The doors of the Maybach closed, sealing Lucian and me in a world of leather, expensive cologne, and a silence so thick it felt heavy. Outside, the camera flashes of the paparazzi were still bouncing off the tinted windows, but inside, the air was electric.
I leaned my head back against the seat, the adrenaline finally beginning to ebb, leaving a hollow ache in its place.
"You handled that better than I expected," Lucian said. His voice was a low vibration in the dark car. He was sitting close close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
"I've been playing the part of the 'meek wife' for so long, I almost forgot how good it feels to bite back," I whispered, looking out at the blurred lights of the city.
"You didn't just bite, Aria. You drew blood." Lucian reached out, his hand sliding over the silk of my dress to rest on my thigh. It wasn't a gentle touch; it was possessive. "Mark is a cornered rat now. And cornered rats are dangerous. He's already leaked a story to the Daily Press."
I stiffened. "Already? About what?"
Lucian pulled up his tablet, showing me a grainy photo of Mark and Sarah looking "devastated" outside the gala. The headline read: CRUEL HEIRESS ABANDONS PREGNANT BEST FRIEND AND HUSBAND IN THE RAIN.
"He's playing the victim card," I hissed, a bitter laugh escaping my throat. "He's using Sarah's pregnancy to make me look like the villain."
"Let them," Lucian said, his eyes darkening as he turned toward me. He leaned in, his face inches from mine. "Because what they don't know is that I've already intercepted Sarah's medical records. She isn't three months pregnant, Aria. She's five. The timeline doesn't match Mark's 'loyal husband' narrative. It proves the affair started long before they claim."
I gasped. "So he's being played by her, too?"
"Exactly. But we won't reveal that yet. We'll let them build their tower of lies high... so the fall kills them."
His gaze dropped to my lips. The air in the car suddenly felt very thin. Lucian Thorne was a man who took what he wanted, and right now, the way he was looking at me told me exactly what he was thinking.
"Is this part of the partnership, Lucian?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "Using me to get to the Thorne empire?"
"In the beginning? Yes," he murmured, his hand moving up to cup the back of my neck, his thumb tracing my jawline. "But seeing you stand your ground tonight... seeing the fire in you... that wasn't business, Aria. That was personal."
He pulled me closer, and for a moment, I forgot about Mark, the betrayal, and the revenge. I only felt the strength of the man in front of me.
"I don't trust easily," I whispered against his lips.
"Good," Lucian replied, his voice a rough growl. "Trust is for the weak. I want your ambition. I want your rage. And tonight... I want you."
He leaned in to close the gap, but before our lips could touch, my phone shrieked in my clutch bag.
I pulled away, breathless, and looked at the screen. It was a restricted number. I answered, and a frantic, sobbing voice filled the car.
"Aria? Aria, please help me!"
It was Sarah. But she wasn't gloating anymore. She sounded terrified.
"Aria, Mark... he's gone crazy. He found out about the medical records. He thinks I betrayed him too. He's locked me in the basement of the old warehouse! Please, you're the only one who knows where he goes when he's like this!"
I looked at Lucian. His eyes were cold, calculating. He shook his head 'no' it could be a trap.
But then, I heard a crash on the other end of the line and Mark's muffled roar: "You think you can play me like she did? I'll make sure neither of you survives the night!"
The call went dead.
I looked at Lucian, my heart racing. "He's lost it. He's going to kill her."
Lucian straightened his tie, his expression turning into a mask of cold iron. "Then let's go. But we aren't going as rescuers, Aria. We're going as witnesses to his final mistake."