Naomi opened her eyes to a quiet drone, a blanket snug on her skin. At first, she couldn't place the spot she was in. All she sensed was heat - odd, rich, kind of like a dream.
Next, the scent of old leather along with a murmur up near the driver's seat made it all return.
"Good morning, Miss Hart."
It was that guy in a suit again, the one who'd picked her up yesterday. He stayed facing forward, yet his voice carried a kind of politeness she hadn't quite gotten comfortable with.
Naomi straightened, eyes fluttering while the shaded skyline drifted past the glass.
"How long was I out?" she said, wiping her eyes.
"A few hours. Mr. Storm instructed us not to wake you."
Her heart tripped.
Lucian.
His being gone weighed just as much.
"Where's he?" she said under her breath.
"Waiting for you."
That phrase didn't oughta make her heart swell - yet it did.
The car eased up ahead of the huge glass tower - Storm's main office. Back then, it'd made her feel small. Now, it seemed taller than ever, its corners stabbing at the dawn light like some metal giant waking up.
The second she walked outside, the wind hit her face - she just stopped.
Lucian Storm stood by the door.
No bodyguards.
No assistants.
Just him.
He looked at her just like before - not surprised she showed up, almost as if he knew, but still… it meant something.
"You get any rest?" he said, tone quiet, impossible to tell what he meant.
"I… yes. Thank you." Naomi hesitated, then added, "You didn't have to do that."
Lucian looked at her again, then said, "You'd worn out."
She didn't know how he figured it out, yet his presence just shut down lies. His eyes cut through any act she tried. Somehow, he noticed everything.
"Come."
He spun around, stepping indoors - Naomi rushed after him.
THE GLASS CORRIDOR
Not like yesterday's mess and thunder, the office now seemed oddly quiet. Workers kept glancing down, nodding a little when others walked by. Their feet moved slowly, barely touching the shiny floor.
Lucian paused near a narrow passage built of glass.
"This is restricted," he said.
The guys by the door snapped upright right away.
Naomi hesitated. "I'm… not allowed in there, am I?"
"You are with me."
A warm, uneasy feeling stirred in her gut. Right away, the guards moved out of the way.
While moving through the clear hallway, lamps lit up underfoot. Beneath lay the town - way prettier than what Naomi saw at ground level. It made her feel tiny. Fragile. Out in the open.
"Where are we going?" she asked softly.
"To the truth."
Lucian kept quiet, yet what he said made her shiver.
She was after answers - yet right then, fear kicked in.
THE ROOM OF SECRETS
The passage led into a wide, round room covered in clear displays. As soon as they entered, the panels lit up along with a faint hum.
Medical reports.
Corporate documents.
Encrypted analytics.
All showing the Storm family's mark.
Lucian halted right in the middle of the space, arms folded at the small of his back.
"Yesterday," he began, "you asked me why I wanted you here."
Naomi swallowed.
Her chest tightened.
This was the moment - her mind just wouldn't let go of it since yesterday.
Lucian faced her. "See here."
A sign from him, then a floating screen popped up mid-air.
A file.
A name.
Her mother's hospital.
Naomi froze.
Her voice barely worked. "…That's my mom's medical chart."
"Yes."
"How do you have access to that?"
Lucian didn't flinch. "I acquire information relevant to my decisions."
"This is illegal."
"Most necessities are."
His voice stayed flat - no guilt, no ego, just straight-up truth.
Naomi felt her breath catch in her throat. "Why? Why would my mother's medical history be a 'necessity' to you?"
Lucian moved nearer, halting barely a breath from her. His nearness hit her like pressure - icy, steady, impossible to ignore.
"You saved me," he said. "No hesitation. No awareness of consequence. No ulterior motive. That alone makes you one in a million."
Naomi's voice shook.
"I didn't save you for a reward."
"And that," Lucian murmured, "is exactly why you're the only one I trust to stay near me."
Trust.
The sound hit harder than the glowing images floating in the air.
"I don't understand," she whispered. "You're… you. And I'm nobody."
"You are nobody."
His tone turned sharp. Not mad - no, this felt worse somehow. Like he truly believed it.
Lucian raised his hand - then a new file popped up instead of the medical record.
A man's photograph.
Gray suit. Yet sharp eyes. Though a faint grin.
"Who is that?" Naomi asked.
"My father."
Her heart stopped.
"Your… father?"
"He built this empire," Lucian said quietly, "and he expects absolute obedience. He sees people as replaceable. As resources. Including me."
Naomi sensed her heart pounding in her chest.
"My father believes the company—and my life—should unfold exactly as he dictates. Any deviation is considered rebellion."
Lucian's jaw clenched - just once, barely noticeable.
"That is why the board is challenging me. They believe I'm becoming… unpredictable."
"All because of me?" Naomi said, her tone barely above a whisper.
"Yes."
The air felt lighter near her.
"Lucian, I— I never wanted to cause trouble. I didn't mean to—"
"You didn't cause anything," he interrupted. "They did."
Another file appeared.
Confidential.
Scheduled vote.
Motion: Evaluate the CEO's "instability."
Naomi kept her eyes on the letters till everything got fuzzy.
"Why are you showing me this?" she whispered. "What do you want from me?"
Lucian shut down the displays.
The room fell quiet.
"What I want," he said, "is for you to understand the danger before you step deeper."
"Danger?" Naomi repeated.
"For both of us."
Her throat felt parched.
"Lucian… what are you saying?"
He stared at her - distant, blank eyes, the kind she'd learned to dread yet want.
"Thirty days," he said. "That is how long I have before the board forces a decision. Before they demand I follow their path—marry who they choose, obey the alliances they favor, and relinquish control."
Naomi's heart dropped.
"Marry…?"
"It's a business arrangement," Lucian said. "A contract disguised as tradition. One I do not intend to sign."
Naomi exhaled shakily. "Then who do they want you to marry?"
"Helen Vasquez. Daughter of their largest shareholder."
She couldn't figure out what made it sting.
She couldn't figure out what caused that tight ache in her ribs.
She had no idea why breathing felt so hard.
Lucian moved near - she needed to lift her chin just to meet his gaze.
"You," he said, "interrupted the plan. The perfect, predictable path they wanted for me."
"How?" Naomi whispered.
"You made me make a choice they couldn't influence. You saved my life," he said. "And that is something none of them will forgive."
Her skin prickled under his stare.
Quiet.
Consuming.
Yet strangely open under that cold surface.
"I don't know what you expect me to do," Naomi said honestly.
"Stay," Lucian said.
Naomi gasped. "You leaving?"
"By my side. For the thirty days that remain."
Her mind raced. "Lucian, I can't— I have my mother, my job—"
"All taken care of," he said.
"What?"
"Your mother's treatment has been moved to a private ward. Fully covered. Your schedules have been adjusted. Your employment is secured."
Naomi looked his way, totally shocked.
"I don't want charity," she whispered.
"This isn't charity."
"Then what is it?"
"Strategy."
Then quieter, barely noticeable -
"And choice."
Her pulse stuttered.
He didn't pose the question like a boss would.
He didn't act like a leader - more like someone caught in the middle.
He was… asking.
"Say the word," he murmured, "and everything returns to how it was before. I will not touch your life again."
Naomi's throat started to close up.
"But if you stay," Lucian continued, "we face what comes next together. The board. My father. The consequences. All of it."
She couldn't speak.
She couldn't breathe.
She just sensed it slam into her, sudden as a wave -
Lucian Storm could manage just fine on his own.
He wanted it.
He wanted her.
Not just for looks.
Not like a piece on a board.
Yet like a person who shifted something inside him - something he hadn't quite grasped by then.
Naomi spoke up after the quiet, her words shaky
"Why me, Lucian?"
She noticed it at last - a spark in his gaze, rough, real, maybe even fragile.
"Because," he said quietly, "I feel something when you're near me."
Everything around her spun sideways.
"I don't know what it is," Lucian admitted. "I've never had it before. But I know it is real."
Naomi let go of a shaky breath.
"And I know," Lucian murmured, stepping close enough that she felt his warmth, "that if you leave now, I may never feel it again."
The words took away all her thoughts.
Lucian glanced at her, paused. He stayed quiet, just watching.
No pressure.
No demand.
Just… waiting.
"Naomi Hart," he said softly. "Will you stay?"
She just wasn't sure what to say.
Not yet.
Yet there was just a single fact clear to her -
Life wouldn't feel familiar from now on.