The Offer

Rain hammered against the tall glass windows of Westbridge University’s main building.

Eli Navarro tightened his grip on the stack of books in his arms as he rushed down the empty hallway, cursing under his breath.

“Great. Just great.”

The campus library had closed early, and now he was stuck crossing half the school during a storm because his shift at the café started in twenty minutes.

If he was late again, his manager would cut his hours.

And if that happened—

No. He couldn’t afford that.

Not with tuition due next week.

Not with his mother’s hospital bills piling up.

He quickened his pace.

Then he heard it.

A sharp crash.

Followed by a voice.

“You think Father won’t find out?”

Eli froze.

The sound came from the student council executive lounge.

That was strange.

Nobody was supposed to be there this late.

Curiosity got the better of him.

He stepped closer.

The door was slightly open.

And what he saw made his stomach drop.

Lucien Vale stood in the center of the room, perfectly still despite the shattered glass at his feet.

Across from him, his older brother Damien clutched his collar, face pale with rage.

“You’re making a mistake,” Damien hissed.

Lucien’s expression didn’t change.

“If exposing you is a mistake,” he said coldly, “then I’ll gladly make it.”

Damien’s jaw tightened.

“You think Father will choose you after this?”

Lucien leaned closer, his voice dangerously quiet.

“He already has.”

Silence.

Then Damien shoved him hard.

Eli gasped.

The sound slipped out before he could stop it.

Both heads snapped toward the door.

His blood ran cold.

Lucien’s dark eyes locked onto his.

For a second, no one moved.

Then Damien cursed.

“Who the hell is that?”

Panic surged through Eli.

He turned and ran.

His footsteps pounded against the marble floor as he sprinted down the hallway.

Stupid.

So stupid.

Why had he looked?

Why had he stopped?

He shoved through the stairwell doors—

And collided straight into someone.

Strong hands caught his arms.

Eli looked up.

Lucien Vale.

How the hell—

Lucien must have taken the private elevator.

His grip tightened slightly.

“Going somewhere?”

Eli swallowed.

“I—I didn’t see anything.”

Lucien studied him in silence.

His face was unreadable.

Then he leaned down just enough for Eli to feel his breath against his ear.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Eli’s pulse spiked.

“Because now,” Lucien murmured, “I can’t let you walk away.”Lucien didn’t move away.

Eli stood frozen, unable to breathe properly under his gaze.

The hallway felt smaller now, like the walls were closing in.

“I really didn’t see anything important,” Eli said again, voice lower this time. “Just… let me go. I won’t talk about it.”

For a second, Lucien said nothing.

Then he lifted his hand and gently adjusted the collar of Eli’s shirt.

The touch was calm.

Too calm.

Eli flinched instantly. “Don’t touch me.”

Lucien paused, his fingers still hovering near Eli’s collar.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said quietly.

Eli let out a dry laugh. “That’s what people always say right before they do.”

A flicker of something crossed Lucien’s eyes—but it was gone quickly.

He lowered his hand.

“Walk with me,” Lucien said again.

“I said no.”

Lucien’s voice dropped slightly. “You don’t have a choice.”

That sentence hit harder than anything else.

Eli’s chest tightened. “You don’t own me.”

Lucien looked at him for a long moment, then said softly:

“Not yet.”

The word sent a strange chill down Eli’s spine.

Before Eli could respond, Lucien turned slightly and began walking again, slower this time, as if giving him a chance to leave.

But Eli didn’t move.

Not because he trusted him.

But because something about Lucien’s confidence felt like a trap already closing around him.

He followed.

They stopped in front of a private elevator Eli had never noticed before. Lucien pressed a hidden button, and the doors opened silently.

Inside, the space was too clean, too quiet, too expensive.

Eli stepped in reluctantly.

The doors closed.

For the first time, he was completely alone with Lucien Vale.

And he had no idea what he had just stepped into.

Lucien’s voice broke the silence.

“You should stop looking at me like that.”

Eli frowned. “Like what?”

“Like I’m your enemy.”

A pause.

Eli looked away. “Aren’t you?”

Lucien didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he said:

“That depends on what you choose next.”

The elevator began to rise.

Eli’s heartbeat didn’t slow once.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***