Empty. Yet her heart refused to believe it.

I know what I saw.

She could still picture the slope of his shoulders, the exact rhythm of his stride. That quiet confidence that no one else carried. She could bet her life on it..she had seen Lucian.

Luna sighed softly beside her, unaware of the storm brewing in Alina’s chest. “Maybe ve said gently.

re mistaken.” She

“Maybe.” Alina whispered, her voice hollow.

And as the two women walked away, their figures fading into the brightness of the afternoon light, a shadow stirred from the very corner Alina had just searched.

Two figures emerged quietly from the alleyway…Lucian and Ace.

Lucian stood motionless for a long moment, his gaze fixed on Alina’s retreating form. The look in his eyes

w, pained, restrained. He didn’t breathe until she was completely out of sight.

jaw tightened. His hands, hidden in his coat pockets, clenched until his knuckles turned white. Every instinct screamed at him to go after her, to close the distance, to say her name, to tell her everything. But he didn’t move. He couldn’t.

Ace stepped forward beside him, his expression mixed with worry and curiosity. “Why did you hide?” he asked quietly, his tone respectful but probing. “You could’ve told her. She was right there, Lucian.”

Lucian’s eyes didn’t leave the direction Alina had gone. His throat worked as he swallowed hard, his voice low and strained. “We’re not here for her, Ace,” he said quietly. “We came to Ravinne for serious business. She’s already been through enough. If she finds out I’m here, she’ll be in danger.”

Ace frowned, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “Danger from who? We haven’t found a single trace of this ‘mastermind‘ we keep talking about. Maybe-”

“Maybe nothing,” Lucian cut in, his voice edged with tension. He turned slightly, his dark eyes shadowed with exhaustion. “Whoever he is, he’s been playing this game long before any of us realized. You think it’s a coincidence that Alina ended up with the Dawns? That everything ties back to Ravinne?”

Ace went silent for a moment, watching Lucian’s face. “Still,” he said finally, “you saw her. She looked… sad. Like she was trying to convince herself she imagined you.”

Lucian’s expression faltered, his eyes flickered, pain flashing briefly through them before he looked away. “That’s better than knowing the truth right now.” He murmured.

Ace shook his head. “You don’t believe that.”

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line. “If she knows I’m here, she’ll want to see me. And if she sees me, she’ll be dragged into all of this again. I won’t let that happen.” His gaze hardened as he looked down the street, his voice lowering. “I already failed her once. I won’t do it again.”

15:46 Fri, Nov 7

Chapter 277

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Ace sighed, clearly torn. He leaned against the wall beside him, kicking lightly at a loose stone. “You realize she’s probably losing her mind right now, thinking she saw a ghost?”

Lucian’s expression didn’t change, though his silence said enough.

After a long pause, Ace spoke again, his voice quieter. “You love her too much for your own good, you know that?”

Lucian gave a short, humorless laugh under his breath. “I know.”

The wind rustled through the narrow street, carrying faint echoes of laughter and chatter from the boutique. For a moment, it almost sounded like Alina’s voice, light and soft. Lucian’s shoulders stiffened.

Ace shifted, his tone turning serious again. “We’ve been here two weeks now. And every lead we’ve followed has turned up empty. Whoever this man is, he’s good…too good. He’s covered every trace.”

Lucian’s eyes darkened, his voice low and sharp. “There’s no such thing as invisible, Ace. Not in my world.”

Ace lifted an eyebrow. “Then why haven’t we found him?”

looked up at the distant rooftops, his gaze distant. “Because he doesn’t want to be found.”

Ace scoffed. “Sounds like an excuse.”

Lucian turned to him slowly, and for a heartbeat, Ace almost regretted the words.

“Sorry boss.” Ace corrected himself.

He may be the closest thing to a friend to Lucian but Lucian was still his boss.

“It’s not an excuse,” Lucian said quietly. “It’s a fact. Whoever he is, he knows how to erase himself. But he made one mistake.”

Ace blinked. “Which is?”

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