CHAPTER 15 — SHADOWS OF BETRAYAL
The office felt colder than usual that morning, though the sun poured through the floor to ceiling windows. Aria Sarmiento sensed the tension immediately, like a shiver crawling down her spine. Something was off. The usual hum of activity was muted, and the whispers she had learned to ignore lately now carried an edge of malice she couldn't ignore.
Lucien had been unusually quiet as well, more focused than ever, his sharp gray eyes scanning every document, every email, every subtle movement in the office. Aria could feel the weight of his presence even from across the room, a silent warning that danger lingered closer than they had realized.
She tried to focus on her work, but a sense of unease gnawed at her. Something or someone was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Her instincts were proven right when a colleague she had trusted for months approached her desk with an overly bright smile. "Aria," the woman said, voice sweet, "Lucien asked me to check in with you about the Henderson files."
Aria nodded, appreciating the help, though she couldn't shake a vague sense of unease. Something about the tone of her colleague's voice felt forced, too polished, too controlled.
Later that afternoon, a message appeared on her phone from the same unknown number that had warned her before:
"You trust the wrong people. Watch your back."
Her stomach twisted. Her mind raced. Who could it be? How much did they know? And most importantly… could she trust anyone in the office anymore?
Before she could process it, Lucien appeared behind her, his presence sudden and commanding. He read the message over her shoulder, his expression hardening instantly.
"This confirms it," he muttered, voice low and dangerous. "Someone close to you… someone we trusted… is feeding information to them."
Aria's heart skipped a beat. Betrayal. The word alone made her chest ache. She had never imagined that someone in her office, someone she considered a friend, could turn against her and Lucien.
"Who… who could it be?" she whispered, voice trembling.
Lucien's gray eyes darkened. "I don't know yet. But I will find out. And when I do… they will regret ever crossing us."
The next hour was a tense blur. Lucien moved with the precision of a predator, his protective instincts heightened, watching everyone in the office as if calculating threats and weaknesses. Every glance from him reminded Aria of their bond, the dangerous, forbidden tension between them, and the line they walked between professionalism and something far more personal.
By late afternoon, the culprit revealed themselves or rather, they were caught in the act. Aria's trusted colleague had been accessing confidential files after hours, forwarding them to an unknown external source. Lucien had discovered it through a combination of surveillance and intuition.
He confronted the betrayer quietly, pulling Aria aside to shield her from the confrontation. The sight of Lucien's anger, controlled yet deadly, made her pulse race. He was calm, composed, but every inch of his body screamed danger.
"You betrayed us," he said, voice low, deliberate, almost a growl. "Do you understand the consequences?"
The colleague's face paled, and they stammered excuses, but Lucien didn't flinch. He handed the person over to security, his gray eyes never leaving Aria for a second, a silent promise that she would remain unharmed.
Aria felt a mixture of relief and terror. Relief because Lucien had protected her, but terror at the realization that the threats surrounding them were more real, more dangerous, and closer than she had imagined.
Later, when the office emptied, Lucien approached her desk, his expression softening slightly, though the intensity in his eyes never faded. He placed a hand on her shoulder a gesture both protective and intimate.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, concern lacing his voice.
"I… I think so," she replied, though her voice trembled. "I… I didn't expect someone so close to… to betray us."
Lucien nodded slowly. "Trust is fragile," he murmured. "Especially in our world. But know this: I will not let anything happen to you. Not betrayal, not danger, not anyone who dares cross us. You are mine to protect, Aria. And I will not fail."
The words sent a shiver through her. Forbidden, intoxicating, terrifying they carried a weight and intensity that left her breathless. Every fiber of her being recognized the truth: she needed him, not just for safety, but because she had already fallen too deeply for the man who dominated her world and her heart.
Aria looked into his gray eyes, seeing not just the controlled, commanding CEO, but the man beneath the one who felt every threat, every betrayal, every danger as personally as she did. She stepped closer, instinctively seeking comfort and closeness.
"I… I trust you," she whispered. "Completely."
Lucien's expression softened, and for the first time that day, he allowed himself a small, intimate smile. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, the touch lingering slightly longer than necessary, sending a wave of heat through her.
"And I trust you," he murmured, voice low and intimate. "More than anyone. That's why I will do everything in my power to protect you from the shadows, from betrayal, from everything that threatens you. You are mine, Aria."
Her chest tightened at the words. Dangerous, forbidden, intoxicating they were true, undeniable, and terrifying. And yet, she realized she didn't want to deny them. She didn't want to run.
Because standing close to Lucien, feeling his strength and protectiveness, she knew one thing for certain: they were in this together, against everyone, against every threat, and their bond once just forbidden tension had become something far deeper, far more dangerous, and far more real.
The shadows of betrayal lingered in the office, the memory of the colleague's treachery a harsh reminder of the world around them. But as Aria looked up at Lucien, she felt a sense of security she had never known before.
For the first time, she allowed herself to surrender not to the danger, not to the betrayal, but to the man who had become her anchor, her protector, and her forbidden love.
And she knew, with every heartbeat, that no matter the shadows, no matter the threats, no matter the cost… she would face it all with him.
Because he would not let her fall.
And she would not let him go.