Chapter 6 Room 201

Sonia's POV:

The way my name rolled off his tongue sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t the tone of a boss addressing an employee. It was something else. Something too familiar.

I shut my laptop, trying to steady my breathing. The office buzzed with whispers, half about the promotion, half about the acting CEO’s piercing stare at me.

“Girl, you should be happy!” Angela exclaimed, breaking the tension. “The man practically gave you a whole five-second movie stare. Maybe he’s impressed by your work. Or maybe your beauty…..” she slowed down, giving me enough time to process what she intended to say.

I managed a weak laugh, so that I wouldn't be considered rude. “Yeah, sure. It's about my work. We all know that I'm not on the list of the top five beauties in this department.” I said with a polite voice, but if only they knew what I was thinking.

Lucian Smithfield, the man I had accidentally spent the night with. The same man who now holds my career, my stability, my sanity in his hands.

I wasn’t sure if fate was playing a cruel joke or if I had angered some god in another life. Or maybe my adopted parents were cursing me.

The rest of the day dragged like slow torture. Every creak of a door, every set of footsteps in the corridor made my heart skip, expecting him to call me in, to expose me, and to destroy me. But he didn’t.

There were nine missed calls from Michael, and a single text from Georgia. At first, I didn't want to read it out of fear that it would ruin my day. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I tapped on the message.

“Hey, Sonia,

I know that you're angry, and I understand your rage, but please don't tell Angela. She will cause a whole lot of problems without listening to me. Also, can you quietly cancel the wedding? If anyone asks why, lie that you cheated or fell in love with someone else. That way Michael and I will be protected.

Thanks, bestie.”

My hands tightened on my phone, and I genuinely wanted to smash it on the floor, but I couldn't because it would get everyone's attention, and I'd end up becoming a nuisance. Taking a deep breath, I dropped my phone on my desk. I made a mental note to myself not to think about the betrayal, and instead, I tried to focus on work.

By evening, the office had emptied, leaving only the hum of air-conditioning and the soft clatter of keyboards. Angela had also gone home, leaving me behind to complete a few reports.

I was halfway through organizing some files when a knock came at the door.

I froze.

“Come in,” I said in a whisper, praying it was the janitor or maybe the night guard.

The door opened, and Lucian Smithfield stepped in. My heart jumped, and I anxiously looked around, praying that someone was secretly watching me.

Lucian wasn’t wearing his jacket anymore, just a dark shirt rolled to his elbows, revealing veins that ran along his forearms. If you looked at him closely, you'd notice that there was a sexy tattoo under his shirt, and a line of it was showing. His presence filled the entire room like a storm cloud: silent, heavy, magnetic.

“Sir?” I stuttered, immediately standing. “Is there something I can do for you?” I asked, trying to sound professional.

“Sit,” Lucian said calmly, closing the door behind him. The sound of the latch made my pulse race.

I sat down, clutching the edge of my desk like it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.

He didn’t speak for a moment. He just looked at me, not with anger, not with disgust, but with that same confusing intensity from the morning.

Finally, he said, “Do you remember me?”

My breath caught. I wanted to lie. To pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about. But my voice betrayed me.

“I… I don’t know what you mean, sir. You're my boss?”

His lips curved slightly, not a smile, but something close. “You’re a terrible liar, Miss Magnus.”

My fingers tightened around the pen I was holding. “Sir, if this is about work -”

“It’s not about work,” he interrupted gently, stepping closer. “It’s about last night, in the bar's hotel bar.”

Every cell in my body shuddered.

Lucian leaned against the desk beside me, his gaze locked on mine. “I don’t know how it happened. Or why. But I need to know if you were sent.”

“Sent?” I repeated, my brows furrowed.

He sighed and straightened up, his tone shifting from accusation to frustration. “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand. Just… stay away from me outside work.”

He turned to leave, but before he reached the door, I found my voice.

“I wasn’t sent,” I blurted out, my voice trembling but firm.

Lucian stopped mid-step.

“I didn’t even know who you were,” I continued, standing from my seat. “I was drunk, okay? Heartbroken. Someone gave me a drink and told me to go to room 201. That’s all I remember. If I had known who you were, I would never have gone there.”

Silence filled the room.

Lucian slowly turned to face me. His expression softened, and confusion, guilt, and something else flickered in his eyes.

“I see,” he finally said in a low voice. “Then we were both played.”

I nodded, feeling tears sting my eyes. “So… what happens now?”

He looked at me for a long moment before saying, “Now, you work. And you pretend none of it happened. I will contact you later.”

My lips parted, wanting to protest, but he continued, his tone colder this time.

“I’ll make sure no one finds out. Not about the room, not about the night. But if you slip… if you talk to anyone,” he paused, meeting my eyes. “You wouldn't like what will happen.”

And just like that, he left, leaving behind the faint scent of his cologne and the heavy silence that swallowed the room whole.

I sank into my chair, covering my face with both hands. What had I gotten myself into?

There was another knock at the door, and I stood up, fearing that Lucian had come back.

“Are you still in there?” The person called out with an impatient voice and opened the door.