***************Lucian's POV***************
"You."
Her voice snapped like a whip.
I stopped moving.
Leona. My fiancée. She stood in my office doorway with her arms crossed and that annoying smirk on her face. But this was different, she wasn't even looking at me. She was staring at Celeste.
Celeste was still on me, her hands flat on my chest, her eyes wide like she'd seen a ghost.
Then Celeste whispered two words, like a gasp.
"Oh my God."
They knew each other.
I could tell by the way they looked at each other—not like strangers, but like people who shared a secret.
I frowned. "So… you two know each other?"
It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.
Celeste's head shot toward me, her mouth open, a look of panic in her eyes. At the same time, Leona stepped forward, smirking like she'd won. But then, something weird happened.
"No!" they both yelled, talking over each other in a desperate denial.
The sound bounced around the room.
I got even more suspicious. These two women who were total opposites were trying to hide something. That told me they weren't strangers.
I clenched my jaw as I helped Celeste up. She was shaking a little, trying to hide it by smoothing her skirt with quick, nervous movements. She wouldn't look at me, or Leona.
Interesting.
Celeste swallowed hard. She backed away, grabbing the file she'd dropped earlier like a shield.
"I—excuse me," she said quickly, her voice tight. "I have to go."
She ducked her head, avoiding my eyes, and headed for the door. I didn't stop her, even though I wanted to. I could still feel her against me from earlier. My pulse had sped up when she was close, when I smelled her hair.
But I let her leave.
As soon as the door closed, the mood changed. It got colder, thicker.
Leona turned to me, smiling way too brightly. She sashayed over and sat on the edge of my desk without asking.
"Lucian," she cooed, touching my suit. "You didn't tell me you'd hired someone so… interesting."
I didn't react, but I hated her touch. I hated that I had to put up with her because of our parents' stupid arrangement. Everyone thought she was my fiancée. I just saw her as a pain in the neck.
But then her mask slipped for a second. I saw it.
Her eyes got bigger when she saw Celeste. Her perfect hand trembled. She didn't look at Celeste like a stranger, but like she was seeing a ghost.
"Do you?" I asked suddenly, cutting through her act.
She snapped her head up, too fast, too defensive. "Do I what?"
"Know her." My voice was flat and dangerous. "Celeste."
Leona opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then she laughed, but it sounded fake. "Of course not! Why would I? She's just a secretary. She's not the kind of person I hang out with."
But her eyes flicked away.
She was lying.
I didn't push it.
Instead, I leaned back, rested my chin on my hand, and stared at her. She tried to hold my gaze, but she seemed nervous and desperate.
That got my attention.
Leona never lost her cool. She was always perfect, the ideal daughter. But today, she cracked.
And it was all because of Celeste.
"Lucian…" Her voice got softer and sweeter. She leaned in, her body touching mine as she lowered her eyelashes. "Why are you so tense? It's just us. Forget about that girl."
That girl.
I couldn't help but replay the image of Celeste in my head.
Leona's hand slid up my chest, and I grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Her smile faded.
"Leona," I said coldly, "don't try to get too close."
Her mask cracked again, this time with anger, but she hid it quickly. She pulled her hand back and smoothed her dress. But her eyes… her eyes were still full of something I didn't recognize.
Fear? Guilt? Memories?
Something was up.
I ignored it, because I didn't care about Leona and her secrets, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I glanced at her and forced a smile. "Just save it, Leona," I said, grabbing the file Celeste had dropped. I flipped it open without reading it, but I was watching Leona.
"I think you should leave, too," I said quietly. "I suddenly have… stuff to think about."
She opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but I gave her a look that shut her down.
She left.
As soon as the door clicked shut, my fake calm disappeared.
My phone buzzed. I took it out, expecting a message from Finley.
But it wasn't.
It was a photo from an unknown number.
A blurry picture of someone I didn't expect.
Not from today. Not from here.
From New York.
The message below the photo made my blood cold:
"Keep quiet."