Audrey’s heart skipped a beat. His words were unexpected, like a sudden burst of sunlight through storm clouds. But instead of lting into the warmth, she masked her emotions with a guarded expression, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked skeptically. "How do I know you won’t lose interest and walk away like before?"
He didn’t flinch. His eyes held hers, unwavering and calm, as if he had waited a long ti for this mont.
"I didn’t think love was ant for soone like ," he said slowly. "But you... you proved wrong. You didn’t just walk into my life. You changed . If there is one woman I see beside , as my life partner, my queen, it’s you."
Her breath caught in her throat. The bitterness she had held onto for all those days began to soften, crumbling under the weight of his earnest gaze. Still, she was unwilling to give in too easily.
"You say that now," she muttered. "But what’s the guarantee you won’t back out again? We were together for two whole years, and yet you always kept hidden. Not a single picture together, not a single word to the world. It was like you were ashad of . How can I trust a man who couldn’t even show he was proud to be with ?"
He didn’t defend himself. No excuses. No sudden promises. He only stared at her in silence.
That silence hurt more than any rejection. Audrey’s hope began to fade. Her jaw tightened as she shifted her weight, ready to shut him out for good.
But before she could turn around, he reached out and held her still. His fingers slid under her chin, lifting her face and making her et his eyes.
"Then tell , how do I make you believe ?"
Audrey’s expression sharpened with resolve as she looked him square in the eye. "Then prove it. Marry . Announce it to the world—your friends, your family, everyone. Make it official. Then I’ll believe you an what you say."
For a second, Lucien froze.
A ripple of tension coursed through his body. Those words stirred a war inside him.
She had no idea what shadows clung to his na, what weight the crown he wore in the underworld carried. In his world, danger lurked around every corner. Love was a weakness, a target.
He had never been serious about any woman and had always avoided a relationship for this very reason. But Audrey... she wasn’t just any woman. She had slipped past his defenses, rooted herself in the coldest part of his heart, and refused to leave.
Still, the risk remained. If he gave her his na, his enemies would know exactly where to strike.
His gaze turned unreadable. "Think carefully," he said at last, voice suddenly low and steely. "I’m not the man you think I am. I co from a world painted in blood and smoke. Are you sure you want to marry ? Are you truly ready to be queen of a world like that?"
She frowned, half-laughing, half-offended. "What are you even talking about? Dangerous world? Are you trying to scare off? What are you—so mafia boss now?"
But her amusent faded the mont she looked into his eyes.
He wasn’t joking. His face was carved in stillness, no trace of irony in his features. His stare held warning.
"What do you an?" she asked slowly, her heart beginning to race.
"I am a mafia king," he said, the truth dropping like a stone between them. "In my world, they call the Demon."
He reached for her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers. "I’m not asking you for blind faith. I’m offering you a choice. To walk away from forever, or to stand by my side and rule that dark world with . So tell , Audrey—are you ready to be my queen?"
Audrey blinked—once, twice, then a third ti—her mind struggling to process what she had just heard. Her lips parted in a nervous laugh. "Lucien... stop joking. You are scaring now."
"I’m not joking, Audrey. I an every word."
Sothing in his eyes sent a chill crawling down her spine. The laughter died in her throat. She felt the world tilt.
’No. He isn’t joking.’
Her heart began to race. Her limbs turned cold. A wave of nausea twisted in her stomach.
"You are not—" she stamred. "You are really..." Her vision blurred. Her eyes fluttered, rolling back to her head as the weight of his words dragged her down into a haze.
"Audrey!" Lucien grabbed her shoulders, his voice urgent. "Stay with ."
Her body trembled under his grip. Her lips were pale, breath was unsteady. "Are you telling the truth?" she whispered, as though hoping he’d suddenly take it back. "You are... a mafia king?"
Once again, her eyes began to roll back, the shock threatening to consu her entirely.
"No, no, don’t fade out on ." Lucien shook her gently. "Audrey—look at ."
Audrey stared at him, speechless. Her pulse thundered in her ears. The air felt too thin, her thoughts too loud. Her head scread for her to run far away from this man, from this darkness, from this impossible reality.
But her heart clung to him with terrifying desperation.
’This is bad. Really bad,’ she thought, lost in a daze.
She ought to escape from him, disappear to a place where he would never be able to reach her. Deep down, she knew a mafia king like him wasn’t the kind of man she was ant to be with—far from the type she had ever imagined marrying. Yet, despite everything, she had helplessly, irrationally, fallen in love with this dangerous man.
"Are you scared now?" Lucien asked with a mocking edge. "Regretting your decision to marry ?"
"Tsk..." Audrey clicked her tongue, an amused smirk tugging at her lips. "I wish I could say that."
Lucien’s heart skipped a beat, his gaze sharpening. "What?" he pressed, eyes searching hers, tense with anticipation.
She t his stare. "But my focus is singular. And you, Lucien, are at the center of it. No matter how dangerous your world is, I want in. I want to be with you."
For a mont, he stared at her with disbelief. And then, the tension in his face lted. His expression softened. He reached out, cupping her face, a rare and genuine smile breaking across his features.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
She nodded eagerly. "I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life."
His heart surged. "Then we’ll get married soon."
He leaned in, his lips almost brushing hers, but Audrey stopped him, pressing her fingers against his mouth.
"Not here," she whispered, glancing at the door. "We are in a hospital. The nurse just left to call the doctor. They could walk in any mont."
"No one steps in without my permission."
And with that, he kissed her, fierce and unrestrained. This ti, Audrey didn’t pull back. She lted into him, surrendering to the kiss.
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