Page 58 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

Lucian smiled against the rim of his glass.

"Already? I'm impressed."

"Don't be too impressed. She's good, but not good enough to realize we can track her movements."

"Let her dig," Lucian said. "What she finds will only reinforce what I've told her."

"The sanctioned version of the truth." Ronan's voice held a note of dry amusement. "Very convenient."

"The version she needs right now." Lucian's gaze remained fixed on the cityscape. "Trust is built in increments, Ronan. You of all people should understand that."

"And if she digs deeper than you've anticipated?"

"Then she'll prove herself even more worthy of what Marcus intended for her." Lucian took another sip of scotch, savoring the burn. "For what we intend."

After ending the call, Lucian moved to his desk and woke his computer with a touch. The screen illuminated with multiple windows: security feeds from the hotel, Serenity's financial activity in real-time, and her digital footprint as she scoured the internet for information about Lucian Blackthorn.

He watched her working, hunched over her laptop in her hotel suite, still wearing the black suit that had made his mouth go dry when she'd first entered the lounge. The masculine projection with hints of darkened hues caught the light with each movement, the midnight purple undertones revealing themselves only when she shifted just so. The suit combo, despite its masculine attempt was fitted perfectly to cling to her curves he had forced himself not to stare at too overtly.

A warning ping from his security system alerted him that she'd broken through another layer of his digital defenses.

Faster than he'd expected. Much faster.

Lucian laughed softly, raising his glass in salute to her distant figure on the screen.

"Well done, little Omega," he murmured. "Keep digging."

He opened another window on his monitor and began typing, deliberately leaving breadcrumbs for her to follow—carefully selected information about Blackthorn Financial's more legitimate operations, hints about his connections to herfather that would lead her toward truths he wanted her to discover.

Not the whole truth. Not yet. But enough to keep her moving in the direction he needed.

As he worked, he found himself repeatedly glancing at her image on the security feed. The focused intensity of her expression. The slight furrow between her brows. The way she absently tucked her hair behind her ear when concentrating.

He hadn't expected this—this constant awareness of her, this distraction. In their brief meeting, something fundamental had shifted inside him. Some primal recognition that went beyond Marcus Vale's plans, beyond The Society's machinations, beyond his own carefully orchestrated strategy.

Mine, his Alpha instincts had whispered when he'd caught her scent.Mine to protect. Mine to possess.

Dangerous thoughts.

Inconvenient thoughts.

Necessary thoughts, another part of him countered. Because this wasn't just about honoring his debt to Marcus Vale or dismantling The Society's corrupt leadership. This was about claiming what had been promised. What had been designated by her father, with a foresight that now seemed almost prophetic.

Lucian opened his desk drawer and removed a small silver case. Inside, neatly arranged, were his medication—the pharmaceuticals that kept the more extreme aspects of his nature in check.

The pills maintained the careful balance between brilliance and madness, between calculation and obsession.

He stared at them for a long moment before closing the case without taking any.

Tonight, he needed his edge. The hyperfocus his condition granted him when left untreated. The intensity of sensation and thought that the medication dulled.

Needed to feel the full impact of Serenity Vale's existence in his world.

He returned his attention to the screen, watching her push back from the desk and lean against the hotel room wall.

She arched her back and rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks from leaning over the laptop in relentless concentration, her movements graceful even in weariness. His focus lingered on her as she stretched, trying to alleviate the strain he knew she'd been feeling since she re-entered her room and began her methodical investigation.

Lucian could anticipate her every action before she made it, savoring the challenge of staying one step ahead. She would distract herself for a few moments, perhaps make another pass at the whiskey he'd seen her pour earlier, before diving back into work.

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