Chapter 10: A Dangerous Choice
Morning came too quickly.
Avelyn woke with a sharp inhale, her heart racing
as if she'd been running. For a moment, she
didn't know where she was. Then the black walls,
the heavy curtains, the silence that felt too
deliberate reminded her.
Lucien's house.
Lucien's deal.
She sat up slowly, her fingers clutching the
sheets as the words from the night before
replayed in her mind.
TomorroW. the deal tightens.
A knock came at the door, firmer this time.
"Get dressed" a woman's voice said from the
other side. "He's waiting."
Avelyn's chest tightened.
She didn't ask who. She already knew.
Minutes later, she followed the woman through
long corridors she hadn't seen before. The house
felt different in daylight-less like a prison, more
like a throne built for someone who enjoyed
power too much.
They stopped before a tall black door.
The woman knocked once, then stepped away
without another word.
The door opened.
Lucien stood inside, sleeves rolled up, dark hair
slightly undone. He looked calm. Too calm. Like
this was just another day.
"Come in," he said.
Avelyn hesitated, then stepped inside.
The room was wide and bare, except for a long
table at the center. On it lay a folder-thick,sealed, waiting.
Lucien gestured to the chair opposite him. "Sit."
She did.
"This" he said, placing a hand on the folder, "is
where you decide who you want to be."
Her brows furrowed. "I didn't know I had a
choice."
His lips curved slightly. "You always have a
choice. The question is whether you're brave
enough to live with it."
He slid the folder toward her.
"Inside are the rules," he continued. "The ones I
haven't told you yet. Break them, and the
consequences will reach far beyond this house."
Her fingers hovered over the folder. "And if I follow them?"
"Then you stay protected" he replied. "From
people who would destroy you without a second
thought."
Her pulse thudded loudly in her ears. "You keep
talking like l'm in danger."
Lucien leaned forward, his eyes darkening. "You
are."
Silence stretched between them.
"Why are you really doing this?" she asked
quietly. "Not the polished answer. The truth."
For a moment, something unreadable flickered
across his face.
"Because you were never meant to be sold, he
said. "And because some deals... were made long
before you knew my name."
Her breath caught. "What does that mean?"
Lucien stood, circling the table slowly. "It means
you can walk away now," he said. "Or you can
open that folder and step into a life you don't yet
understand."
He stopped beside her.
"But once you choose" he added softly, "there's
no undoing it."
Avelyn stared at the folder.
Fear told her to leave.
Instinct told her to run.
But curiosity-dangerous, reckless curiosity
kept her seated.
Slowly, she reached out.
Her fingers touched the folder.
Lucien watched her closely, his expression
unreadable.
"This" he said, almost to himself, "is where
evervthing changes"
Avelyn took a breath.
And made her choice .