Victoria's POV
The next morning, the sunlight streaming through the window was far brighter than my mood.
Veronica had kept her promise. She practically dragged me out of bed an hour early.
"First impressions are done, Tee. Today is about proving you belong there," she said, shoving a cup of coffee into my hand as I rushed out the door.
When I arrived at the hospital, the atmosphere felt different. The quiet, sterile hallways I'd walked through yesterday now felt heavier like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
I found Doctor Harem in the staff lounge, staring down at a patient's chart. He looked like he hadn't slept.
"Good morning, Doctor Harem," I said, forcing brightness into my voice.
He looked up. For a brief second, I saw something in his eyes. Not irritation.
Pity.
"Ah, Victoria. You're early. Good."
"I took your advice about being careful to heart," I joked lightly.
He didn't smile.
"We have a private consultation today. A VIP patient. Mr. Hart has requested that you stay in the room and take notes."
He closed the chart sharply.
"You'll see. Just remember what I told you. Watch. Listen. And keep your head down."
Ten minutes later, I followed him into a private suite on the top floor.
My breath caught.
Standing by the window, his back to us, was the man from yesterday. The charcoal suit. The broad shoulders. That suffocating aura of power.
"Mr. Moretti," Doctor Harem said formally. "This is Doctor Victoria. She'll be assisting today."
Lucien turned slowly.
His dark eyes swept over me, unhurried, assessing. Lingering just long enough to make my skin prickle.
He didn't look surprised.
If anything, he looked like he had been waiting.
"The girl who doesn't watch where she's going," he said smoothly. "I hope your medical skills are more precise than your walking, Doctor."
My face flushed not from embarrassment.
Indignation.
I straightened my coat and met his gaze.
"My medical skills are perfectly fine, Mr. Moretti. And as for yesterday, I assumed a man of your stature had more important concerns than a hallway accident."
Beside me, Doctor Harem inhaled sharply.
Silence.
One of the guards near the door shifted, his hand hovering too close to his holster.
Lucien tilted his head slightly, studying me as if I were something newly discovered.
Then the corner of his mouth curved not warm.
Interested.
"A man of my stature," he repeated softly.
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I could smell sandalwood and expensive tobacco.
"You're bold for someone who just arrived in Stonehaven, Doctor."
"I'm trained to handle pressure," I replied.
His gaze darkened.
"We'll see."
The examination began, but I could feel his eyes on me every time I moved. Waiting for a tremor. A mistake.
I gave him none.
When it ended, I left the suite as calmly as possible.
But I understood something now.
I hadn't just stood my ground.
I had caught his attention.
And that was far more dangerous.
By six, I was exhausted.
The evening air cooled my flushed skin as I walked toward the bus stop.
A sleek black sedan glided to the curb beside me.
The tinted window lowered.
"Doctor Victoria. Mr. Moretti would like to offer you a ride home."
I didn't slow.
"Tell Mr. Moretti I have a bus pass and two working legs. I'm fine."
The car rolled forward slowly, keeping pace.
"It wasn't exactly a request."
I stopped.
Before I could react, a familiar presence filled the space behind me.
Lucien.
"Are you following me?" I demanded.
"I'm ensuring my doctor remains unharmed," he replied evenly. "Stonehaven can be… unpredictable at night."
"I can take care of myself."
Unlike the other women in this town, who probably would have melted under that gaze, I felt something else.
Annoyance.
"Most people would be honored," he said.
"Then go find most people."
I turned into a small grocery store, hoping to lose him between the aisles.
I grabbed a carton of milk.
A hand reached over my shoulder and took it first.
"You're developing a dangerous habit, Doctor," his voice murmured near my ear. "Saying no to me."
My pulse jumped but I didn't step back.
"I don't belong to anyone," I said quietly.
For the first time, something flickered in his expression.
Not anger.
Challenge.
He paid for my groceries without asking and walked away before I could argue.
That unsettled me more than if he had stayed.
When I got home, I burst through the door.
Veronica looked up instantly.
"Tee? What happened?"
"He followed me," I said breathlessly. "To the store."
Who followed you
Lucien Moretti and he offered me a ride home" I said
Her face drained of color.
"You didn't get in the car, did you?
"No i didn't."
"You told Lucien Moretti no?"
"Twice."
Veronica grabbed my hands.
"You don't understand. Women in this town would beg for his attention. But he doesn't want what's given freely."
Her voice dropped.
"He likes taking what resists."
A chill slid down my spine.
"You've become the only thing in this town he doesn't own," she whispered. "And that makes you the only thing he's going to want."
I stared out the window at the dark street.
"He's just a man," I said firmly. "And I don't belong to anyone."
"In this town," Veronica replied softly, "everything belongs to him."
I pulled my hands away and stood up, pacing the small living room. "I refuse to believe that, Vee. I came here for a job, not to be some side character in a local tyrant's drama. I'm a doctor. I have patients who need me. If I just do my work and stay professional, he'll get bored and find someone who actually wants his attention."
Veronica let out a dry, hollow laugh. "Bored? Lucien Moretti doesn't get bored; he gets fixated. You're the only person in Stonehaven who hasn't flinched when he looked at them. To a man like him, that's not an insult it's a prize."
"I'm not a prize," I snapped, feeling a spark of that same defiance from the grocery store. "I'm a person. And if he tries to 'fixate' on me, he's going to find out I'm a lot more trouble than I'm worth."
Veronica sighed, rubbing her temples. "I hope you're right, Tee. I really do. But just… promise me one thing. Don't go anywhere alone after your shift tomorrow. If you won't take a ride from him, let me pick you up."
"Fine," I relented, wanting to end the conversation. "I promise."
But that night, sleep didn't come easily. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those dark, unreadable eyes and heard the low, dangerous silk of his voice. He didn't feel like a man who gave up. He felt like an inevitability.