Lucas POV:
The Governor's Gala at the new State Museum was the event of the year. The building was a masterpiece of glass and light, swarming with paparazzi and the elites of Flensburg.
I arrived with Tyler and Brandon. The flashes were blinding. "The Belarus Twins Arrive," the headlines would scream tomorrow. We walked into the grand hall, and the air immediately shifted.
Across the room stood Damien, looking smug in a gold-trimmed tuxedo. Beside him was Alice, her eyes tracking my every move with a mix of regret and malice. Mr. Anderson was there, whispering into the Governor's ear.
"Look at them," Tyler whispered, grabbing a champagne flute. "The whole snake pit is here."
I stood tall, but my mind wasn't on the museum or the press. It was back at Blackwood.
Over the last few weeks, the walls between Beatrice and me had started to thin. I had allowed her to visit her parents, Nova, and Hogan. I saw how much she missed them, and despite my better judgment, I couldn't say no to her anymore. I sent Orpheus, the head of my Shadow Army, to guard her. Sometimes, when the static was low, I even went myself, watching from the car as she hugged her mother.
"Lucas!" Alice's voice broke my train of thought. She walked toward me, her silk dress rustling. "You look... well. I heard the Nile Town project was facing instability."
"Rumors are for the weak, Alice," I said with a firm tone, my voice like a guillotine. "ZigLan is stronger than ever. Perhaps you should tell Damien to spend more on his safety audits and less on his tuxedos."
As the journalists swirled around us, capturing the first public encounter between business rivals, I felt a vibration in my pocket. A text from Orpheus: The perimeter is safe at Oakhills. Proceeding to extraction.
I looked at Damien, who was watching me with a predatory grin. He didn't know about Beatrice. He didn't know about the child. And as long as I breathed, he never would.
"Tyler," I said, turning to my cousin. "Let's finish the deal with Fernanda. I want to be home before midnight."
"Home?" Tyler teased. "You haven't called that place home in a decade."
"Things change," I said, looking out at the dim sky.
...
The State Museum was a labyrinth of cold marble and high-definition spotlights, each one feeling like an interrogation lamp. I walked through the crowd, my expression a carefully crafted mask of indifference. Beside me, Tyler was in his element, charming the daughters of diplomats while subtly keeping a perimeter around me.
"Lucas, darling! You look positively glacial tonight," a voice chirped. It was a high-ranking socialite, but I barely heard her. My skin felt tight. I turned to see Damien standing near a display of ancient armor, a glass of dark red wine in his hand.
"The Ice King in a glass house," Damien said as he approached me. "Isn't there a saying about throwing stones, Lucas?"
"If you have something to say, Damien, say it. I have an empire to run and very little patience for your metaphors." I said coldly.
Damien stepped closer, his voice dropping so the nearby press couldn't catch it. "I heard you've moved your 'operations' to the Blackwood Wing. That's a lot of security for a man who claims to have nothing to hide. Or is it that the rumor is true? That you've found a little Oakhills bird to keep your bed warm?"
"Stay away from Oakhills, Damien," I said, my voice vibrating with a threat. "Or you'll find out exactly why they call that wing Blackwood."
I turned my back on him before he could respond, my heart hammering against my ribs. He was probing. He didn't know for sure yet, but he was close.
...
While Lucas was navigating the sharks at the museum, I was back in the world of steam and starch. Orpheus stood outside my parents' house, a silent, imposing shadow that made the neighbors whisper.
"Oh, Bea, you look so much better," my mother, Nova, whispered, pulling me into the back kitchen. She engulfed me in a tight hug before touching my cheek, her nurse's eyes scanning for signs of distress. "But this life... this man... are you sure you're safe?"
"He's protecting me, Mom," I said, and for the first time, I realized I meant it. "He isn't what people think."
"He's a man with a lot of enemies, Beatrice," Hogan grunted, leaning against the cutting table. "A girl like you shouldn't be in the middle of a war."
The door to the kitchen swung open, and Charlotte walked in. She looked at my silk dress, it was a gift from Aunt Patricia. Her eyes flashed with a familiar, toxic envy.
"Look at you," Charlotte sneered. "The Queen of our ice king. Tell me, Bea, does he let you out of your cage often? Or did you have to beg the Ice King for a few hours of freedom?"
"Charlotte, that's enough," Nova warned.
"I'm just curious," Charlotte continued.
I didn't respond to her. I turned to my mom," I'll drop by again this weekend, maybe you can accompany me buy some supplements".
My mum just nodded with a warm smile.
Charlotte's face twisted. She didn't say another word, but as I left the shop to return to the car, I saw her standing at the window, her phone in her hand, watching me go with a look of cold calculation.