CHAPTER 96: HE ALREADY SOLD HIS SOUL

Braelyn’s POV

The soft music from the orchestra echoed through the hall. My fingers tightened around his shoulders; my hold almost slipped. I was startled at his tone. The room had a romantic feel but that was far from the feeling between us.

The tension was so heavy, with our bodies pressed so tightly together, it felt like he wanted to merge with me. I could feel his heart beat, it was rhythmic a far cry from my heart that was running a freaking marathon

I was a complete mess. Lucien’s arm settled on my waist, a little lower, and he would be holding my butt. It felt improper but that was what we wanted them to see.

I tried to glance over my shoulder and I got a glimpse of Raphael..

It was barely a glimpse, before I was forced to look back at Lucien when his tongue suddenly licked behind my ears. Sparks shot through me and my head snapped back at him immediately drawn in by those hazel eyes

"Why did you do that?" I snapped at him in a hushed tone as we waltzed through the dance floor.

He sighed, "You are making this harder. If you keep on staring at him like that, it will make it hard for Raphael to believe us," he whispered through gritted teeth. My stomach dropped, realising what he meant...

It was far from the truth, I wasn’t staring at him because of that. "You are being ridiculous right now." I hissed. He snorted, his hand crawled above brushing my bare skin exposed on the bare back of my skin. It was burning as it touched my spine.

"Ridiculous," he mused, something dark flickered in his eyes. He looked dazzling under the blinding lights of the chandelier which made his beauty too much for me bare when he smiled

It was a wicked smile. "That is amusing, coming from the woman whose eyes keep wandering to the man she claims to hate when she is next to her rumoured lover. " His words felt like venom that stung in my blood.

I chuckled under my breath. "That’s rich coming from the one who left with his friend to talk.." I emphasised the talk. His grip on my hand tightened. "Raphael and I just happened to stumble across each other, and besides, I heard something rather interesting..."

Lucien freed his hold on my waist and spun me around before he held me around. We subtly started to move from the centre of the floor. He sensed I was about to say something we didn’t want other ears to hear. We were now dancing in a quieter corner

Our tones remained hushed as he asked. "Something interesting.." he chimed. His eyes narrowed at me as if trying to read through me.

I nodded before the words carefully slipped. "I think there is someone aggressively competing with the family company," I said then watched his expression. This was my own revenge, Lucien might not be interested in doing something against Volkov Apex holding

His interests might differ. There wasn’t any shift in his expression. He remained calm. "The company is a large conglomerate, we have a lot of competitors, so why does one stand out?" He said which made sense.

My mind went back to the conversation I overheard. Raphael’s demeanour didn’t seem like this was some casual competition. "That’s true but have you heard anything like..." My voice trailed carefully picking my words

Lucien released a tired voice. "Even if there was a threat to the company. It would be kept as a close secret that an executive like me wouldn’t know." He said as a matter of fact.

"Isn’t your position important?"

He shook his head. "I might have a good position, but it is nothing compared to the chairman or vice chairman, and my brother and his son don’t trust me enough to share such secrets." He explained

Lucien might have a high position, but Raphael and Ronan were the ones who truly ran things. If there was a threat to the company they were the only ones who would be fully aware of it. The other executive at most would have just rumours

My stomach churned at the realisation I had to get the information I needed from Raphael, but how?

I could feel Lucien’s gaze linger on me. He didn’t speak and just let me think. "You have a lot on your mind." He mentioned. The music changed into something faster and we immediately adjusted our pace

"I want to ruin Raphael," I stated, his expression still didn’t change making it hard to read into him. Honestly, tonight Lucien’s behaviour disturbingly resembled Raphael’s..

"Isn’t that what you always wanted to do? To make him feel as much pain as you do." He replied.

I raised my head to hold his gaze. "How far are you ready to go to play this game?" I asked him. He smirked, and a mischievous look appeared on his face.

"With the right price, I might go far enough. All men can be bought." Lucien answered. He was impossible to figure out, a total wild card and yet I think I can trust him..

"If all men can be bought, why are you eager for me to use you?"

He didn’t waste a heartbeat when he replied with a straight face. "My soul was bought for the moment I kissed you the first time." He said with a serious look, like he had given his soul to me.

I gasped at his words. My cheeks burned and I didn’t have the time to process it. Was it possible?

No, I shook my head. It was just an obsession. He was obsessed from first sight and that left me dumbfounded.

According to the dance, Lucien let me spin along with several female dance partners at the height of the music. Someone bumped into me, a lady

In the confusion, dance partners got mixed up, and I was snatched away from the commotion, drawn against a taunt chest. The strong scent of cedar, spice and a hint of tobacco flooded my nostrils.

My hand clutched the shirt. I was too shocked and scared to look up as my pulse spiked. His grip tightened around my waist and a deep baritone whispered in my ears.

"Why are you scared to look up?" He asked, I gulped and his hand brushed against my spine, the jolt of sparks forced me to look up. "It’s the last dance and I asked you to keep it for me....you owe your husband that little."

His hazel eyes were so dark that they almost looked like venomous emeralds. I didn’t know if what made me shudder was the dark look in his eyes or Lucien’s sharp gaze I could feel piercing through my skin from behind.