“The Mask Slips”

Lucian POV

The elevator hummed as it descended to the private parking lot. My reflection stared back at me in the mirrored walls,sharp, cold, and detached. I had perfected the look over years of boardroom battle, the tailored suits, the impassive face, the aura of someone who never faltered. But inside, something else boiled, a slow-burning rage that refused to simmer.

I hadn’t slept. Not properly. Not since the meeting with Mike. His words haunted me more than I cared to admit. Eloise. The message. The kidney. All the truths that Jennifer had buried beneath her smiles. I should have known. I should have seen it.

The...