Chapter 4 Friend Or Foe

• AMELIA
• Letting out an exhale, I glanced around to make sure I wasn't being followed into my hotel room. I thought about my elder brother, tears filling my eyes. I'd been too selfish. Eric was involved in an accident three years ago. He had been in a coma ever since then. I was worried that Fabian would harm him just to get to me.
• It was a relief that Lucien had changed his mind, but I had a feeling that the war wasn't over yet.
• The moment I opened the door and walked in, a damp handkerchief was pressed to my nose, and I gasped, flailing my limbs.
• How did they get in?
• Terror invaded my senses as my lungs strained for air.
• Who was responsible for this?
• Was it Fabian or my father?
• Who would save me now?
• I should've listened to Lucien when he'd asked me to go with him. This was my last thought as everything faded into black.
• When I regained consciousness, there was a bag on my head, and my hands were tied behind me while I was seated on a chair.
• At the sound of the door creaking open, my senses perked up. Tears filled my eyes when I smelled Fabian's scent.
• In a few seconds, the bag over my head was taken away, and I squinted as bright lights shone overhead from the ceiling.
• Standing in front of me was Fabian Lancaster, the devil himself.
• "Did you really think you could escape from me?"
• He demanded, his eyes lit with amusement.
• "Untie me," I hissed through gritted teeth.
• He crouched in front of me, his eyes darkening.
• ”Why should I? You must pay for embarrassing me the way you did," he said coldly.
• I squeezed my eyes shut as he drew closer to me until his lips were in line with my ear.
• "You are one shameless bitch, you know? I didn't think you would go back to him to ask for his help again. What are you going to do now? He can't save you," he drawled.
• A lump lodged itself in my throat as he drew even closer, burying his face against the exposed curve of my neck.
• Cupping my face, he brought his lips to mine, and I tried to pull away from him. He refused to budge, so I bit his lips hard. Letting out a cry of pain, he pulled away from me and smacked me across the face. I fell off my chair and crashed to the ground due to the sheer force of his violence.
• I glared at him as he wiped blood off his lips.
• ”Have you always been this stupid? What happened to you?" He said.
• "I'm not going to just sit back and do nothing, you hear me? I'd rather die than marry you," I spat.
• In that moment, the door opened, and a man dressed in a black suit rushed in, hurrying to Fabian's side. I watched him as he whispered something to him, and in that moment, his face was contorted with rage.
• "Let's go," he said through gritted teeth, and they both stormed out of the room, leaving me to stare at the door, confused.
• I winced as the ropes bit into my skin when I attempted to move.
• As time passed, the air became stifling. My throat burned with each cough I let out as smoke began to seep under the door. A fire?
• I strained against the ropes, desperation kicking in.
• The heat swelled, and the acrid smell of burning wood assaulted my nostrils.
• Just when I felt my strength waning and my vision blurring, the door burst open. Steady footsteps approached. My heart pounded wildly as I squinted through the haze.
• A figure loomed over me, their piercing gray eyes meeting mine.
• I closed my eyes again, feeling myself drift as I was untied and lifted off the floor.
• "You're safe now."
• Half-conscious, I recognized his deep voice to be Lucien's.
• Relief sank into me as I rested my head on his shoulder and gave in to my exhaustion.
• …
• I opened my eyes with a gasp, sitting up in bed as a rush of memories swarmed my mind.
• Lucien had saved me. I was sure of it.
• Slowly, I eased out of the bed and walked towards the door. Pulling the door open, I stepped out of the room, my breath hitching in my throat at the sight of the corridor. It felt like I was standing in the corridor of a palace. How rich was Lucien? I couldn't heip but wonder.
• As I walked along the corridor in search of him, I froze in place when I heard a familiar voice.
• My father's.
• What was he doing here?
• I quickened my pace, my anxiety levels spiking up.
• Rushing towards the staircase, my gaze rested on the two men standing in the sitting room. My feet came to an abrupt halt, and I crouched by the railings to watch them.
• "I want my daughter back,“ I heard my father say, and Lucien smirked, his eyes lighting up. A shiver ran down my spine. I could feel his passive aggressiveness all the way from my hiding spot.
• "So, you do? Why should I give her back? This is the perfect opportunity I've been waiting for. If you were me, would you give it up?" He said, and I frowned, confused.
• My gaze flickered and rested on my father's features. I stiffened, my frown deepening when I saw the look on his face. It was an expression I'd never seen on him. Fear.
• "You recognize me, don't you?" Lucien drawled, and my father turned several shades paler.
• "It's not possible. You were…" My father's voice cracked, his eyes widening.
• It was clear at this point. They knew each other.
• "It's rude to eavesdrop, princess," Lucien suddenly stated, and I stiffened, blood rushing to my cheeks.
• Slowly, I straightened, and both men looked up at me with blank expressions on their faces. Without a word, my father turned away from Lucien and stormed out of the house.
• "What was that?" I asked, and he shrugged.
• "You don't have to know. It's between your father and I,“ he replied, turning away from me.
• "Earlier, how did you know where I was?" l asked, alighting the stairs.
• "I installed a tracking app on your phone when I asked for your contact after we made our agreement," he replied.
• I stared at him, flabbergasted. He sat down on the couch and picked up an iPad from the coffee table.
• "Did you need something?" He asked, without looking at me.
• "No, I just... got curious," I said, and his gaze met mine.
• "Don't be curious. It's the one thing that will keep you alive for much longer,” he deadpanned.
• There was a knock on the door, Lucien leaned back on his couch and returned his focus to the gadget in his hand.
• The door jerked open, and a tall man with light brown eyes strode in, dressed in a black suit.
• Shutting the door behind him, he strode towards Lucien and handed him what looked like a contract.
• Then he looked up at me and nodded curtly.
• "You can call me Enzo, I'm Lucien's Beta," he said, and I nodded.
• “I’m Amelia -"
• "I know who you are," he replied, cutting me off.
• Lucien held out a hand to his beta, who immediately handed him a fountain pen.
• He opened the thick cover of the contract and signed on it. Then he handed the contract over to me, along with the pen.
• "What's this?" I asked.
• "Our marriage contract," he replied in a monotonous voice.
• I stared at him for a moment, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
• Was I really going to do this?
• "Sign it quickly. Enzo needs to leave as quickly as possible," Lucien urged.
• Gritting my teeth, I skimmed through the contract.
• My stomach tightened when I saw the term 'Open Marriage.'
• This marriage was fake anyway. Lucien didn't owe me his commitment.
• Deciding not to let it bother me, I signed it and handed it over to him. Enzo left right after.
• Right then, my phone vibrated in the pocket of my pants. When I took it out, there was a new message displayed on the screen. It read:
• 'Don't trust him. He's your enemy!'
• A lump formed in my throat as I stared at the text.
• Lucien rose to his feet and I nearly flinched.
• He approached me, and I moved backwards, unnerved by his overwhelming aura.
• "W-what are you doing?" I stuttered as he continued to move towards me until my back hit the wall.
• Halting right in front of me, his eyes found mine.
• My heart felt as though it was going to explode. He was way too close. It didn't help that he smelled way too good.
• With one hand, he cupped my jaw. My body heated up, tingles traveling down my spine.
• He leaned even closer, and I panicked.
• Was he going to kiss me?
• On instincts, I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart threatening to leap out of my chest.
• "Your phone," he droned, and my eyes fell open.
• "What?"
• "Give it to me.“