Lucien heard that question and his heart pounded heavily. He knew this was the moment he had to answer with absolute tact, otherwise everything would collapse. He took a deep breath, and then asked in return:
"Would you believe it, boss? If I said it was the truth from the bottom of my heart?"
Damian did not answer immediately. He only stared intently at Lucien, his smoky gray eyes darkening entirely. Lucien knew that the man was struggling with himself; on one side was the rationality wanting to push Lucien away, and on the other was a kind of affection that the man could not control. He decided to take a gamble.
"Alright, let me tell the truth." Lucien let out a breath, then looked straight into Damian's eyes. "In the beginning, I only wanted to impress you, boss. Because I needed this job, I needed to prove my capabilities. But after the times I met you, after seeing the way you work, the way you treat everyone fairly... I started to genuinely like you. That made me afraid."
