Lucas Caelum Draeven leaned back in the leather chair, the city lights behind him casting long shadows across the office. His fingers tapped the edge of the desk, slow and deliberate.
“Any update on the girl?”
Riven Lau stood across from him, tablet in hand, expression unreadable.
“She’s stable. No signs of distress. Physically, she’s healing well.”
Lucas nodded once, but his gaze didn’t shift.
“And the background check?”
Riven swiped through the screen, then handed over a folder.
“Clean. No contact with the Velmira clan. No records of formal recognition. Her grandparents moved at least three times in the last decade—each time farther from Velmira territory. Looks like they were trying to disappear.”
Lucas’s jaw tightened.
“So she really doesn’t know.”
Riven hesitated.
“If she does, she’s hiding it well. But honestly? She seems… oblivious. Like she grew up thinking her family was ordinary.”
Lucas didn’t respond right away.
The thought still bothered him.
Riven had voiced it first, days ago: What if Elara was a trap?
A pawn sent by the Velmiras to bait him into activating the seal.
But the evidence didn’t support it.
No contact.
No grooming.
No signs of manipulation.
Just a girl with a legacy she didn’t ask for.
Riven tapped the screen again and turned it toward Lucas.
“Surveillance feed. This is from today.”
Lucas leaned forward.
The penthouse camera showed Elara on the couch, curled into herself. One arm draped over her eyes, the other absently scratching her neck. Her wounds had faded—just faint lines now, barely visible.
But her thoughts?
They were written all over her face.
She stared at the ceiling, lips moving faintly.
Then she turned onto her side, groaning softly.
Lucas watched in silence as the feed played.
The penthouse camera showed Elara stretched across the couch, one arm draped over her eyes, the other absently scratching her neck. Her wounds had healed—just faint lines now, barely visible. But her posture, her expression—none of it looked peaceful.
She shifted slightly, staring up at the ceiling. Her lips moved, forming words too soft for the mic to catch.
Then she turned onto her side, curling deeper into the cushions. Her brows furrowed. Her shoulders tensed. She looked like someone carrying too many questions and no answers.
Riven adjusted the audio feed.
“What am I supposed to do?” she whispered. “What fate is waiting for me? Will I even make it out of this alive?”
Lucas’s jaw tightened.
She was thinking about the seal.
About the clans.
About him.
On the screen, Elara closed her eyes.
Then her expression shifted.
Her ears flushed.
Her lips curled into a faint, involuntary smile.
She buried her face in the pillow and groaned.
“This is insane.”
Riven, still standing beside him, glanced at his boss—then back at the screen. His gaze lingered on Elara’s flustered smile.
He didn’t say anything right away.
Just smiled faintly to himself.
Like he’d noticed something no one else had.
“She’s not faking it,” Lucas said quietly.
Riven nodded.
“No. She’s just trying to survive it.”
The hotel suite was dim, the city lights outside casting soft reflections across the glass walls. Lucas Caelum Draeven stood by the window, arms loosely crossed, gaze distant.
Behind him, Riven Lau reviewed the final report on his tablet.
“We’ll be back from the trip tomorrow,” Riven said. “We’ll pick her up from the penthouse, then fly straight to the Philippines.”
Lucas didn’t move.
Riven continued, voice low but steady.
“You’ve seen the footage. You’ve read the files. Her record’s clean. No contact with the Velmira clan. Her grandparents moved multiple times—each time farther from Velmira territory. Looks like they were trying to disappear.”
Lucas nodded faintly, still watching the skyline.
“She really didn’t know.”
Riven tapped the tablet, switching to the surveillance feed.
Elara appeared on screen—curled on the couch, one arm over her eyes, the other absently scratching her neck. Her wounds had faded, but her posture was restless. Her lips moved, whispering to herself. Then she turned onto her side, groaning softly.
Riven glanced at Lucas, then back at the screen.
“She’s not trying to escape. She’s not even trying to understand. She’s just… surviving.”
Lucas exhaled slowly.
“She’s overwhelmed.”
Riven nodded.
“So what’s the plan?”
Lucas turned from the window, walked to the desk, and sat down. His fingers brushed the edge of the folder, but he didn’t open it.
“I don’t know what she means to me yet,” he said quietly. “But I know what she doesn’t deserve.”
Riven tilted his head.
“You’re saying you’ll protect her?”
Lucas looked up, eyes steady.
“I’ll keep her safe. That’s not negotiable.”
He paused, then added:
“But I won’t trap her in this. If she wants to go back to her life, I’ll make sure she can.”
Riven studied him for a moment, then smiled faintly—just a flicker.
“Even if the seal says she’s yours?”
Lucas’s voice was soft, but firm.
“The seal doesn’t own her. It just connected us. What I do with that… is up to me.”
Riven nodded, closing the tablet.
“Then let’s plan everything tomorrow. With her.”
Lucas leaned back, gaze drifting again to the skyline.
“She deserves to choose. Not just be chosen.”