Page 78 of The Owner's Temptation

God, I deserve an award for the restraint I showed. She wanted it—badly—but she's not ready yet.

While moving gracefully through the gallery, Sienna's presence is magnetic. But my attention shifts sharply as a known troublemaker, approaches. An arrogant trust-fund schmuck that thinks he can buy his way into anything.

Except the Ledger, you prick.

“Lucian Vale,” Thomas says smoothly, his gaze sliding suggestively toward Sienna. “I'm surprised to see you here tonight, given the recent...disturbances in certain circles. People are talking, you know.”

I stiffen, tension rippling through me instantly.

Thomas knows exactly what he's doing—hinting at things he shouldn't know about. Sienna picks up on the subtle implications immediately; her eyes flick toward me, cautious yet curious.

My hand moves instinctively, capturing her wrist, pulling her just slightly behind me. She doesn't protest, and a quiet satisfaction fills me.

She may battle me on training, but she recognizes when a situation requires caution. I stand taller, feeling the trust she's silently placed in me.

I lean forward, my voice dropping low and dangerous. “Be careful, Thomas. Certain topics are best left unspoken—especially when they don’t concern you.”

Thomas’s smirk fades under my menacing gaze, understanding my implicit threat. He steps back, nodding stiffly before turning away.

Once he's gone, Sienna steps from behind me, her eyes sharp with accusation. “What was that about?”

My response comes out sharper than intended. "Nothing that concerns you."

The defiant veil drops instantly over her features, eyebrow cocked in challenge.

“Fine. You know everyone talked about you disappearing for weeks knee-deep in a bloodbath. Then you come back, putting tracking devices on me, clients bailing on their accounts, and you really want to pretend everything's fine? Go ahead. But don’t pretend I'm stupid or that I should turn a blind eye if I might be in danger.”

I open my mouth to tell her to watch it. That I would never let anything happen to my girls, but she doesn’t wait for an answer.

Turning abruptly and placing her drink on a server's tray before she storms off toward the hallway leading to the bathroom.

I watch her until I can’t see her anymore. My palm twitching at my side.

With a deep huff, I rake my hands through my hair.

Taking in the space, the crowd is beginning to clear out and Clara seems to finally have a moment to herself.

While Sienna is in the restroom, I finalize my purchase of one of Clara’s paintings—the large one Sienna admired earlier.

Clara gives me a resigned smile, gratitude clear in her eyes. "Thank you, Lucian. Your support–means everything."

“You did wonderfully,” I tell her genuinely. “I'm proud of you.”

Glancing around, I realize Sienna hasn't returned. A jolt of unease hits when I also don't see the creep who had been eyeing her all evening.

Excusing myself swiftly, I hand Clara my whiskey glass and stride purposefully toward the hallway.

Something inside me tells me that son-of-a-bitch is going to be here.

My anger ignites instantly when I see him cornering Sienna against the wall near the restroom entrance. She’s visibly tense, her eyes blazing, but she hasn’t yet called out.

I’m a storm down that fucking hallway, my steps silent, my fists balled, he doesn’t even hear me coming.

Sienna spots me approaching, relief flooding her expression, and something possessive flares hot inside me.

Before the man fully registers my presence, I seize him, turning him abruptly and striking him squarely across the face with calculated precision. Grabbing his shirt, I headbutt him sharply before smashing his face into the drywall, the impact brutally satisfying.

“Lucian!” Sienna gasps, startled.

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