Aaliyah's POV

Lucien woke up feeling confused and found himself in an unfamiliar environment. Opening his eyes, he realised he was lying on a flat surface that looked like a bed, but  couldn't be sure. The surrounding scenery seemed strange, making him more confused as to where he was and how he got there.

The only source of light was a dim lamp hanging right on the other side. Of the door,

In the living room there is a brighter light source, helping him see clearly the layout of the place,

He had not yet sat down when his head arched.

“Oouch! ". I could hear him screaming in pain, it went through his  head.

“You're awake”  He heard a female voice, standing in front of me.

He Looked at her to see her face clearly,and asked her

“Where am I?”. He asked, remembering what happened the night before.

"You were shot." I frowned in response, mixed with worry and curiosity, with many questions on facial expression.

“I know” He said,returning the frown back to her.knowing I  have a lot of questions to ask me.

“Why are they after you?”I asked him,waiting for his answer.

“It's none of your business” He  replied rudely and glared at her.

I gritted my  teeth, my fists clenched,she had expected a thank you,explanation,and appreciation,all i got was a spiteful words,and a ruthless attitude

"Hmm , it seems you are a rude type huh!”.i stated, frustrated,against his attitude.

He completely ignored my  question,trying to stand up from the bed,going straight to get his shirts on the sofa,in her room.

"You're unbelievable. Instead of being grateful that I just saved your life, you choose to lash out with your insolent attitude. Is that how to thank me, for saving you?" I replied

“I never begged you to save me,young lady”. He said rudely,contorted with rage,my fist clenched and unclenched,as I struggled to recall all that happened at the club last night.

“Oh Wow! I should have left you to die then”. I replied as my eyes mixed with hurt,and anger.blinked at him with dismay,folding my hands across my  chest,about to talk as he got interrupted,by me.

“Why didn't you let me die,then?,then you saved me,and let me be questioned by you” he stated, frustrated,as I glared at her.

“I don't want some wannabe hero,Interfering in my business' ' I got irritated with what he said to me , raising his voice against me,coupled with all that happened,in the space of the previous night,and the present night,which all filled my thoughts.

“Fine sorry for asking”. I  replied letting out a heavy sigh of frustration. I  went into the bathroom of my apartment, with a heavy heart of disappointment, to take a shower.

In less than five minutes, I came out wrapping an animal-coloured towel around my chest and preparing a bath for Lucian.

He looked around her apartment with a disgusted look on his face, when he saw me an insatiable desire burned inside him  when  he saw me .Delicately draped a towel over my chest. His eyes were drawn to me with intense, primal desire, glued to my every move for what seemed like an eternity. In that fleeting moment, his thoughts were consumed by passionate desire, his desire surged through his veins, leaving me spellbound by his irresistible charm. The depth of my sexual desire could not be ignored, the fire burned within me, making it impossible for him to resist the temptation of my desire.

I  couldn't help but notice the lustful and intense look in Lucien's eyes as I wrapped the towel around my chest. The way his eyes were fixed on me, made me shiver, making me fully aware of the desire he carried within him. In that moment, I  felt both vulnerable and powerful, knowing the effect I had on him.

I  recognized the lustful look he was giving me and  I had to distract his thoughts.

“I have prepared bath water for you.” I interrupted his thoughts.

“My bath?”. He laughed at the annoyed look on my face.

“Do you think I want to use a lower-class girl's bathroom?” 

 He snorted and smiled at him.

“If I'm a low-class girl then leave my apartment, because my help means nothing to you ”. I  was so angry at his insults that the pain grew inside me.

"Don't you see, this is what I do." He said to provoke me further, trying to get dressed, while looking at the wound on his arm being bandaged.

“Damn, she is who?, she's trying to treat me like a god", he cursed me in his heart 

" I don't need her damn help. He  couldn't tell if this woman was my saviour or if I had finally kidnapped me, which made him lose faith in me,like I knew what he was thinking. 

I put on a nightgown that exposed my chest and ignored him, then went straight to bed, covered myself with a blanket.

“When you go out, turn off the lights and use the living room door to hide. go out. ” I expressed my frustration and ignored him.

Within a few minutes, there was a long silence, after their heated exchange, he and I found ourselves wrapped in profound silence, every unspoken word echoed. louder than the chaos of our debate. The air between us cracked with unresolved tension, heavy with the weight of indescribable emotions, as thoughts filled our hearts.

A sound Suspicious knocking rang out in the living room. immediately my heart skipped,he glanced at me,as i sat up on the bed,sensing the fear in his eyes,she glanced through the bedroom door,stood up,i could feel my heart beating fast.

“Who could that be,by this time of the night”. He stole some glance from my wrist watch,raising his voice quietly,but can be heard from the living room. He could feel his heart racing

My expression mirrored the unease that settled like a heavy fog between us.

My voice trembled, my eyes darting towards the door, as if expecting it to burst open at any moment.

“I don’t know”. I  replied in a hush tone,trying to mash the unease that creeped from my voice.

I swallowed hard,my jaw clenched.

Another series of loud knocks came again, louder this time, sending shivers down our spine.

“Maybe i should go check it out”. He shook his head,and his brow furrowed with worries,raising his voice in a loud whisper, as if he's bold enough to approach the person knocking.

“Shh!,quiet," I whispered, my voice barely audible over my pounding heart,interrupting him .

"Who's at the door?" I shouted from the room, my voice trembling with fear,but tended to hide it.

“Open up,young lady,” some male voice was heard through the door

"Madam Gold's boys," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.The fear of Madam Gold's boys discovering his presence sent chills down his spine. I  turned to him with a solemn expression, my  eyes reflecting the urgency of the situation.

“You need to hide in the bathroom,” I replied. words, and stared at him. 

“In that dirty bathroom!, no, I won't” was shocked, and

He  refused , shook his head. disagreement. at my suggestion, just to provoke me further.

"Fuck you, bitch!, do what I say, or our lives will be in danger dangerous", he heard me raise my  voice in frustration, sending him away with a warning.

“Just to save my life.” He finally agreed.

As I hurried him into the bathroom, with all his belongings, my mind was racing with anxiety. I  couldn't bear the thought of them finding him  knowing the dire consequences it would bring. Once he was safely inside, I  locked the bathroom door, my hands shaking as I put the key in my  pocket. , trying to calm my nerves. I  turned back to the door, my gaze fixed on the entrance as the knocking continued.

"Aaliyah, open the door! Emergency!", one of the boys shouted. side.

My  voice trembled as I. replied, "I'll be here, just a moment!" I  pretended to make a phone call and then rushed to the door.

I  turned the key to open the door, praying that my composure wouldn't betray me. I had to stay calm so I won't look suspicious. 

I  opened the door to find Madam Gold's boys standing before me, their stern expressions hinting at the seriousness of their visit.

" Good evening, boys. What brings you here at this late hour?' I asked, my voice a delicate balance of worry and calm. My  expression was straightforward and convincing, my  mind racing with thoughts of deceit and secrets, my neutral exterior masked  the truth lurking behind the bathroom door.

The stakes are high and I  know the consequences of failure are too terrible to contemplate. I  must protect myself and Lucien at all costs, even if that means creating a web of lies that threatens to ensnare his safe  and keep her out of harm's way,I don't know why I should be protecting him,knowing fully well  how rude he's towards,why would I care to protect him, I should have set him up,and hand him over to  Madam Gold's boys, just to teach him a lesson,but never mind,I don't have the mind to do such.

"Doing our job,” said one of the guys. the guy said, his eyes scanning my  apartment.

My heart skipped a beat, but I maintained her innocent appearance. “Continue to look for locations?”

The boys exchanged knowing glances, scepticism evident in them. “We have reason to believe the opposite. Move aside Aaliyah,” the other insisted, gesturing into the apartment.

“Sure,” I  replied, sending them a reassuring smile. 

The tension is thick, each moment stretching into eternity as the boys of I and Madam Gold engage in a silent battle of wills. The boys seem determined to complete their search, while I  was equally determined to protect the secret hidden behind the bathroom door.

After what seems like an eternity, the boys gave in, albeit reluctantly.

"End of search, Aaliyah,We will take leave.” One of them admitted, their eyes fixed on her warily as I  looked straight at them.

As the boys left, I  let out a breath that I  didn't realise I was holding back. I leaned against the door, my  mind reeling from the close call. A fragile web of deception existed, but danger still stalked them,locking the door.

I  went straight to the bathroom after locking the door to meet him

"Why? Are they here?" He  asked, less bothered and more relieved.

“It's part of the rules,” I replied, trying to embarrass him.

“What rules?” ? He spoke roughly and seemed more confused by his answer.

“I don't have time to answer your question, young man, because I have to take you out. out of here". I  glared at him.

My eyes were haunted, his voice filled with despair. “But how?”

My face stiffened with determination, my mind reeling. "Leave it to me. I have a plan."

My eyes narrowed, his voice was sceptical. "What's the plan? You can't magically get me out of here." he asked in disgust.

My smile was mysterious, my voice filled with confidence. “Look at me, young man, I know how to handle your escape. I'll get you out of here quickly. my voice was low and hoarse. 

"That's what I know. But trust me, you'll be gone for a long time before they come back to my apartment. And when you show up again...".

So let my words hang in the air, the darkness outside the room seemed to darken, the silence became more oppressive. My eyes focused on him, his heart pounding. He knew he was now in my hands and he could only hope that my plan would be enough to save him.

But little did we know, the boys were on. On the way home, footsteps echoed in the distance from my room. And this time we both heard it, I felt his heart beat fast

"You have to go through the windows"

 I said, he felt fear and pleading in my eyes as I ran towards him

“What! Do you know who you are talking to? He said with a disgusted look and a rude attitude

"I thought you had to take me through the security gate." He asked her while waiting for her answer, while he was angry

"Yes, but things didn't go as planned, please, if you don't go now, my life will be in danger, because you “I was surrounded by enemies,” I felt a lot of questioning looks on his face.

“Okay, good.” He finally agreed, because he sensed the fear in my tone, which made him obey me.

When I was about to leave him,

He pulled my hand again.

 “Thank you, I won't forget what you did.” He signed a lot before telling me that.

“Oh shit! Did I just thank her? He took a deep breath, with thoughts running through his head.

Never in my life had he appreciated people even once, instead he walked away from them with a disgusting attitude. Regardless of whether you hurt them or not, as for me, you don't know what makes you thank me. I saw him looking at me deeply but I didn't respond.

"I don't care how she feels, or does she feel too big now?" . He felt uncomfortable with me, but gave a fake smile, as if I knew what he was thinking when I looked at him.

“I don't have much time, please, hurry up". I watched silently, walking away from him and walking towards the window

I glanced out the window, assessing my window layout, I quickly pulled down a string from the window and down to exit the window, weighing the risks and consequences of my project.

The sound of footsteps outside the room brought me back to reality. I was pretending like nothing happened when suddenly there was a knock on the door. I knew I was torn between fear and confidence.