The next morning, the thought of how Jason and I were living in the sa building was disturbing.
It felt too... cliché.
Like one of those cheesy romance movies where the two leads kept bumping into each other until they eventually fell into so whirlwind relationship.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the idea.
Jason Cole was the last person I wanted to keep running into, especially after what almost happened last night.
I shook off the thought, trying to focus on the task at hand.
I had decided to spend the day at the library, brushing up on stocks and investnts.
If I was going to survive this life, I needed to understand the ga better.
No more relying on scraps from others.
This ti, I was going to take full control.
After wandering through the quiet aisles of the library, I finally found the section on finance and stocks.
But of course, the one book I needed was on the highest shelf.
Typical.
I scanned the area for a ladder, spotting one at the far end where soone else was using it.
No luck there.
I reached up on my tiptoes, stretching my arm as far as it could go, but the book was just out of reach.
"Co on," I muttered, frustrated. I was just about to give up when a hand reached over my shoulder and plucked the book effortlessly from the shelf.
Startled, I turned around, ready to snap at whoever thought it was funny to take the book I had been struggling to reach. But the words caught in my throat.
The man standing before was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in all black. His face was partially obscured by a black mask that covered the lower half of his face, but his eyes, dark, looked so familiar.
He handed the book without a word.
"Th-thank you," I stamred, feeling my pulse quicken as I looked up at him.
He didn’t say anything right away, just watched for a mont, his gaze unreadable.
There was sothing about him that made my skin prickle.
I was curious about this stranger. I clutched my hand around the book as I stared at him. And he stared at .
It felt like a stalker. Or a killer.
His eyes... I knew those eyes from sowhere, but I couldn’t place it.
"You seem pretty interested in stocks," he said, his voice deep and smooth, almost too calm for the tension I felt bubbling beneath the surface.
"Yeah," I replied, gripping the book tightly to my chest. "I’m... trying to learn. It’s sothing I need to understand better."
He nodded, his gaze still lingering on , making feel strangely exposed. "It’s a good thing to know."
There was a brief pause, an unspoken tension building between us. He looked like he wanted to say sothing else, but instead, he reached up and pulled down the mask slightly, revealing the sharp line of his jaw and the curve of his lips. I stared at him, my breath catching in my throat as realization dawned.
"Mr. Hart—" I began, my voice barely above a whisper.
Before I could finish, he placed a finger gently on my lips, silencing . My heart pounded in my chest, my mind spinning. What the hell is Lucian Hartford doing here? The man who controlled half of Bristol’s underground, the billionaire mafia kingpin, in a public library?
He pulled his mask back up, his eyes flashing with a silent warning as he took my hand.
Without saying a word, he led away from the crowded aisles, deeper into the quieter, more secluded part of the library. I followed, half in shock, half in curiosity.
When we finally stopped, tucked away in a corner where no one could see us, I turned to him, still holding the book. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Lucian’s eyes flicked toward the shelves for a mont before settling back on . "I could ask you the sa thing," he said, his voice low and calm.
"It’s a library, it’s public," I said, feeling ridiculous for even thinking that explanation made sense in the situation. "But you... you’re—"
He cut off with a small smirk visible beneath his mask. "I’m not always where people expect to be."
I couldn’t help but stare at him, my mind still trying to reconcile the man in front of with the terrifying figure of the city’s underworld. This wasn’t a place I would have ever imagined running into him, let alone having a conversation. The air between us felt thick, charged with sothing I couldn’t quite na. Curiosity? Danger?
"Why are you here?" I asked again, my voice more insistent this ti. I needed to know.
Lucian leaned against the bookshelf, crossing his arms. "Sa reason as you. To learn. Or rather, to refresh." His eyes glittered with amusent. "Contrary to what most people believe, I don’t have all the answers."
I raised an eyebrow. "You, of all people, don’t have like a private library in your own ho?"
He chuckled softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t. It gets tiring sotis. I am human after all, Kiara."
My na on his lips made freeze.
Of course, he knew who I was. But it was unsettling, hearing it spoken so casually by soone like him.
It was even more ridiculous because I couldn’t believe that I was speaking to him.
I had to watch what I say. I gulped, looking at him through my lashes. "I am sorry if I may have ruin your privacy."
He chuckled, "You didn’t. Instead you made it better. Would..."
His eyebrows furrowed. His eyes squinted behind .
I frowned turning around to see no one then back at him.
He was no longer looking behind but back at . Like he did that night.
"This was a total coincidence by the way." He said. Nodding at before turning and walking away.
It made frown. Of course it was a coincidence.
He didn’t have to ntion it. I sighed.
The thrill sound of my ringtone interrupted . I frowned, reaching out into my tote bag to pick up the call.
It was an unknown number.
I frowned, clicking the button, I placed it on my ear. Not saying anything.
"Hmm...it seems you have deleted my number."
The voice...my heart stopped.
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