Chapter 845

Lucian claimed Genevieve wasn't his girlfriend.

Rosalind froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. "That can't be true. She introduced herself as your-"

A slow smile curved Lucian's lips. "Whose word carries more weight - mine or hers?"

She bit her lip, uncertainty flickering across her delicate features.

Reading Lucian had always been like deciphering an ancient cipher - a lesson painfully learned three years prior.

"If she means nothing to you, why has she shadowed your every step for years?" Rosalind countered, crossing her arms. "Why should I take your word over hers?"

A bitter chuckle escaped him. In one fluid motion, he encircled her slender waist, pulling her against his solid frame. "What exactly do you think of me? Some spineless liar who can't own up to a relationship?"

Rosalind placed trembling hands against his chest, creating precious inches between them. "Not now. I have... obligations." Her voice wavered. "Please, let me go."

Whitmore Holdings needed her - every second counted.

Instead of releasing her, Lucian guided her toward his gleaming sports car with unyielding determination. "Get in."

She dug her heels into the pavement. "I told you, I have urgent matters-"

"Don't you want to find that construction worker?"

Her breath hitched. "You know about that?"

Lucian gave a single nod. "Get in. I'll take you to him."

He opened the passenger door with a quiet click. When she hesitated, his hand settled on the small of her back, propelling her gently into the butter-soft leather seat.

As he slid behind the wheel, Rosalind studied his profile. "You've located him?"

"Every bounty hunter in Metropolia is scouring the city." Lucian snapped her seatbelt into place, his fingers brushing her collarbone. "He's hiding in the last place anyone would check... the accident site itself."

Rosalind's lips parted in surprise. The abandoned construction zone had been her first suspicion too.

After the worker's mysterious fall, authorities had cordoned off the area. No one would consider it a hiding place.

That Lucian had deduced the same sent an unexpected warmth through her chest.

"Hold on."

The engine roared to life as they sped toward the derelict site.

Soon, the car purred to a stop before chain-link fences marked with DANGER signs. Lucian emerged, offering his hand.

Rosalind ignored it, stepping onto cracked concrete. "I can manage."

His fingers closed around hers with startling possessiveness. "Behave," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. "Don't make this difficult."

That familiar command unraveled her resistance instantly.

When he'd been Everett, she'd hung on his every word. Now, as Lucian Graves - tech mogul and Metropolia's most eligible bachelor - his authority carried even greater weight.

As they picked their way through debris, Rosalind stole glances at his sharp profile. The years had honed him into something formidable - wealth and power radiating from every pore.

"Enjoying the view?"

His sudden question made her cheeks flame. She whipped her head away. "Don't flatter yourself."

That rich, knowing laugh of his sent shivers down her spine.

Focus, she chastised herself. The worker - find the worker.

Then she saw it - a furtive movement near scaffolding. Her pulse leapt.

There he was!