Chapter 5 Be My Secret Lover #2
Stella’s eyes hardened. She met his furious stare without flinching, lifting her chin as a cool, arrogant expression settled over her features.
“Don’t I compare to him in your eyes, Stella?” Lucius demanded, his grip tightening for a moment. “Am I not even close?”
“No, you don’t.”
Lucius went completely still.
“He’s the love of my life, my friend, and my whole world.”
She spoke without emotion, her words deliberately dismissive, each one striking him with more force than she could have known.
“Goodbye.”
She pushed his hands from her shoulders and turned away. After grabbing her purse and phone from the table, she walked out without giving him another glance.
Lucius remained where he was, his arms falling to his sides as he watched her disappear.
The anger inside him raged like a fire he could no longer contain. His chest tightened, his jaw locked, and his hands curled into fists. He drew in one deep breath after another, attempting to force the fury back beneath the surface, but every breath only seemed to sharpen it.
She didn’t care about him.
Not even a little.
Stella descended the stairs and had almost reached the exit when the maid hurried toward her.
“Miss Gibson, would you like to have some breakfast before you leave?” she asked. “I’ve prepared something especially nice for you. Mr. Lucius told me you were here, so I had a table set.”
Stella had barely turned toward her when Lucius appeared on the upper floor. He walked toward the railing and looked down at them, one hand resting against it. His shoulders were tense, his expression dark, and his entire posture radiated anger.
“She doesn’t need breakfast,” he called out, his voice sharp and commanding. “She can eat when she gets home.”
Stella’s gaze shifted from the maid to the upper floor.
Lucius stood above them, staring down with a cold, furious expression. His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard, and the anger written across his face made it clear that he was still struggling to keep his temper under control.
Stella’s expression tightened when she heard Lucius dismiss the maid’s offer of breakfast. Her fingers curled faintly at her sides as she looked up at him, her eyes growing colder as an old certainty settled more firmly in her mind.
‘I was right about him.’
He had never cared about her beyond her body. The only thing he wanted was what she could give him. Apart from that, she meant nothing to him. He was so indifferent to her that even the thought of her having breakfast in his house seemed to irritate him.
A bitter feeling settled in her chest, but she refused to let it show. She didn’t answer him. Instead, she turned away, her expression remaining unchanged as she continued toward the exit.
‘Leaving him was the right choice. He clearly doesn’t feel anything for me.’
She crossed the living room, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. She was almost out of the house when Lucius’s voice suddenly rang through the mansion.
“I agree.”
The words stopped her in her tracks.
Her shoulders stiffened. For a moment, she remained with her back to him, her hand hovering near her side. Then, slowly, she turned around and looked up at him.
Lucius stood on the upper floor, his hands resting on the railing as he stared down at her. His face remained hard, giving no indication that he had reconsidered anything. His expression was as stern and unreadable as ever, but his voice carried clearly through the foyer.
“I agree to what you’re asking for.”
Stella stood motionless for a moment, trying to comprehend what he meant.
He had agreed.
Her lips parted slightly, surprise flickering across her face before she quickly composed herself.
She had never expected him to accept such an unreasonable proposal.
After all, Lucius was a man who could have any woman he wanted.
That was precisely why she had been willing to put the arrangement in front of him.
She hadn’t actually thought he would agree.
However, his body was familiar to her, and she was selfish enough to want to enjoy it.
No matter how much she tried to deny it, she had never felt as intensely attracted to another man as she was to him.
There was something about him that continued to draw her in, even when she knew better than to let herself get too close.
Still, she was stunned that he had actually agreed.
She had been prepared for him to reject her, perhaps even to mock her for suggesting such an arrangement. She hadn’t expected him to accept it so readily.
Before the shock could fully leave her face, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Lucius descended with measured steps, one hand sliding along the railing as he made his way down. His expression remained unreadable, and his gaze never left her.
Stella watched him approach, her body instinctively growing tense as he crossed the foyer. She barely had time to gather her thoughts before he stopped directly in front of her.
Without saying a word, he reached for her arm. His fingers closed around it, firm but controlled, as he turned her toward the study on the ground floor and guided her inside.
The door shut behind them.
A second later, the lock clicked into place.
Stella’s gaze flickered toward it, her eyebrows drawing together slightly, but Lucius had already moved away. He pulled out a chair at one side of the rectangular table and gestured for her to sit.
She hesitated for the briefest moment before lowering herself into the seat. Her back remained straight, and she carefully folded her hands in her lap, determined not to reveal the uneasiness gathering inside her.
Lucius walked around the table and took the chair opposite her.
For the first few seconds, Stella felt uneasy beneath his intense stare. The quietness of the room, the closed door, and the seriousness etched across his face made the atmosphere feel heavy.