Chapter 8 Confrontation

• AMELIA
• "What are you talking about?" I said, forcing out a dry smile. There was no way he'd discovered what l'd just done unless there were cameras in the dining room. Even at that, I had made sure that there were no cameras around.
• "All this?" He said, flicking his fingers towards the meal on the table.
• "It's so unlike you. You rebelled against me last night. So, what's this? Your attempt to poison me?" He added.
• "Of course not! I certainly do not wish to become a widow at such a young age," I said, and he squinted at me.
• "The last time I checked, you do not like being married to me," he deadpanned.
• "I changed my mind after I saw the way you protected me last night. Consider this a peace offering..." I said, my desperation bleeding into my voice.
• He continued to watch me with eyes that could probably see right through my soul.
• With every second that passed by, my nervousness worsened.
• "Please..." I breathed.
• Without a word, he drew out a chair and lowered himself into it. My heart leaped in excitement.
• "Why are you standing there? Sit down, will you?" He said, and I quickly did as I was told.
• While I dug into my portion of food, I tried not to sneak glances at him.
• When he reached out to grab the glass of orange juice l'd spiked, my breath caught in my throat.
• Right after he drank the juice, I watched him. When his eyes didn't turn white like Archer's had, I was struck with a sudden fear.
• If the serum truly had no effect on him, he was more powerful than I'd thought.
• "Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked, and I immediately lowered my gaze, my palms growing sweaty.
• "Look at me," he ordered, his voice thick with authority. I froze in my chair, every muscle in my body growing stiff.
• As though I was being compelled, I found myself looking up at him. He leaned back on his chair, a storm brewing in his eyes.
• "If you truly poisoned my meal, you shouldn't expect me to collapse. It won't happen. They just don't work on me," he said, and I shook my head.
• "I didn't poison you," I said, and he shot to his feet.
• In a blink of an eye, he was standing right beside me.
• Swallowing hard, I turned to look at him.
• "Are you sure?" He asked, and I nodded frantically. I could somehow sense the impending threat to my life.
• Grabbing my arm, he pulled me to my feet.
• "Then kiss me," he said, and my eyes bulged in their sockets.
• "What?"
• "If you really didn't poison me, you wouldn't be afraid of kissing me," he pointed out, and I crinkled my nose at him.
• "I can't just..."
• His eyes grew cold, and every hint of amusement vanished.
• "Do it."
• Letting out an inhale, I leaned closer to him, my lips meeting his.
• Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pulled me even closer and deepened the kiss.
• I wasn't supposed to enjoy it.
• But, somehow, my body was overcome with a throbbing need.
• More. I wanted more.
• We kissed like we were starved. It was intense-a burning fever that stole every trace of reasoning.
• We'd kissed before, but this was something different.
• Electrifying. Breathtaking.
• Suddenly, I was burning hot. It was so intense, I could feel the sweat sliding down my spine.
• I pulled away from Lucien when I started to grow lightheaded. His eyes had turned a startling red rimmed with black.
• He almost looked crazed.
• When he tried to pull me in for another kiss, I resisted.
• "Mine," he growled, his voice guttural.
• "No..." I gasped, and he grabbed me by my throat.
• "Stop!" I cried, and he tightened his grip on me.
• "Lucien STOP!" I cried out, and he released me, his eyes reverting to their usual colour.
• I stumbled away from him, holding a hand to my sore neck.
• He stared at me for a moment, his eyes wide.
• "I'm sorry...sh*t... didn't mean to..." He said, reaching out to touch me.
• "You tried to kill me!" I spat, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and anger. He shook his head, a confused look on his face.
• "I'm so sorry.... don't know what..."
• "Save it," I snapped and stormed out of the dining room, struggling to catch my breath.
• ...
• A few hours later,
• I paced back and forth in my room, unable to shake off the memory of what had happened earlier in the dining room. Although Lucien had apologized to me, I was on edge. He could've killed me if he'd held on to me for much longer.
• My phone rang out, and I let out a startled cry.
• I hesitated a little bit before picking up the call.
• "Amelia?" a masculine voice said.
• I recognized the voice right away.
• "It's me, Archer," he continued.
• "I know," I replied.
• "Did you succeed in using the serum?" he asked.
• "I don't think the truth serum worked on him," I said, and he s*ck*d in a sharp breath.
• "That confirms it. He's the fugitive we've been looking for," Archer replied, and my heart sank.
• At this point, I was starting to regret going to Lucien for help. It was clear now. I wasn't safe around him. Whatever happened earlier might happen again, and there was no guarantee that he wouldn't kill me the next time.
• A shudder ran through me as I brought a hand to my throat.
• "Can we meet up again? There are so many things I want to tell you," Archer stated.
• "Today?" I asked.
• "Yeah."
• "Alright then..."
• The door was pushed open, and I gasped in surprise, holding my phone to my chest. Lucien was standing by the door, a stoic look on his face.
• "Can't you knock?" I demanded, straightening.
• Ignoring my question, he observed me for a few seconds.
• "You're fully dressed. Good. You're coming with me," he said, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
• "What?"
• "Pack up a few clothes. It's going to be a short trip," he said, turning away from me.
• "To where?" I asked, and he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
• I stared at the door in annoyance.
• What the hell was wrong with him?
• …
• "Where are we going?" I asked Lucien an hour later. We were seated in his car, and he was driving along the Manhattan Bridge.
• We had been sitting in silence for the past thirty minutes.
• "The pack house. It's where the wedding will be taking place," he told me, and my eyes widened.
• "Already? But-"
• "Why? You don't want to finalize your wedding with me? Darling, you have no choice now. Eventually, the public will discover that you're my wife. We'll just have to see it through to the end," he said, and I winced.
• I wasn't sure if I was ready to be s*ck*d into his world. Judging from the fact that he was Fabian's archenemy, he had to be as dangerous as Fabian, if not more.
• "Is your neck okay?" He asked, and I nodded quietly.
• Lowering my gaze to my phone, I quickly sent a text to Archer, apologizing for not being able to meet up with him.
• All of a sudden, the car skidded to a halt, and I looked up, bewildered.
• "What's going-" the words died off at the sight of the number of men obstructing the road. There were several cars behind them as well. It felt as though they'd been plotting an ambush.
• My stomach churned with unease as I glanced behind us to see more cars pulling up.
• Dread sank into me, my breathing quickening.
• Who sent them?
• Was it my father?
• Or Fabian?
• Had they come to take me back?
• Nausea swept through me at the thought of it.
• I would rather die than go back to either of them.
• But looking at the situation, there was a high chance of things going south.
• We were surrounded.
• I turned to look at Lucien, who looked strangely unbothered.
• "Amelia?" He said, his eyes fixed on the road in front of us.
• "Yes?" I managed to utter.
• "I want you to do me a favour. Stay in the car, do you understand?" He stated, and I gulped.
• "There are too many of them," I breathed, and he turned to look at me.
• "Stay in the car," he deadpanned.
• Then he removed his seatbelt and got out of the car.
• I watched with wide eyes as he moved to stand in front of the car.
• The breeze whipped against his unbound hair as he rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt, exposing his strong-looking, veiny arms.
• His aura was different this time. It was as overwhelming as a hurricane. Even while I was seated in the car, I could feel his hair-raising presence The clouds overhead had started to darken, accompanied by a rumble in the sky.
• The men didn't attack, but they all appeared hostile. It was as though they were waiting for the right time to attack.
• "Come out here already. I know you're here," Lucien said, and I frowned, wondering who he was talking to.
• Slowly, a car door was pushed open, and someone stepped out. I could recognize that face anywhere. It was the devil himself, Fabian.