CHAPTER 16

*First Person's Perspective*

~Enise~

The coffee shop was tucked away on the outskirts of town, far enough from the main streets that it was easy to disappear into the shadows, away from prying eyes. It was a quiet place, perfect for meetings like this—secretive, private. No one would suspect anything. I liked it.

Lucian and I sat opposite each other in a booth near the back of the shop, the dim light casting soft shadows over the table. Our coffees sat untouched, as we both had more pressing matters on our minds. I leaned in slightly, excitement practically vibrating off me as I began to recount everything that had happened with Lucas.

“Lucian, you won’t believe what happened today,” I started, my voice brimming with excitement. I could barely keep the grin off my face. “Lucas came to my room—”

I watched as Lucian’s expression remained stoic, but I didn’t let it deter me. “—and kissed me, Lucian! He just… grabbed me out of nowhere, and for a few seconds, I thought I was dreaming. It was so unexpected. I didn’t know how to react, but I managed to pull away, and then… I told him that what we did wasn’t right.”

I paused, watching Lucian’s face carefully. I thought for sure he’d be pleased with my progress. After all, everything was falling into place. But his face—his expression—wasn’t the one I expected. He wasn’t smiling, wasn’t sharing in my amusement. Instead, there was a hardness in his eyes, a tension in his jaw.

I frowned, feeling the air shift between us. “Lucian… What’s going on? You’re not saying anything.”

He didn’t respond right away. He just took a slow sip of his coffee, keeping his eyes averted from me. It was a strange reaction. I wasn’t sure if I should be worried or annoyed.

“Lucian?” I pressed again, this time softer, trying to coax him to share whatever was bothering him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” he muttered, his voice low, almost dismissive.

I stared at him for a moment, studying his face. This wasn’t like him. He’d always been straightforward, especially with me. If something was wrong, he would’ve said it by now. But this? This was different.

I decided not to push him any further, at least not yet. I leaned back in the booth, trying to shake off the feeling of unease. I resumed my story, still riding the high of my successful manipulation. “I told him that it wasn’t right, and he apologized, of course. But can you believe it? He kissed me like that. It was so out of character for him. And then he just left, all embarrassed. It was honestly kind of funny.”

I let out a little laugh, but as I glanced across the table, I realized that Lucian wasn’t laughing with me. In fact, he still wasn’t saying anything. His eyes remained fixed on the table, his fingers tapping an absent rhythm on his cup.

Something wasn’t right.

“Lucian, you’re not even smiling,” I said, a bit of frustration creeping into my voice. “Come on, that was funny. You have to admit it. I mean, he was so vulnerable, so caught off guard. It’s almost too easy.”

But even as I said it, I knew something was off. Lucian’s silence was beginning to feel suffocating. I leaned forward, squinting at him. “What’s going on? Are you… upset about something?”

At first, he didn’t answer. He just stared out the window, as if contemplating something deeply. Then, finally, he looked up at me, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I don’t like it,” he said, his voice low but firm.

The tension in my chest deepened. “What do you mean? What don’t you like?”

“I don’t like how… comfortable you’re getting with him,” he replied, his voice harder now. There was no mistaking the edge in his tone. “I don’t like how you talk about him, how you’re getting so involved with him. It’s dangerous, Enise.”

I stared at him in disbelief, my stomach flipping with a strange, unexpected feeling. “What? Are you… jealous?” I teased, unable to stop myself from grinning.

Lucian’s expression immediately hardened, his jaw clenched. “I’m not jealous.”

“Oh my goodness, Lucian, you’re jealous!” I laughed, more to myself than anything, as I sat back in my seat. The realization hit me like a wave. He was jealous. And it was actually kind of cute. The great Lucian, always so composed, always so calculating, now feeling the stirrings of jealousy.

He shot me a dark look, his eyes flashing with irritation. “I’m not jealous,” he repeated, though his tone betrayed him. I couldn’t help the amusement that bubbled up inside me.

“Come on, admit it,” I teased, unable to resist. “You’re jealous. You don’t like the idea of me getting too close to him, do you? Too bad, Lucian. I’m just doing what I have to do.”

His hands clenched around his coffee mug, the veins in his neck becoming visible with the tension. “Enise,” he began, his voice rougher now, “I’m serious. You need to keep your distance from Lucas. This isn’t just some game.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, the teasing slipping away as I became more serious. “You have nothing to worry about, Lucian. I told you before—Lucas means nothing to me. He lost that right the day he betrayed me and took my daughter from me. I don’t have any feelings for him. He’s just a means to an end. I’m using him, and that’s it.”

I leaned closer, my gaze locking with his. “You should rest easy. There will be no interference with our plan. I won’t let anything get in the way of what we’re doing.”

Lucian was silent for a moment, his eyes studying me with a depth I couldn’t quite decipher. Then, slowly, he nodded. “I hope you’re right,” he said quietly. “I really do.”

But before I could say anything more, I felt a shift in the atmosphere. It was like a shadow had suddenly fallen over us. I looked up, my stomach tightening.

Standing just a few feet away, Anna was glaring at us. Her eyes were hard, her mouth set in a tight line. My heart stopped for a moment as I realized that she had overheard everything. I didn’t know how long she had been standing there, but the way she was looking at us made it clear that she knew exactly what was going on.

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Enise? Lucian? I knew it.”

The words hung in the air, slicing through the tension of the moment. My stomach dropped, and I felt the weight of the situation settle on my shoulders. Anna had discovered us. And I knew it was only a matter of time before everything started unraveling.