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PMM.
He chuckled. “Well, news travels fast. I just wanted to check in.”
“Mmm.”
“Are you with Damian now?” he asked, casually, but I didn’t miss the edge in his tone.
I hesitated.
“I figured your ‘reliable source‘ already told you that, so yes,” I said with a little too much bite.
Lucas laughed softly. “Well, I was just worried. After you left my place that night, I didn’t see you again. And, as your boss, I figured I should check up on
my staff.”
“Right. My job…” I trailed off, the thread tightening in my chest.
,“Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“How did I get a job at your company?”
He paused. “What do you mean?”
I chewed my bottom lip. “Naia told me she didn’t apply for the job at your company. That she never even filled out a form. But your company hired me out
of the Blue.”
Lucas laughed again, this time a little forced. “Naia did apply. Probably just forgot. She has a habit of blocking out details. You know her.”
My stomach twisted.
“I see,” I murmured.
“I’m sure it’s just the stress talking,” he added quickly. “You’ve been through a lot. And that kind of trauma can really mess with memories.”
“Right.” I hated how hollow my voice sounded.
“Anyway, if you need anything, I’m always here,” he said, just before hanging up.
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone screen.
Something was wrong.
Lucas’s voice had always been calm, charismatic. But now, that charm felt slick. Like oil over water. And the way he’d dodged the questions, how quickly he redirected, it wasn’t like the Lucas I knew.
2/4
4:16 pm
Chapter 119
Unless I never really knew him at all.
I set the phone down, my thoughts spiraling.
The gala. The timing. Naia’s job. The way Lucas knew everything even before I spoke it aloud. It was too clean. Too orchestrated.
And who was the reliable source?
If it wasn’t Mira or Damian… then it had to be someone watching me.
Or working with the Elders.
I stared at the screen for a long moment, the silence in the room suddenly louder.
That wasn’t the Lucas I remembered.
Or maybe… maybe that was the real Lucas, and I just hadn’t seen it before.
The door creaked open.
Damian stepped in, hair damp from rain, dark eyes instantly scanning the room until they landed on me.
“You okay?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t.
He dropped his jacket on the chair and came over, crouching in front of me, his thumb brushing against my cheek.
“I spoke to Lucas,” I said, curling my fingers around his wrist. “He’s hiding things. Or twisting them. I can hear it in his voice now. He’s not who I thought
he was.”
Damian’s jaw clenched, but his eyes stayed soft on me. “He’s playing a long game. Has been, for a while.”
“I’m tired of being everyone’s pawn,” I whispered. “Naia… Lucas… even the Elders. I’m done.”
He didn’t say anything. He just pulled me closer, so I could rest my head against his chest.
“You’re not a pawn,” he said quietly. “You’re the only one on this board that scares them.”
I closed my eyes, letting the quiet settle between us.
But then the quiet turned sharp again, like something else needed to be said.
“You know,” I murmured, “part of me still wants to ask why. Why Naia did it. Why Lucas is lying. What is going on. Why all of this started in the first place.”
“You don’t have to,” Damian said. “We already know who they are.”
“I know but…” I swallowed.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.

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