CHAPTER 106: LUCIEN’S NIGHTMARE!

Lucien’s POV

How could Sera say something like this to me? Did she think I was trying to dominate her? Without even asking why I was here in such a rush, so late?

I’d been restless for days, and I couldn’t sleep properly or focus on work.

Work used to help me, especially after my ex left me. I threw myself into it like a madman... meetings, files, calls... anything to stay out of her memories.

It was better to stay busy and not feel anything.

It was the only thing that kept me from falling apart. And even shielded me from my family, who either sympathized with me or... had over-the-top expectations.

So, I cut myself off from everything and buried myself in my work, expanding my business like crazy, and in just a few years, I was the biggest businessman not only in our country but was top ten in the world, surpassing a lot of big names.

Even when I hadn’t yet merged my family business with mine!

But now... Everything seemed to have changed since Sera had arrived in my life.

She got into my head without warning and without asking.

And now she was stuck there... everywhere. In my thoughts, in every heartbeat, in the air I breathed.

But the worst part... the part that drove me insane was... Her absence.

Even her scent faded slowly since she last came.

It used to be all over the place. Now, it was fading. Like her existence was being erased, and that scared me a lot.

I missed Sera

I missed her presence, her voice, the way she talked, and the way she looked at me, everything.

"Boss?"

My assistant’s voice pulled me back.

I looked up, glaring at him.

"You’ve got four or five appointments left today," he said, putting a file in front of me.

I stared at them and sighed. I wasn’t seeing her anytime soon, and hence, I once again busied myself with meetings.

"Is there anything left for the day?" I asked, glancing at my wristwatch as I stepped out of the seven-star hotel. It was late at night, and the weather looked clear and pleasant, but I was damn tired and needed some sleep.

"No, sir. That was the last meeting," my assistant replied quickly, following close behind as I moved toward the valet stand.

The investor had insisted on drinks as we discussed our future project. But it was so damn boring. I just wanted to go home and sleep.

"It’s late," I muttered as the black car pulled up in front of us.

The valet gave a polite nod and opened the back door. I slid in without a word, loosening the collar of my shirt. My assistant took the front passenger seat, still scrolling through his tablet.

I leaned back into the cold leather, eyes drifting to the passing lights outside.

But what I hadn’t expected that remaining night... was a nightmare.

It appeared the moment I shut my eyes.

Seraphina... she was running barefoot, breathlessly in the middle of the road, which was covered by a dark forest, her eyes wide with panic, and people were closing in on her from every direction.

She stumbled, her legs barely holding her up. Blood was smeared across her arms, her dress torn at the hem. She kept looking back and was clearly terrified.

What the hell was going on?

I wanted to scream her name and run to her, grab her, hold her. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do anything.

She couldn’t hear me or see me.

I was the only one who could see her like this.

I was still trying to figure out what was happening—why I was dreaming about her again. It had been a while since I last saw her in my dreams.

But none of them had ever been this horrifying.

I had seen her cry, be bullied, and look broken before. But I had never seen anything like this.

She kept running until a blinding light flashed in front of her, and she stumbled toward it in desperation.

"Stop! He... Help me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, waving her arms as a car approached.

But the car didn’t stop. It drove past her without a second glance.

And what shattered me completely... was the driver.

It was me.

Lucien De Rossi.

I was so shaken and panicked that my eyes flew open. I jolted back to reality... Back to the silence of the car.

I’d been sleeping, and the car had already stopped. We were at my mansion.

The driver was gone, and my assistant had left a note on the seat, saying he didn’t wake me because I looked very tired.

I ignored everything else as I grabbed the water bottle and finished it in one long gulp, trying to calm my nerves.

"What the hell was that?" I muttered to myself. "I’ve never seen myself in one of those dreams before... So why now? Why did I see myself driving past her like a stranger?"

I had a lot of questions that were confusing me.

But before I could try to make sense of any of it... I wanted to see Seraphina and make sure that she was fine.

Without bothering to check the time or caring how exhausted I was, I got behind the wheel and drove straight to the Lancaster mansion.

And just like Sera had said... I made her come out to see me, forcefully.

"Do you really think I’m like them, who are trying to control you?" I questioned, taking her completely off guard.

"I... I’m not saying that," Sera stammered, but I was not in the mood.

I was there to see if Sera was doing fine, and now that I’d seen that, it was time for me to leave.

"Forgive me for coming all the way here to see you," I apologized formally, Please leave the car so that I can leave."