Chapter 8

Luciana's POV

I was preparing to go home after work had ended. I was about to enter the elevator when someone suddenly called my name.

"Luciana!"

I turned and saw Damon, Duncan's handsome secretary. I really didn't think he was his secretary but because he was always with Duncan, I just assumed that.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, walking closer to me.

"Yes." I replied, hiding my face behind my hair to hide my flushed cheeks.

"Um...." He rubbed his neck anxiously. "Should I drop you off? Duncan doesn't need me right now, and I'm free so...." He bit his lips.

I could feel my heart beating erratically inside my chest. I was having a crush. It was an exhilarating feeling and I enjoyed every moment of it.

"Or better still, should I take you out for dinner. I know a place where they sell good steak. Wolves like good meat after all." He said with a wink.

"Isn't steak expensive?"

"Oh, dont worry about it, I'm quite rich." He said, laughing awkwardly.

"Ok then. Dinner sounds great." I smiled.

"Then let's go!" He exclaimed, pointing towards the elevator.

................

"I loved spending the evening with you, Luciana." Damon said as we reached my house.

I felt a blush slowly creep up my face and I covered my face, trying to hide it. I quickly realized that it didn't help because he had seen it.

"Luciana, are you blushing?" He asked incredulously .

"No, I'm not. " I lied, turning as red as a tomato.

He gently removed the hair that covered my face and my face was revealed under the moonlight.

“You are blushing!” He exclaimed, like he had just discovered something.

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I was completely embarrassed. Would he feel that I was weird for having a crush on him when I was not an important person.

“I like that you blush because of me.” He suddenly said, and I raised my head to look at him instantly.

We were both silent for a while and I was sure that something was going to happen due to the frantic beating of my heart against my chest when a man I didn't recognize suddenly showed up and gave me a large grin.

“Luciana! You're finally home, I finally get to see you.”

I looked at the man with confusion and turned back to Damon, using my hand to question him if the man was talking to me and he nodded.

“Excuse me sir, but do I know who you are?” I asked, doing my best not to freak out.

I had watched movies that had scenes like this. A stranger suddenly shows up when the main character is with someone she likes and claims to be a family member….

My train of thoughts was interrupted when the man suddenly spoke.

“Celine has told me a lot about you. And I want you to accept my deepest condolences.” He said, his voice turning solemn.

I furrowed my eyebrow and tried to make a connection.

“Oh, are you Celine's cousin? The one that always troubled her when you were young.”

The man seemed to blush slightly at my statement before he replied.

“Yes, I am.”

I nodded my head in approval and was about to ask for his name when he gestured to Damon who was near me.

“I wasn't informed that you got yourself a boyfriend.”

“What! He's not my boyfriend.” I denied immediately,shaking my head like it would further explain my claims.

I noticed that both men were paying no attention to me and instead were looking at each other intensely. I suddenly had chills.

“My name is Damon.” He introduced, stretching his hand out for a shake but the man refused to accept it.

Damon moved closer to the man and placed his hands on his chest. “I am her colleague, but I do hope she considers me as something more.” He said casually, while doing his best to move closer to the man.

I didn't have the chance or opportunity to figure out his reason for doing that because my body instantly became hot.

“Oh really?” The stranger asked, raising a brow.

I became confused as to how I could see his facial expressions clearly in the dark. Even though the moon was a source of light,it wasn't full yet so it wasn't very bright but I quickly shrugged off the thought as my concentration went back to the two men.

“Yes.” Samn answered curtly.

“Well, you're going to have to work hard for it then, young man.”

“That will not be an issue, sir.”

I scrunched up my nose as I was sure I smelt something in the air. It was a fleeting scent but it felt so natural, like it belonged to someone or something. I looked around and noticed that it was only the three of us around. My attention tonight turned back to the men.

Damon was currently on his phone talking to someone in hushed tones. I cursed under my breath. I knew he was talking to Duncan. Couldn't he have his alone time? I asked myself.

Damon turned to me and gave me an apologetic smile signaling that he had to leave.

I just nodded in understanding as he turned to the other man and gave a small bow before turning to enter his car.

He opened the door of his car and stopped. He turned to me and gave me a small wink.

Again, I wondered why I could see that but that wasn't the only thing on my mind.

I had the fuzzy feeling inside again.

The stranger turned to me and with a smile, opened his mouth to speak.

“I am Jericho. Celine's cousin.”

“Jericho..” I mouthed.

He gave me a slight nod.

“Can someone be named that? I mean, it does have a bad history.” I stated, not noticing the dark look on his face.

“Yeah, that's because I have a bad past, but this time around, I'm dragging some people down with me.”