THE DEVIL'S HEIR BOUGHT MY SILENCE
CHAPTER TWO
Part II — Cracks in Control
Lucien Vale did not lose control.
He calculated. He anticipated. He dominated.
That was how he survived in a house built on legacy and power.
So why was it that the words I lied kept replaying in his head like a mistake he couldn't undo?
—
Adrianna didn't sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again.
Ryder's hand on her wrist.
Jade's smile.
Lucien's voice cutting through the tension like it was nothing.
And then—
Yes.
He chose her.
Not strategically.
Not politically.
Personally.
That was the problem.
Because if this became personal, it stopped being safe.
Her phone buzzed at 2:17 a.m.
Unknown Number:
Careful who you stand beside. Some empires burn from the inside.
Her stomach dropped.
Another message followed.
Unknown Number:
You're not untouchable.
She stared at the screen.
Her thumb hovered over Lucien's name.
She didn't press it.
She wouldn't run to him every time the wolves circled.
But for the first time since signing that contract, she understood something clearly:
This wasn't just social warfare.
It was escalation.
—
The next morning, the campus felt different.
Quieter.
Too observant.
Students weren't whispering anymore.
They were watching.
As Adrianna stepped into the main hall, conversations dipped subtly before rising again.
Jade stood near the staircase with Seraphina.
Seraphina didn't look cruel.
She looked conflicted.
Jade, however, looked amused.
"Good morning," Jade called out sweetly.
Adrianna didn't stop walking.
"That dress from last night was beautiful," Jade continued. "Custom, wasn't it?"
Adrianna paused.
Turned slowly.
"You seem very informed."
Jade smiled. "The Vale estate isn't as private as you think."
That was intentional.
A warning.
Seraphina shifted uncomfortably. "Jade—"
But Jade wasn't done.
"You should be careful," she said softly. "Victor doesn't invest in things he plans to keep."
Adrianna's spine straightened.
"And what does he invest in?"
Jade stepped closer.
"Leverage."
The word lingered.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Before Adrianna could respond, a ripple moved through the hallway.
Lucien had entered.
He didn't rush.
He didn't glare.
He simply walked with that quiet authority that forced space to open around him.
His eyes landed on Adrianna first.
Then on Jade.
He didn't ask what happened.
He didn't need to.
Jade's smile sharpened slightly.
"We were just talking."
Lucien's gaze didn't leave Adrianna.
"Go to class," he said calmly.
It wasn't dismissive.
It was protective.
She hesitated.
Then walked away.
She could feel Jade's stare burning into her back.
And Lucien's following until she disappeared down the corridor.
—
Victor Vale never raised his voice.
He didn't need to.
Lucien entered his father's office that afternoon without knocking.
"You're stirring things," Lucien said evenly.
Victor didn't look up from the documents on his desk.
"I'm observing."
"Jade spoke to her."
Victor turned a page calmly.
"And?"
"She implied leverage."
Now Victor looked up.
"And?"
Lucien's jaw tightened slightly.
"You're not using her."
Victor leaned back.
"Everything is usable."
"She's not part of your strategy."
Victor's gaze sharpened.
"You made her part of it the moment you walked her into my house."
Silence stretched.
Heavy.
"You're getting attached," Victor continued.
Lucien didn't react.
"I'm managing optics."
Victor studied him for a long moment.
"You chose her over Ryder."
Lucien's expression didn't shift.
"Yes."
"That was emotional."
"It was necessary."
Victor stood slowly.
"When emotion begins to dictate your choices, you become predictable."
Lucien held his father's stare.
"I'm not predictable."
Victor stepped closer.
"No. You're becoming protective."
The word landed like an accusation.
Lucien didn't respond.
But for the first time in years—
Victor smiled faintly.
—
By Thursday, the retaliation began.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Strategic.
Adrianna's scholarship review was suddenly "under evaluation."
A professor questioned her mid-lecture as if testing her credibility.
Anonymous posts resurfaced old photos from before she transferred— cropped to look misleading.
Daniel found her outside the library.
"This isn't normal," he said quietly.
"I know."
"You need to leave this."
"I can't."
"You think he'll protect you from everything?"
Her silence answered him.
And that scared him more than if she'd said yes.
—
That evening, Lucien found out.
Not because she told him.
Because someone forwarded him the internal scholarship review notice.
His jaw hardened as he read it.
They weren't just attacking her socially anymore.
They were destabilizing her foundation.
He walked into the student council boardroom without invitation.
Ryder looked up first.
"Well, if it isn't the loyal boyfriend."
Lucien ignored the comment.
"You're overstepping."
Ryder leaned back lazily.
"You chose her over blood."
"I chose order."
Aaron scoffed. "You chose weakness."
Lucien's gaze shifted slowly to him.
"If I had chosen weakness, you wouldn't be speaking right now."
Silence.
The room felt colder.
Ryder's expression shifted slightly.
"You're risking the family's standing."
Lucien stepped forward.
"No. You are."
Ryder stood now.
"You think Father will side with you?"
Lucien didn't blink.
"I don't need him to."
The tension between them was no longer playful rivalry.
It was fracture.
And everyone in the room felt it.
—
Later that night, Adrianna stood alone on the balcony of her dorm building.
The city lights stretched endlessly beyond the campus walls.
For the first time since this began—
She felt tired.
Not weak.
Just exhausted.
The door behind her opened quietly.
She didn't need to turn around.
"You shouldn't be alone," Lucien said.
"I'm starting to hate when you say that."
He stepped beside her.
"They're targeting your scholarship."
"I know."
"You didn't tell me."
"I don't want to be saved every time something happens."
He looked at her then.
Really looked.
"This isn't about saving you."
"Then what is it about?"
His voice lowered.
"They're trying to break you to get to me."
"And?"
His jaw tightened.
"They won't."
"You can't control everything, Lucien."
Silence.
Wind moved between them.
For once, he didn't have an immediate answer.
Her voice softened slightly.
"Is this what your world is?"
"Yes."
"And you're okay with that?"
"I don't have the luxury not to be."
She studied him.
The polished exterior. The composure. The control.
And beneath it—
Pressure.
Expectation.
Isolation.
"You're alone in it," she said quietly.
His expression flickered.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Analyze me."
"You analyze everyone."
"That's different."
"Why?"
Because you're the only one I don't want to see me.
He didn't say it.
But it lingered in the space between them.
Instead, he said:
"I'll fix the scholarship issue."
"I didn't ask you to."
"You don't have to."
She stepped closer.
"Stop deciding things for me."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You think I'm doing this for control?"
"Are you not?"
A long pause.
Then—
"I don't like seeing you cornered."
There it was again.
Not strategy.
Not optics.
Personal.
Her pulse quickened.
"This is dangerous," she whispered.
"Yes."
"Then stop."
His gaze held hers.
"You first."
Silence.
Electric.
Tight.
The distance between them shrank without either of them consciously deciding it should.
Her breath hitched slightly.
His hand lifted—
Not to grab.
Not to claim.
Just hovering near her face.
Like he wasn't sure if he was allowed.
That hesitation was new.
And it scared him more than anything else.
—
From across the courtyard below, unseen in the shadows—
Jade watched them on the balcony.
Her expression wasn't jealous anymore.
It was calculating.
"This isn't fake," she murmured.
And that meant
It could be destroyed