Chapter 79
After a much-needed shower, Lucian stepped out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, feeling the steamy warmth quickly cool against the air in the room. To his relief, he found the room empty Rose was gone. He let out a deep sigh, one hand on his chest. Good. I’m not sure I could survive any more of this early-morning interrogation, he thought wryly. That was one emotionally charged start to the day.
Shaking off the tension that still clung to him, Lucian walked over to his wardrobe and pulled open a drawer, rummaging for a shirt. He found a pair of his favorite pants and a classic button-up shirt in a deep, rich blue. Holding them up, he smirked slightly, admiring the sharp contrast of the colors. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and couldn’t resist. A low, self-deprecating whistle escaped his lips as he shook his head with mock sadness.
“No one deserves to see this level of perfection, huh?” he muttered, throwing a theatrical wink at his reflection. He couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling an odd mix of amusement and irony. “Too bad the ladies seem to disagree… or maybe they’re just intimidated,” he mused, buttoning up his shirt, admiring the way the fabric fit across his shoulders.
Fuck i almost become gay looking at myself lucian thought to himself.
Slipping his arms through the sleeves, he paused and ran his fingers over his forearms. Faint scars laced his skin, reminders of a time he preferred not to dwell on. Each scar was like a ghostly imprint of the dark nights he’d once endured, struggles he’d managed to overcome or at least hide. Guess that’s why I stick to long sleeves, he thought, trying to shake off the lingering memories. For as long as he could remember, he had kept those sleeves rolled down, hiding the evidence of his past in plain sight.
He flexed his arms briefly, glancing at his reflection in the mirror, assessing the scars beneath the layers of fabric. The faint lines, while healed, still held a raw reminder of the battles he had fought within himself, battles he had kept hidden from the world. But it was his past, and that past, while scarred, had shaped him. He took a steadying breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment, letting the memories settle like dust. “Well, if Aphrodite herself saw this,” he murmured with a smirk, “she’d probably drop Adonis in a heartbeat. Too bad I don’t see any Greek goddesses in the neighborhood.”
With one last look at his reflection, he buttoned up the shirt, making sure everything was in place. He gave a small nod to himself, appreciating the polished look. “Okay, Lucian,” he said quietly, “the world may not deserve you today, but you’re going to go out there and face it anyway.” He chuckled, trying to hype himself up. Today felt like one of those days where he needed to remind himself of his own worth, even if only for his own sanity.
A familiar voice echoed in his mind, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Host, your day should go quite smoothly, even if the morning did start a bit unexpectedly,” Max, his ever-watchful AI assistant, chimed in with a reassuring tone.
Lucian snorted, raising an eyebrow. “Smoothly? Are you sure, Max? I mean, it’s me we’re talking about here. I haven’t had a ‘smooth’ day in… well, ever. Besides, if today’s anything like my luck usually runs, I’m sure some kind of chaos is waiting around the corner. Maybe an army invasion?” he joked, patting his chest.
“Even if an army showed up, Host, I have plenty of measures to help you control the situation,” Max responded with a level of confidence that left Lucian both amused and faintly reassured.
“Oh good, that’s comforting. If only you’d been around to handle Rose’s surprise visit this morning.” He sighed, picturing the awkward encounter. Talk about needing emotional armor. His lips curled into a wry smile. “Alright, Max, so no armies today, right? Just a regular, peaceful day?”
“I foresee favorable circumstances today, Host, though I can’t speak for the more ‘demonic’ encounters,” Max quipped, hinting at the unpredictable female encounters Lucian often found himself in.
Lucian laughed, shaking his head. “Ah, so you’re saying I’ll need Lady Luck’s help keeping any demonesses away? I appreciate the heads-up,” he said, playfully crossing his fingers as he gathered the rest of his things. With a final chuckle, he adjusted his shirt collar and prepared himself for the day ahead.
As he reached for the door, Lucian paused, glancing back at his reflection one last time. He felt a strange sense of resolve.
walking out of room to his staircase
Lucian paused mid-step on the staircase, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of his mother, Olivia, sitting alone on the couch in the lobby. It wasn’t just her presence there he was used to seeing her in her office or on business calls early in the morning it was the stillness in her posture and the quiet tension in her eyes, both gentle and full of emotion, that struck him.
What’s going on here? Lucian thought, slowing his descent as if approaching a delicate situation. His mother, the unstoppable CEO who rarely took a break from work, had been home for three days in a row. Three days with no meetings, no hurried footsteps down the hall, no conference calls echoing in the background.
He blinked, his brows knitting in confusion. This wasn’t like her, at least not the version of her he’d grown up with, the mother who was as relentless in her career as she was stoic at home. And yet, there she was, waiting no, watching as if she’d been waiting just for him.
The air felt thick, almost charged, with an unfamiliar energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He took another cautious step, his hand gripping the banister a little tighter, each creak of the wooden stairs somehow amplifying the tension between them. He could feel her gaze on him, and it wasn’t the usual hurried glance or distracted acknowledgment he was used to. She looked at him directly, eyes intent and almost… searching.
Her gaze held a warmth he didn’t recognize, layered with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. He found himself instinctively pulling back, a nervous chuckle slipping out as he tried to shake the unsettling feeling. What’s with that look? he wondered, shivering as he felt the weight of her stare settle over him like a blanket, heavy and almost… comforting?
A moment later, Olivia’s face softened even more, and the slight furrow in her brow smoothed as her lips parted, as if she were about to speak. For reasons he couldn’t fully explain, Lucian felt his pulse quicken. He stumbled on the last step, his breath catching as he barely managed to keep his balance. Come on, pull it together, he scolded himself, trying to regain his composure as he finally reached the bottom step.
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