The Malevolence of a Woman Wronged (PREQUEL)

Chapter 9- Business Propositions

--Lucian POV--

From the first moment my eyes caught her, I should have guessed that she was no ordinary woman. While she held herself with the grace and composure of a wise ruler, she looked as though she held all the stress that came with it on her shoulders.

"When you say that your ex is a wealthy and influential man, how wealthy and influential is he exactly? I believe I should know at least that much if I plan on helping you with your case," I curiously asked, but I wasn't lying, I did need to know.

While I did very much want to know the identity of the man who was crazy enough to leave her, I also needed to know if my Vandenburg name would be formidable enough to go up against him and his influence.

She seemed hesitant to answer, but knowing that it was a valid question, she answered.

"Donovan Moretti,"

I sucked a breath in, biting my lip to hold back the curse that almost slipped through. But as I caught a look at her face, her broken eyes, I knew that whether or not I was formidable enough to go against that man and his dukedom, I would still be on her side.

Thankfully, thanks to my hard-earned skills, I've successfully brought the Vandenburg name up to be in the top 3 most influential families in the world. So, while Donovan Moretti might be a little wealthier than me, he definitely isn't more influential than me, and with the way the world currently is, influence is a lot more useful than wealth.

"Can you... help me?" I blinked, realising that I was silent for too long.

"I'm often told that I'm quite a smart man, but you're making me rethink that," A look of confusion fell over her face as I released a long sigh, running a hand down my face. "I should have been able to connect the dots when you told me your name, and the fact that your husband cheated on you with a maid,"

"Why..." She drifted off, looking further confused.

"Because the world of business is gossiping about you right now. How the Duke of Ludovica gave up his perfect wife, an attractive woman who has business skills that people only dream of, along with a friendly personality that makes her out to be a saint-"

"I don't understand if you're complimenting me or not right now," She cut me off, crossing her arms as she listened to me speak, but had a look on her face that told me to continue.

"I was getting there," I pointed out as she rolled her eyes, a small smirk playing at her lips. "He left all that for a mere maid who has nothing to her name, and I can't think of much else to add to that as I've never met her myself, but from what I've heard from you, there's not really much else to add to that," I finished off with a little shrug.

"You still haven't answered my question," She reminded.

"Oh, right," I snapped my fingers in realisation. "To answer your question, I-"

"Where in the world is Lucian!?" 

I jumped at the booming voice that was approaching us, along with the loud clacking of heels against this expensive marble floor. That voice with the added hint of anger is nothing good for me, it can only be one woman. My mother.

"Come with me for a quick moment," I acted on instinct, not a single thought behind my actions as I leaned down, grabbed Angelina's hand, and spun on my heel as I ran out of the large room, the sound of her running behind me echoed in my head as we ran out the doors to the lantern-lit pathway of my large garden.

Once we had gotten far enough, I skidded to a halt, taking a moment to regain my composure as we both caught our breaths.

"You ran as though the devil himself was hot on your heels," She gasped out between uneven breaths of air.