Chapter 7 Are You Going on a Date? #2
He had felt like a teenager who had suddenly forgotten how to control his own desires.
It wasn’t that he was easily affected. Lucius had never been a man who lost control. He had spent his entire life mastering his emotions, his reactions, and every situation placed in front of him.
But Stella had always been his one exception.
She could undo him with a smile. A touch. A single kiss.
And she didn’t even realize the power she had over him.
Lucius lowered his gaze, his fingers tightening around the cigarette between them.
“Why did you leave me four years ago?”
His jaw clenched as he stared at the glowing tip of the cigarette, his expression growing harder.
“I have an even bigger empire now, Stella. I could give you everything you’ve ever wanted. I could even turn your business into something far greater than you ever imagined.”
He paused, his eyes darkening as he looked into the distance.
“Back then, maybe there was something you thought I couldn’t provide.”
His voice dropped.
“But now?”
He turned his gaze back to her.
“I have everything.”
A beat of silence passed.
“So why are you still not coming back to me?”
***
Stella walked out of the meeting room at the Frost Hotel surrounded by several of her business partners, all of whom had gathered to discuss the proposed deal with Frost Group.
She hadn’t known what was happening until she arrived that day.
Only then had she discovered that everyone had already agreed to Frost Hotels’ expansion plan, which would bring Lucius into her hotel business and give Frost Hotels a stake in every one of her properties across the country and overseas.
With the benefits so substantial, the partners had accepted the proposal without much hesitation.
Stella, however, had gone through the entire agreement, searching for even one reason to reject it.
She didn’t want to be associated with Lucius in a professional capacity, but there had been nothing she could object to.
Everything was crystal clear, and the terms were so overwhelmingly favorable to her business that she couldn’t find a single valid reason to refuse the deal.
Her body stiffened as she stepped out of the meeting, her soft silk blouse tucked into a high-waisted, knee-length A-line skirt.
The elegant yet understated outfit gave her a polished, professional appearance without seeming overly formal.
Her low heels clicked against the polished floor as she hurried away.
‘When I told you that my café had won a competition, you literally pushed me aside and stormed off. And now you’re investing in my café?’
Her brows drew together as confusion and anger warred inside her.
‘What exactly are you after, Lucius?’
She glanced down at her phone as she stepped out of the elevator. The screen displayed Friday for a brief moment, reminding her of the arrangement she had made with Lucius.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
She remembered the deal they had made, and her expression tightened. For a moment, she stood there, troubled by the thought of seeing him again. Then, after considering it, she unlocked her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and dialed Shane’s number.
He answered a few moments later.
“I might come home late tonight,” she told him. “Don’t wait up. You can go to sleep.”
“All right. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, feel free to call me,” Shane replied.
“Of course.”
Stella ended the call and drew in a deep breath, forcing the frustration from her expression. She didn’t want to remain upset over something that, in the end, had benefited her business. The only reason she resented the deal was because it meant working with Lucius.
She started toward the hotel’s exit, intending to go to his house.
She had barely taken a few steps when her gaze landed on a familiar woman walking through the lobby with a young woman beside her.
Jennifer Frost.
Lucius’s mother.
Stella recognized her immediately. She had seen Jennifer in several photographs before, and the woman beside her was unmistakably Catherine Winters, the woman Lucius was rumoured to be involved with.
Stella’s steps faltered.
Nearby, a group of waiters hurried past, speaking among themselves. One of them glanced toward Jennifer and Catherine before leaning closer to the others.
“I can’t believe Mrs. Frost is already planning Miss Winters and Mr. Frost’s wedding,” one of them whispered. “They’ve already chosen the food and the cake for the reception. It shouldn’t be long before they get married, right?”
The others nodded, their faces bright with excitement as they continued watching the two women.
It seemed as though everything had already been arranged, and they were simply waiting for the wedding to take place.
Stella was already anxious, but the moment she heard the waiters’ conversation, the anger she had been trying to suppress doubled.
‘Even after knowing what he did in the past, how could I believe him again?’ she asked herself bitterly. ‘He’s about to get married, and yet he’s fooled me all over again.’
She had spent an entire year convincing herself that Lucius wasn’t as twisted as she had once believed. Yet now, after only a few days of being with him again, she was already facing the possibility of breaking up with him for a second time.
A sudden commotion swept through the hotel lobby, drawing everyone’s attention. Jennifer and Catherine had already left, and Lucius was now entering through the main doors.
Several executives immediately hurried toward him, eager to greet him and report on whatever business had brought him there. The waiters who had been gossiping nearby noticed the commotion and quickly scattered, rushing back to work before their boss could catch them slacking off.
Lucius crossed the lobby with measured, confident strides, and Stella caught sight of him from the corner of her eye.
She immediately turned away.
Hurrying toward the seating area, she slipped behind one of the couches, hoping to stay out of his sight. She was too angry to face him. She didn’t fully understand what she was doing. She only knew that she wasn’t ready to see him.
Just as she turned away, one of her business partners stepped out of the elevator and spotted her.
“Miss Gibson, you’re still here?” the woman called, raising her voice.
Stella turned around at once, forcing a bright smile onto her face.
The woman approaching her, Clara Dennis, was one of the partners who had helped oversee the deal with Frost Hotels. Her smile widened as she reached Stella.
“Are you already leaving? I thought you were going to stay a little longer.”
“Yes, it was getting late. I wanted to go home early today.”
Lucius turned at the sound of Stella’s voice, and his gaze immediately found her.
“Mr. Frost,” Clara greeted him, her expression lighting up. “What a coincidence. We were just here discussing a deal with your company. It’s lovely to run into you.”
Lucius walked toward them and stopped in front of Stella.
His hands slid into his trouser pockets, and the faintest smile touched his lips when he saw her. However, he concealed it almost immediately, keeping his expression composed as he nodded in greeting to Clara.
He hadn’t come to the hotel by chance.
The moment he learned that Stella would be there to discuss the partnership, he had made his way to the hotel. It was Friday, the first night of their arrangement at his home, and he couldn’t deny the anticipation stirring inside him.