Chapter 2 Shadows of Her

The air felt thick and suffocating and every breath seemed to scrape her lungs raw and the heavy silence pressed against her skin. Her dreams, the fragile ones she'd fought so hard to build were balanced on a knife's edge and threatened by a man she loathed and feared.I can't,

The thought repeated in her mind like a mantra,yet, when she looked at the other option,letting Lucien erase her from the fashion world and she found she had no choice. Her phone buzzed harshly against the glass table and she glanced down to see a message from an unknown number.

"Decision time, the clock is ticking."

Her heart stuttered violently,no doubt it was him.

The world outside her window was washed clean with Paris glistening wet and fragile beneath the night sky,but inside,a storm raged and her thoughts were torn apart by the knock on her door.

Soft and deliiberate, three knocks and her body froze. Every instinct screamed for her to run, to hide, but she was caught like a prisoner of her own choices, swallowing her fear, she rose and each step a battle against the pounding of her heart with a trembling hand, she opened the door.

Lucien Devereux stood framed by the dim hallway light with his silhouette as commanding as the Eiffel Tower and his black suit was impeccable with every line sharp and every detail perfect, his dark hair slicked back like a king's crown, but his eyes were icy and piercing blue were the thing that struck her most. They held an intensity that clawed at her, stirring things she didn't want to feel.

"Time's running out," he said smoothly and stepping inside before she could stop him.

Her lips parted but no words came and the click of the door behind him felt like the snap of a noose. His scent was a mixture of rain with expensive leather and something darker and dangerouswashed over her, overwhelming her senses.

Lucien closed the distance between them with deliberate steps with his gaze never leaving hers. She braced herself with heart thundering wildly against her ribs.

"I don't understand why you want me," she whispered, voice raw and unsteady. "Why offer me this contract? Why not just ruin me?"

His jaw tightened but his voice softened for a moment, betraying a flicker of something almost like regret. "Because you're more than a threat, Celeste,you're a challenge."

The word echoed in her mind, igniting a fire she thought long extinguished and he lifted a hand with fingers ghosting against her cheek with unexpected tenderness.

"Look at me," he murmured.

She obeyed and her green eyes locking with his stormy blue.

"And tell me why you still hate me."

The vulnerability in his voice cracked through her defenses, but she stood firm.

"Because you destroyed my family and because you drove my father to his death."

Lucien's eyes darkened with his jaw clenching. "I didn't destroy him,he made his own choices."

"Your empire swallowed him whole," she spat bitterly.

The room seemed to vibrate with the tension between them and their anger clashing like thunder. Without warning, Lucien's hand tightened around her waist, pulling her closer and his breath was warm against her skin with his lips hovering just inches from hers.

"I don't want to fight you, Celeste," he whispered, voice low and rough. "I want to make you mine."

Her breath hitched, heart pounding so fiercely she feared it might burst and his lips found hers in a kiss that was slow, demanding, and charged with years of suppressed emotion. She melted against him, all her walls crumbling beneath his touch.

When he finally pulled away, his voice was a growl.

"Sign the contract or lose everything."

Celeste's fingers trembled as she reached for the pen. The following morning, the Paris sun broke through the clouds, painting the city gold. Celeste stood at the balcony of the grand penthouse that was now her home, Lucien's home and it was feeling like a stranger trapped in a gilded cage.

Memories flooded her mind and thedeath of her father, the betrayal she'd suffered and now the tenuous truce with the man she hated yet craved.

Her phone buzzed again "Dinner at eight,be ready."

Her heart twisted in anticipation and dread,Lucien was not a man to waste time and as the hours slipped by, she prepared herself, not just physically but mentally for the war that was about to begin.

The clock struck eight and her heels clicked against the marble floor as she descended to the dining room. Lucien awaited her with his eyes sharp and smile dark.

"Welcome to the game, Celeste."

She smiled back, fierce and unbroken.

"Let's play."