Dark Touch

Anna sat, tucked away in a quiet corner of the hall, half-shielded by the shadows and the floral arches draped across the walls. The wedding was in full bloom, and the couple stood beneath the altar exchanging vows with doe-eyed devotion.

She could hardly believe it. Kai, her ex. Her heartbreak. Standing there in a designer tux, pledging forever to someone else. And worse? He had invited her.

At first, she'd laughed at the audacity. Then, somewhere between shampoo and conditioner in the shower, the thought hit her; if she didn’t show up, he might think she was still broken. Still hung up on him. That alone made her zip herself into a rented designer dress and walk into this fairytale nightmare with her chin up and heart clenched.

But now, as Kai pronounced love repeatedly to the woman by his side, Anna felt her fists curl against her lap. She had imagined this moment before, just not like this. In her version, she was the one standing across from him, not sitting on the sidelines watching him promise forever to someone else.

The more he smiled, the tighter her jaw locked. And then it hit her. ‘I shouldn’t have come.’ She thought.

The thought came fast, bitter, undeniable. She pushed up from her seat and stormed out of the hall before her emotions spilled somewhere public and humiliating.

What she didn’t know was that someone else had been watching. Someone who hadn’t taken his eyes off her since the moment she walked in.

Lucien Vercetti sat alone at a table near the back, untouched champagne glinting in the light beside him. To most, he was just another sharply dressed guest. But anyone who knew the name knew better. He wasn’t just rich; he owned wealth. Old money, new power, the kind that never needed to speak loudly because it moved in silence and made the world listen.

Lucien was dangerous. More than dangerous, he had a powerful presence. His name demanded respect, and fear. In the way a calm ocean hides the most treacherous depths, his eyes followed her as she left the hall.

And from the moment Anna stepped into the hall, he had watched her. Not because she was beautiful, though she was. But because there was something else. Something layered beneath the fake smile and the stiff posture she had through the ceremony. She burned. And Lucien Vercetti had always been drawn to fire.

‘What are you doing?’ She thought when she was about to order a ride.‘He'll know you're hurt about his wedding.’

"Urgh!" She groaned and turned around, heading back into the hall.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife..." She heard the officiant announce on her way back in. She walked back to her seat and sat quietly, not to bring any more attention to herself."You may now kiss the...oh..." The officiant chuckled when Kai kissed his bride before he finished.

Everybody laughed too. Everyone but Anna. And Lucien. Tears formed in her eyes so she blinked them off. She was still trying to fix her face when she noticed someone was watching her.

She had felt it before she saw it; that prickling heat on the back of her neck. Eyes. Someone was watching her. She ignored the first time she thought of it, but now she was sure. When she turned, her gaze locked with his.

It wasn’t just any man in a suit. No, this one looked like he’d been carved from smoke and sin. Tall, broad shoulders, built like a fighter but dressed like royalty. The dark fabric of his tailored suit hugged his frame in all the right places, expensive enough to make a statement, understated enough to make you guess how much danger he carried under it.

His shirt collar was unbuttoned, revealing a glimpse of ink crawling up the side of his neck, a black serpent coiled beneath his jaw, disappearing beneath the fine cotton.

His eyes didn’t flicker, didn’t shift, didn’t pretend. He didn’t glance away like most men might when caught staring. No, his gaze held hers, deliberate and unblinking, like he had all the time in the world to study her. There was no shame in it. Just quiet ownership.

A slow, knowing smirk curved across his lips. One that didn’t reach his eyes. His expression said a lot, but she couldn't read them.

A chill ran down Anna’s spine like cold water trickling beneath her skin. Her breath stopped, just for a second as something primal kicked in: fear. Not the kind that made one scream, but the kind that made the heart thud harder, faster. The kind that whispered run even though your feet stayed rooted to the floor.

Because he didn’t look away. Not even when she narrowed her eyes. Not even when she shifted. Not even when she dared to stare back.

His eyes said he wasn’t watching her by accident. He’d chosen her. And Lucien Vercetti was not the kind of man who chose things lightly.

Anna got out of her seat, considering leaving again, but her ex blocked her way. "Anna, glad you made it."

She smiled calmly. "I thought I'd come see the poor woman you plan to traumatize for life."

Kai let out a dry laugh. "Ha! Funny," he said. "Well, thanks for coming. You'll be joining us for the after party, yeah?" He added, but all the while, Anna's eyes kept glancing over at Lucien to know if he was still watching her, and he was.

"Mmn." She just forced another calm smile.

‘Say no, stupid!’ She yelled at herself in her thoughts because she initially planned to leave.

By the time the last toast was raised and the music had faded into murmurs, Anna was exhausted. Not from dancing; she hadn’t danced, but from the way the man had watched her all evening, like she was a secret he was slowly unfolding.

She had tried to ignore him but failed miserably. Something was alluring about him. A part of her noticed the dangerous aura that brooded his demeanour but another part of her was excited about his steadiness.

So when he appeared beside her as she slipped her clutch over her shoulder and prepared to leave, she wasn’t surprised. A little fear remained, but she was more excited than she had been in a while. His presence was quiet, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous.

"You came all this way," he said, voice like low thunder, "It would be a shame if the night ended here." He was insinuating she came to the wedding to find a date, even if he had followed her to Kai's wedding, uninvited.

She looked up at him, heart traitorously loud in her chest. She noticed Kai watching so she made a decision without thought. "And where would it end instead?" She asked Lucien.

His smirk was pure sin. "Anywhere you let it."