Chapter 11 He’s Not Really Her Husband
At Frost Group, Lucius walked into his office with a smile on his face.
He was in an unusually good mood as he stepped into the CEO’s office, where deep maroon, dark brown, and black defined the interior.
The dark leather furniture, rich wooden panels, and black marble surfaces gave the office a warm yet imposing atmosphere, while silver accents added a touch of understated elegance.
Everything blended seamlessly, creating the kind of luxurious, masculine space that suited Lucius perfectly.
He glanced around the room before heading toward his desk, with Nial following close behind.
Lucius was carrying a box of fruit in his hand. He approached the desk and placed it on the surface with great care, shifting it slightly to one side until it was positioned exactly where he wanted it. He studied the box for a moment, a pleased smile tugging at his lips.
Nial stepped into the office and looked at him with an amused smile.
“Mr. Frost, you finally found it. I’ve been looking for it since this morning, but I really couldn’t find it anywhere.
I even had people searching all over the city.
I’m surprised you went out looking for it yourself, but I’m glad you finally found it.
I’m sure Miss Gibson is going to be very happy when she sees that you bought it for her. ”
Lucius glanced at him.
Although he was pleased by the thought of Stella’s reaction, it was the mere idea of seeing her smile when she realized he had found Peruvian groundcherries for her that made him happiest.
Lucius remembered how much Stella loved the fruit.
It wasn’t easy to find, but whenever she came across it, she would become so delighted that she bought several boxes at once, determined to enjoy them for as long as possible.
The happiness that lit up her face whenever she got her hands on them had always stayed with him.
Because he knew how much she loved them, he had been more than happy to bring them to her.
Lucius glanced at Nial and pointed toward the box.
“Buy the farmland where these are grown.”
Nial blinked. “The farmland?”
“I don’t want to have to look for them every time.” Lucius’s gaze returned to the fruit. “I want them to be available whenever they’re in season. I want Stella to get them delivered to her home whenever she wants.”
“Of course, Mr. Frost. I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
Nial smiled brightly and reached into his pocket for his phone. But before he could make the call, the office doors suddenly flew open.
Stella stormed into the room with such fury that neither man had noticed her opening the doors.
She marched straight toward Lucius, who was standing beside his desk, and stopped directly in front of him.
The moment Lucius saw her, his face brightened.
It had been so long since Stella had last stood in his office. When they had been together, she used to visit him there frequently, and seeing her in that familiar space brought a flood of memories rushing back.
The ache those memories stirred in him was almost unbearable, yet he couldn’t stop the happiness that spread through him at the sight of her.
The moment Lucius saw her, his face brightened.
It had been so long since Stella had last stood in his office. When they had been together, she used to visit him frequently, and seeing her in that familiar space brought a rush of memories back to him.
The ache those memories stirred was almost unbearable, yet he couldn’t stop the happiness that spread through him at the sight of her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, stepping closer with a smile as he reached for her.
Stella immediately pushed him away.
Lucius stopped, his brows drawing together as she glared at him.
“Is it true?” she demanded. “Did you invest in Licius because you wanted to please a woman you like?”
Lucius stared at her for a moment, caught off guard by the question. Then, instead of denying it, he gave her a quiet answer.
“Yes. I did.”
Behind them, Nial quietly turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.
The moment Stella heard Lucius confirm her suspicions, her anger intensified. Fury hardened her features, and her eyes flashed with such hostility that Lucius couldn’t understand what he had done wrong.
He stared at her, genuinely confused.
All he wanted was to make her happy in every way possible.
After she broke up with him three years ago, he had spent the entire year suffering through her absence. He had no intention of making the same mistake again. This time, he was prepared to do whatever it took to bring her back into his life.
Investing in Licius had been one of those ways.
He wanted to be connected to her in every possible sense. By tying himself to her business, he had created a bond that wouldn’t be easy for her to sever. It was another way to keep himself close to her, another way to make sure she couldn’t simply walk away from him again.
Lucius reached for the box of fruit and opened it. He picked up one of the cherries and held it out to her with a faint smile.
“Look what I bought for you.”
Stella didn’t respond.
“Don’t you like them?” he asked. He brought the fruit toward her mouth. “Here. Try it. See if it’s sweet.”
Before he could feed it to her, Stella slapped his hand away. The fruit flew from his fingers and landed on the floor.
Lucius’s expression shifted.
Stella turned toward him, her anger finally boiling over.
“You think you can shrug me off with a fucking fruit after what you’ve done to me?”
Her voice rose with every word. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.
Lucius stared at her, his brows drawing together in confusion.
He had no idea what she was talking about.
All he had wanted was to please her. He had gone out of his way to find something she loved, and instead of making her happy, his efforts seemed to have made her even angrier.
‘Why does everything I do for her only make her angrier?’ He studied her, frustration beginning to simmer beneath his confusion. ‘Is she really so unhappy with me that even my attempts to make her happy only make things worse?’
Lucius picked up the box and set it aside before leaning back against the edge of his desk.
“It was a simple gesture, Stella,” he said, his voice tightening. “It doesn’t have to turn into an argument between us.”
Stella’s expression darkened even further.
“A simple gesture?” she repeated, disbelief dripping from her voice. “You used your wealth and connections to take control of the business I built with my own hands, and you thought I wouldn’t see through it?”
She stepped closer, her eyes blazing.
“No one gets to use me, Lucius Frost.”
Lucius’s jaw tightened.
Her words cut deeper than she realized. He had been trying to make an effort for her, yet she had twisted everything into an accusation that he was using her.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
‘She thinks I’m using her?’
He had never wanted anything from her except the chance to be close to her again. Yet, in her eyes, every attempt he made seemed to prove that he wanted only a physical relationship with her and nothing more.
‘Does she despise me that much?’
His frustration grew as an old wound reopened.
A year ago, she had asked him for a breakup out of nowhere, leaving him to deal with the consequences alone. He had spent the entire year trying to understand how everything between them had fallen apart.
And now, even when he was doing everything he could to win her back, she looked at him as though every effort he made was nothing more than another reason to hate him.
Back then, when Stella had come to his house to collect her belongings, the maid had told him she was there. He had walked past her in the living room without even looking at her and gone straight to his study.
He hadn’t allowed himself to look at her because he knew that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from begging her to stay.
For the entire year that followed, he had tried to forget her. He had forced himself not to think about her, not to remember the life they had shared, and not to dwell on why she had walked away.
He had failed miserably.
And now she was standing in front of him again, and he was just as helpless around her as he had been before.
Lucius abruptly tossed the box of fruit aside. It hit the edge of his desk, sending the contents scattering across the floor.
He straightened, his jaw clenched as he tried to get his temper under control. But the anger and jealousy burning inside him were already pushing his restraint to its limit.
He stepped closer to Stella, his expression hardening.
“You’re right,” he growled. “I shouldn’t have had anything to do with you the moment I saw your entire house filled with photographs of your fucking husband.”
Jealousy sharpened every word. The image of Shane’s photographs displayed throughout Stella’s home had been tormenting him, and now that he was standing in front of her, all the anger he had been holding back came rushing to the surface.
He didn’t wait for her to respond.
He turned and stormed out of the office, his footsteps echoing sharply across the floor.
Stella remained where she was, staring after him in confusion.
“What the hell is he talking about?” she muttered. “What do Shane’s photographs have to do with any of this?”
She didn’t stay to figure it out.
She hurried out of the office and headed downstairs, making her way straight to her car. Once inside, she pulled out of the driveway and immediately searched her phone for a number.
The call rang several times before someone finally answered.
“Hello?”
A deep, masculine voice came through the phone.
“It’s me,” Stella said, her voice tense. “I need you to arrange something for me. I need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“I want to move to London for the next few years and leave Manhattan.” Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “I don’t want to come back until I’m ready.”
On the other side of the city, Lucius’s car pulled up outside Phantom.