Lucian’s POV

The city was still dark when I slowly opened my eyes. Outside the tall windows of my penthouse, the sky was a deep shade of blue, heavy and quiet, like it was holding its breath. It was the kind of early morning that feels almost frozen in time, where the world seems to pause for a moment before it wakes up. But the city itself was not asleep anymore. I could feel the restless energy beneath the calm sky. The faint hum of distant traffic, the subtle glow of streetlights below, all reminded me that life was already stirring.

My phone, resting on the bedside table, suddenly lit...