Elara's POV,
The next day, I get to work early so I can use the upgraded printer. I wanted everything to be perfect when I proved myself.
I inhale sharply when I remember the night before. Lucien had just stared at me as I cried and rocked myself gently on the bed. After a while, he had placed a hand on my cheek and whispered,
"That's my girl."
To my embarrassment, I had wanted to lean further into his palm, but he left before I could act.
Fine, I admit I also came early to work because I wanted to avoid him. I shake my head and focus on the papers I'm printing.
I smile wickedly when I imagine the looks on Celene's and Seraphina's faces when I arrest the professor for falsely accusing a student.
Then my smile falls when I look past the room and see a black-haired lady pass. She was wearing a stained doctor's coat, and I snort to myself when I recognize her.
Mireya Greye.
Lucien's personal doctor. Or, should I say, mafia doctor? Of course, it wasn't in her profile, but I suspected. I narrow my eyes at her as she walks into the toilet.
She is really close to Lucien from what I researched and even saw. The fool, Lucien, acted like she was his wife in public more than Seraphina, in fact. I click my tongue and move my legs.
Inside the toilet, I wait till she comes out of a stall and washes her hand while I watch her through the mirrors.
I know she knows me. I know because of the way she looked at me anytime she came to the mansion.
We never met, or rather, spoke to each other, but we knew ourselves from a distance. I always glared at her, mainly because she was a friend of Lucien and all friends of Lucien were my enemies. But she always gave this sickening sweet smile.
Not like Seraphina. Worse, because it crawls up my spine. The realization that she knew what she was doing. Teasing me.
Like, right now. Her eyes meet mine through the mirror, and she smiles that smile. I give her a mocking one.
"Hello."
She speaks first, and I turn to stare at her, folding my arms across my chest. Now that I think about it, she may not know who Lucien really is. She may just be a harmless personal doctor.
But I put nothing past Lucien and his shenanigans.
"Hello, Mireya."
She raises a brow, and I inwardly slap myself. I let my thoughts get the better of me and called her name. She knows me, but she doesn't know I know her.
"I don't believe we've met before, Miss Solis." She wipes her hands, still looking at me. "And I don't believe Lucien ever told you my name."
I roll my eyes mentally. Of course, she'd call him Lucien in such a sweet voice. The perfect woman. Now that I think about it, Lucien has a lot of perfect women around him.
Damn, I have no chance without Asher.
My eyes widen when I catch my thoughts. What am I thinking? I want nothing to do with him. If anything, Asher is a problem.
"I asked around," I shrug and lean against the sinks. She mirrors my action, tilting her head.
"So…"
"So…"
This was such a stupid action. What was I even thinking coming to confront her? Wait, what was my original plan again?
"I'm lesbian."
"W–what?!"
She chuckles, throwing her head backwards. "I said, 'I'm lesbian,' so I'm not a threat to your beloved husband."
"Ah…" I nod, then shake my head. "No! The fu—No! I don't think of you as a threat. I mean, you're beautiful, no doubt, but I don't… I mean, Lucien loves me so…"
I shut myself up before I embarrassed myself further, and she laughed, coming closer to me.
"I…" She pauses, giving me a slow smile. "Understand. You love Lucien. Jealousy and love go hand in hand."
I chuckle wryly. If only she knew. Suddenly, her phone rings. The caller ID is Lucien. She inhales through her teeth and stuffs the phone in her pocket.
"Duty calls."
She shrugs, and I nod with understanding. Then the surge of emotion comes in. I don't know if it was the stress of handling the professor or the fact that I felt cornered, disrespected, and watched.
But I was suddenly angry.
So just before she leaves the bathroom, I open my mouth.
"You're loyal." She pauses in her tracks, and I look up at the mirror. "I can see that. Loyalty is…valuable in your line of work."
"Of course, I'm loyal to my boss." She turns, meeting my eyes in the mirror with a tight smile. "I'm his doctor."
I smirk slightly. I need Lucien and his family to understand that I wasn't someone they could just sacrifice and play around with.
To understand that I am not a fucking pawn in any of their games…and I don't play by their rules.
Her phone rings again in her pocket, and I raise a brow.
"Your boss seems persistent," I say, and she takes a step closer, tilting her head.
"If something were to happen to him right now…" I tilt my head. "Who would take over? My five-year-old boy?"
She stops in her tracks, and her eyes widen a bit.
"You don't have to look at me like that," I chuckle a bit. "I know who I married. The question is, does he?"
Then I turn and look directly at her. Her hand slips into her other pocket, and my eyes catch the gleam of the dagger hilt. I look down at it.
"I'm not the problem you think I am." I walk slowly till I am standing eye to eye with her. "But I will be if you make me one."
I give her a look. I know she could kill me without hesitation. I had just subtly revealed who they were, so I know she had every reason to kill me and get it over with.
But she tucks the dagger back in and gives me a dark smile.
"How long?"
Since forever.
"Tell him, he should've told me himself."
With that, I leave knowing she would, in fact, tell him.
And with the understanding that my days were now numbered in Kórvac's household.