Lucious didn't like surprises.
He tolerated them. Adapted to them. Sometimes even benefited from them.
But he never liked them.
Ashley Han was a surprise.
Not because of her identity—that part he could accept easily. People lied. Masks were common. He'd worn more than one himself.
No, the surprise was how… normal she looked without the persona.
No sharp edges. No theatrical confidence. No curated danger.
Just tired.
Just human.
He hadn't expected that.
They met again two days after their first conversation—not because they planned to, but because he arranged for coincidence.
Same café. Different time.
This time, she was already there.
Not as Fiona.
Brown hair. Minimal makeup. Softer clothes. No armor.
She didn't pretend not to see him.
She watched him approach.
He sat.
Neither of them spoke for a few seconds.
Finally, she said, "You figured it out."
He nodded.
She sighed. "How?"
"Your pauses were wrong," he said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Fiona pauses for effect. Ashley pauses to think."
That made her smile faintly.
"Great," she muttered. "So I'm predictable."
"No," he said. "You're consistent."
That mattered more.
She stirred her drink.
"So," she said, "are you here to confront me?"
"No."
"Expose me?"
"No."
"Recruit me?"
"Not today."
That earned a quiet laugh.
"Then why are you here?"
Lucious leaned back slightly.
"Because I wanted to see who you are when you're not selling anything."
She studied him carefully.
"And?"
"I see why you built her."
Ashley looked away.
People walking past the glass glanced in. Some recognized her. Some didn't.
She didn't care.
"Fiona is useful," she said.
"Yes."
"Ashley is not."
"That's a lie," he replied.
She looked at him sharply.
"You don't know me."
"I know the difference between someone hiding and someone surviving."
She exhaled.
"That's not the same thing."
"No," he said. "But people confuse them."
They sat quietly.
Lucious noticed how she held her cup differently now. Less control. More comfort.
Less performance.
He realized something.
Fiona was not who she wanted to be.
Fiona was who she needed to be.
There was a difference.
"You're not afraid of being found out," he said.
She glanced at him.
"You're afraid of being misunderstood."
That landed.
She didn't deny it.
He continued, "Fiona lets you be sharp. But Ashley lets you feel."
She smirked. "You sound like a therapist."
"I hate therapists."
"Same."
Silence again.
Not uncomfortable.
Ashley broke it.
"You're not asking the obvious question."
"What's that?"
"Why I'm doing any of this."
Lucious met her gaze.
"I already know."
She waited.
"Because no one ever gave you room to fail."
Her jaw tightened.
"And when people don't let you fail," he continued, "you stop letting yourself exist."
She looked away.
"That's not—"
"It is," he said calmly.
She pressed her lips together.
"You're annoying," she muttered.
"I've been told."
She studied him now.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"You're not doing all this just to survive," she said.
Lucious didn't answer immediately.
Because she was right.
"I'm correcting something," he said.
"What?"
"A trajectory."
She smiled faintly. "That sounds pretentious."
"It is."
She laughed quietly.
Then she said something unexpected.
"You don't look at me like I'm temporary."
Lucious frowned slightly.
"Most people do," she added. "They see me as a phase. A rebellion. A detour."
"And you?"
"I see you as a person who refuses to be defined by her starting point."
She blinked.
Then shook her head.
"You shouldn't say things like that."
"Why?"
"Because people believe them."
"Good."
She stared.
"That's dangerous."
"Yes."
They were quiet again.
Then Ashley asked, "What do you want from me?"
Lucious thought about it.
Not strategically.
Not tactically.
Honestly.
"I want to understand what you're building," he said. "Because I don't think it's just influence."
Her eyes narrowed.
"It's not."
"Then what is it?"
She hesitated.
Then said, "A place where I don't have to ask permission to exist."
Lucious nodded.
"That's expensive."
She snorted.
"So is being invisible."
He stood.
"I won't interfere with your mask," he said. "But I won't pretend I don't know who's underneath it either."
Ashley watched him.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because one day, someone will try to use Fiona against Ashley," he said. "And when they do, I want to be the one who saw it coming."
She blinked.
"That sounds like a threat."
"It's not."
"Then what is it?"
"A boundary."
She considered that.
"Are you on my side?" she asked.
Lucious met her gaze.
"I don't have sides," he said. "I have directions."
"And mine?"
"I haven't decided yet."
She smiled.
"That's honest."
He nodded.
"That's rare."
She stood.
"So," she said, "are you going to call me Ashley now?"
Lucious paused.
"Yes."
That seemed to matter.
She nodded once.
"Good."
She walked past him.
Then stopped.
"Lucious."
He turned.
"That's your real name too, right?"
"Yes."
"Then maybe we're not so different."
He didn't smile.
But he didn't deny it either.
As she walked away, his phone buzzed.
System Notification:
Probability shift detected
Alignment variable stabilized
Long-term narrative impact: Significant
Emotional resonance: High
Warning: Attachment vector forming
He turned the screen off.
For once, he didn't care what the system thought.
He cared what he did next.
And he was already planning.