Lilith held tightly onto Lucian's rough hand, strolling down the street like any other happy couple. A sweet smile spread across her gentle and beautiful face.
She was in love!
Lilith wanted to shout her happiness to the whole world.
"Don't tell anyone!"
Lucian's cautious and nervous voice whispered in her ear.
"Huh?" Lilith's smile faded slightly. She bit her lip and asked, "Why not?"
"Kynix has a strict policy. No office romances allowed. If we get caught, I'll be fired!" Lucian lit a cigarette, his face filled with concern. "It took me so long to land a stable job like this. I really don't want to lose it so soon."
"Rules are made by people, and the policy only applies to regular staff." Lilith explained gently, "I'm Kynix's CFO, and apart from Seraphina, I'm the company's largest shareholder. While Seraphina makes the final calls on major strategic matters, something like this—if I make a suggestion—I doubt she'd object."
Frankly, Lilith had never supported Seraphina's anti-romance stance in the company. It always felt too much like a culture of suppression. She often turned a blind eye when her subordinates dated. Besides, Seraphina never had this rule formally written anywhere—it was more of a personal stance. The department heads simply followed her lead, treating it like gospel.
But if someone like Lilith stepped in and advocated for change, the rule could very well be broken—and not just broken, but gain support across the company. After all, most of Kynix's employees were at a marrying age. They were constantly swamped with work and barely had time to meet people outside. If some of those romantic needs could be handled internally, it might ease their emotional stress and even boost morale. A win-win.
"No way!" Lucian said firmly. "No one can know about us!"
Come on! If word got out about their relationship, how was he supposed to show his face at work?
A freeloader? A pretty boy?
Just thinking about it made Lucian feel humiliated. Worse still, he had a legally binding marriage contract with Seraphina. If she found out he was dating her closest confidante, wouldn't she explode with rage?
But above all, Lucian feared that Seraphina would retaliate against Lilith, which could spark internal conflict. After all, from a legal standpoint, Lilith had just stolen Seraphina's husband.
"Are you afraid of gossip?"
Smart as ever, Lilith quickly figured out what was on his mind. In a soft voice, she said, "If that's the case, then we'll both keep quiet."
"Now that's more like it." Lucian nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "Come here. I want a kiss as a reward."
He cupped Lilith's delicate face and planted a kiss right on her smooth, snowy forehead.
Lilith, single for almost half her life, couldn't handle that kind of affection. Her face instantly turned bright red, glowing like a blooming flower, as if it might drip with color.
Seeing her flustered face, Lucian couldn't help himself. He mischievously lifted her chin and said with exaggerated seriousness, "Now that we're officially together, if I say I want to spend the night at your place, you wouldn't say no… would you?"
"Ah—" Lilith trembled slightly, her expression hesitant. "I'm not really ready yet… isn't it a bit too soon?"
"You don't want me?" Lucian's smile faded, replaced by a look of hurt and self-mockery. "I get it. I've got no money and no power. It's totally fine if you're not interested. I don't blame you. It's just… I guess I'm not good enough to make you feel safe."
Lilith was completely fooled by Lucian's not-so-convincing performance. She squeezed his hand and said anxiously, "That's not what I meant! Please don't misunderstand me…" She paused, then bit her lip and added, "If you really want to… then you can come over."
It was like she was going to war. Her expression was so serious and self-sacrificing, it was hard to believe this was the same Lilith who could dominate any negotiation table. Just goes to show, when a woman's in love, her IQ really does plummet to zero.
"Haha, I was joking." Lucian grinned. "I'm not that kind of guy, you know."
Lilith's face flushed again. "How can you joke about something like that?!"
"Are you mad?" Lucian narrowed his eyes with a teasing smile.
"No!" she pouted, but deep down, she was loving every second of it.
Is this what sweet couple moments felt like?
After waiting eight years, Lilith was finally getting a taste of love—and it felt like her heart had been soaked in honey.
"You're even beautiful when you're mad. You little minx." Lucian smirked. "I swear, I'm this close to devouring you whole."
Lilith flinched, thinking he meant it for real. She quickly said, "Let me take you home. We have work tomorrow!"
"No need. I live pretty far. I'll just grab a cab." Lucian said seriously. "But you—promise me, don't let anything slip tomorrow. Women get chatty when they're happy."
"I won't say anything," Lilith nodded shyly. She glanced at Lucian from the corner of her eye. "I'm heading off now, okay?"
"Text me when you get home," Lucian smiled.
"Okay." Lilith got into her BMW, clearly reluctant to part, and slowly drove away.
Lucian watched her leave, thinking he'd go for a walk in this suddenly unfamiliar city. But his phone buzzed with a text message.
"Missing me already?" Lucian smirked, thinking it was Lilith, and was about to scold her for texting while driving. But then he saw who it was from—Seraphina.
"If you're not home by midnight, go sleep in the park."
Short. Cold. Merciless. Even in a text, Seraphina's irritation was crystal clear. She must've waited all night and finally run out of patience.
Lucian checked the time. Eleven o'clock. Even by cab, it would take over half an hour to get to Seraphina's riverside mansion. Her message was practically extortion.
Frustrated, he hailed a cab and managed to make it back just before midnight—only to be greeted by Seraphina's signature icy glare. The total opposite of Lilith's warmth and sweetness. In one night, Lucian got a crash course in emotional whiplash.
Little did he know, this woman would one day become his only hope, his faith, and the most important person in his life.
"If you want to keep living here, you'll be home before eleven. Every night."
Fresh out of the shower in her nightgown, Seraphina's tone was flat and cold. Clearly, she was pissed.
"Why don't you just give me a key?" Lucian tried to reason with her. "You know, a guy like me with a wide social circle—grabbing drinks, singing a little karaoke, staying out past midnight—totally normal."
"In your dreams," Seraphina snapped. "This is my house. Why should I give you a key? If you want to keep staying here, follow my rules. Can't be on time? Then find somewhere else. I never begged you to stay."
Lucian knew better than to talk back. One wrong word and she might throw him out on the spot. He sighed, lit a cigarette, and said, "Fine, fine. You're the landlord, you make the rules. How about this—if I ever have something going on, I'll give you a heads-up to leave the door unlocked, okay?"
Then he plopped down on her favorite leather couch, casually switched on the TV, ready to catch the evening news.
Seraphina's mood went from bad to worse. Watching him use the TV, lounge on the couch, and even use her favorite mug as an ashtray, she snapped.
"Who said you could turn on the TV? Get off my couch! I told you—everything in this house is off-limits except that room!"
Lucian realized too late: the couch and TV were off-limits.
"Sorry, I got carried away. It just felt a little too much like home," Lucian said quickly, getting up and apologizing.
Seeing that his apology was at least sincere, Seraphina didn't press further. She snorted, "Don't you have work tomorrow? Go to bed."
"I only sleep six hours a night. It's a bit early for me." Lucian blinked, then added curiously, "Are you this upset because you fired a bunch of execs today?"
"None of your business," Seraphina said, deadpan.
"Hey, I was just trying to show some concern. We live under the same roof, you know? A little mutual care never hurt anyone." Lucian smiled. "Besides, you already got the money back. Was it really worth such a big fallout? Sure, it's good to be tough, but if you push too hard, people lose their sense of loyalty. Don't you think?"
His gentle advice didn't impress Seraphina. In fact, her gaze turned sharp as she demanded, "How do you know the money was recovered?"
"What?" Lucian froze for a second, then quickly played it off. "Oh, that? I went with Director Lilith and Victor this afternoon to collect the debt. She even treated me to a nice lunch."
"Did she now?" Seraphina clearly didn't buy it. Even though the story was seamless, she wasn't convinced.
"It's true!" Lucian said smoothly. "Director Lilith was incredible. Victor and I barely had to do anything. A few exchanges and the other party caved. From a company standpoint, I think she deserves a reward. She was the real hero today."
"Why not let her take my job while we're at it?" Seraphina replied coldly.
"..." Lucian wisely shut his mouth.
She wasn't wrong. Lilith was already Kynix's number two. No matter how much credit she earned, it all felt… expected. There was no point trying to make her look like a savior. Otherwise, Seraphina really might hand over the reins.
"Let me ask you this," Seraphina said suddenly. "After Lilith and Victor came back, why didn't you return with them? What were you doing for those two hours?"
Lucian was caught off guard, completely speechless.
...
Faced with Seraphina's sharp and unwavering interrogation, Lucian realized he'd been careless—he had underestimated her. A woman like Seraphina, the revered boss of Kynix, didn't reach her current level of success just through fierce tactics or a pretty face. No, it was her intellect. That was her true weapon.
Lucian had never considered the possibility that Seraphina would confront him with such pointed questions. He hadn't prepared any countermeasures—hadn't even thought he'd need them. But now, the suspicion in her tone made it clear: perhaps his actions hadn't been as flawless as he believed.
Yes.
The problem might lie with Kosen.
Lucian had assumed that a face-saving man like Kosen would simply pay the debt to get it over with—no questions asked, no explanations given. Who made him change his mind? Lucian never imagined Kosen would voluntarily repay the debt, much less with an additional twenty percent interest. So he didn't even bother asking him to keep it confidential.
After all, between the two of them, it was obvious Kosen would be more concerned about people finding out he'd been pressured into paying.
And yet—Lucian had miscalculated. Or rather, he had overlooked someone.
The woman who ran Kynix.
How could anyone underestimate Seraphina's mind?
If Lilith had completed the debt collection task, she would've immediately reported the success to Seraphina. That was her nature. So why did the initiative come from Kosen instead? That didn't add up. The only logical explanation was that Lilith had failed.
But if she failed, then why would Kosen still reach out and offer to repay?
Seraphina, with her brilliant mind, might not know the full story—but she could be sure of one thing: Kosen's repayment wasn't thanks to Lilith. Someone else had stepped in.
But who?
Victor, who had gone with Lilith? Or Lucian?
Seraphina had an extraordinary memory. She might not recall the names of all the thousands of employees under her, but she could remember most of them. Victor, being a mid-level figure in the security department, was certainly on her radar. And based on what she knew of him, there was no way he could've handled someone like Kosen.
So if it wasn't Lilith or Victor... that left only one possibility: Lucian.
Lucian pieced it all together and realized he was in hot water. He quickly tried to divert the topic.
"I was supposed to come back to the office with Victor this afternoon," he said. "But I got a call from my ex-girlfriend saying she was being harassed by some thugs. So I took a half-day off."
"Ex-girlfriend?" Seraphina scoffed. "You have an ex-girlfriend?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucian wasn't offended at all. Instead, he grinned slyly and said, "Even the mighty CEO of Kynix is clinging to me like a lovesick puppy. What's an ex-girlfriend compared to that?"
"Who's clinging to you!?" Seraphina's face darkened in fury. "Lucian, explain yourself!"
"I'm just stating facts," Lucian replied casually, lighting a cigarette with a lazy smile. "Didn't you beg me to sign a marriage agreement with you just yesterday?"
Seraphina flushed with rage and embarrassment.
"You're not allowed to bring that up ever again!"
"Fine, fine. If you say so," Lucian shrugged. "It's not like I enjoy revisiting traumatic memories anyway."
Seraphina watched him with growing irritation. In her mind, Lucian was hopeless—completely unserious. Yet when she recalled what Kosen had mentioned that night while repaying the debt, she found herself hesitating.
Kosen hadn't wanted to talk at all, but Seraphina was relentless when it came to getting answers. Once she ruled out Lilith, she became very curious about who had stepped in. After a few carefully worded questions, Kosen had finally let it slip: it was Lucian.
To her surprise, Seraphina found her perception of Lucian shifting. She was genuinely intrigued—how exactly had he managed to make Kosen pay up?
She'd ordered a background check on him. And what they found was... quite the revelation.
Lucian. Orphan. Raised in Solviva's most renowned charitable orphanage. He'd attended the best schools in the city from primary all the way through high school. For a while, he was the shining star of Solviva High—the kind of student every parent wished their child could be. He racked up awards and recognition at both city and national levels. A true poster child for excellence.
If the story had ended there, even someone as accomplished as Seraphina might've struggled to match his past achievements.
But everything changed during his senior year. He dropped out, enlisted in the military, and was eventually discharged for a major disciplinary offense. After that, he drifted through various jobs—construction sites, bar brawls, shady circles. Then, he vanished.
And reappeared in Solviva six months ago.
Since his return, he'd done every odd job imaginable: carrying bricks, washing dishes, handing out flyers. Whatever put food on the table, he did it—even if nothing lasted long.
This—this was the man standing before her now.
So yes, Seraphina had every reason to believe that Lucian was behind Kosen's sudden decision to repay the debt. As for how he pulled it off, she didn't know the details, but she was fairly certain it wasn't through legal means.
Still, Lucian wasn't going to admit to anything. He danced around the truth with frustrating ease.
Her silence seemed to bore him. He yawned and said, "This little interrogation of yours wore me out. I'm heading to bed. Unless you've got more questions? No? Then good night."
He turned and began walking toward the bedroom, only to be stopped by Seraphina's voice.
"What now?" Lucian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly added, "I've been getting familiar with my new work environment these past couple of days. Haven't had any spare time after hours. But I'll start looking for a new place this weekend."
Seraphina frowned, her expression unreadable.
"You ever worked as an electrician or plumber?"
Lucian froze in surprise, then gave a smug grin.
"Of course. In the industry, they used to call me the Master of Pipes and Wires."
"My shower's broken," Seraphina said, her face stiff.
"No water?" Lucian asked, already sounding confident.
"No hot water," she replied flatly.
Lucian coughed. "Well then, it's not really broken, is it? You've got water. Misleading diagnosis, ma'am."
"Can you fix it or not?" Seraphina snapped. She wasn't used to asking for help, and her tone came out awkward.
"The repair guy's already off duty, right?" Lucian said. "Didn't you already take your shower anyway? Just wait till tomorrow."
"Just say you don't know how, and quit wasting my time," Seraphina snapped, turning to head upstairs.
But Lucian was already grinning as he followed behind.
"Go wait in the bathroom. I'll let you know when it's working again."
Seraphina paused briefly, then walked up to the second floor without looking back.
Her hair was still damp, her sleepwear clinging slightly to her figure, the scent of fresh soap still lingering on her skin. Lucian could tell at a glance that she'd been halfway through her shower when the hot water cut out.
Tch. Women—so dramatic.
Unlike me, Lucian thought smugly, who showers with cold water all year round.
Now that's what I call tough.