Page 31 of King of Rage

“I agree.”

The words stopped her in her tracks.

Her shoulders stiffened. For a moment, she remained with her back to him, her hand hovering near her side. Then, slowly, she turned around and looked up at him.

Lucius stood on the upper floor, his hands resting on the railing as he stared down at her. His face remained hard, giving no indication that he had reconsidered anything. His expression was as stern and unreadable as ever, but his voice carried clearly through the foyer.

“I agree to what you’re asking for.”

Stella stood motionless for a moment, trying to comprehend what he meant.

He had agreed.

Her lips parted slightly, surprise flickering across her face before she quickly composed herself. She had never expected him to accept such an unreasonable proposal. After all, Lucius was a man who could have any woman he wanted. That was precisely why she had been willing to put the arrangement in front of him.

She hadn’t actually thought he would agree.

However, his body was familiar to her, and she was selfish enough to want to enjoy it. No matter how much she tried to deny it, she had never felt as intensely attracted to another man as she was to him. There was something about him that continued to draw her in, even when she knew better than to let herself get too close.

Still, she was stunned that he had actually agreed.

She had been prepared for him to reject her, perhaps even to mock her for suggesting such an arrangement. She hadn’t expected him to accept it so readily.

Before the shock could fully leave her face, the sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Lucius descended with measured steps, one hand sliding along the railing as he made his way down. His expression remained unreadable, and his gaze never left her.

Stella watched him approach, her body instinctively growing tense as he crossed the foyer. She barely had time to gather her thoughts before he stopped directly in front of her.

Without saying a word, he reached for her arm. His fingers closed around it, firm but controlled, as he turned her toward the study on the ground floor and guided her inside.

The door shut behind them.

A second later, the lock clicked into place.

Stella’s gaze flickered toward it, her eyebrows drawing together slightly, but Lucius had already moved away. He pulled out a chair at one side of the rectangular table and gestured for her to sit.

She hesitated for the briefest moment before lowering herself into the seat. Her back remained straight, and she carefully folded her hands in her lap, determined not to reveal the uneasiness gathering inside her.

Lucius walked around the table and took the chair opposite her.

For the first few seconds, Stella felt uneasy beneath his intense stare. The quietness of the room, the closed door, and the seriousness etched across his face made the atmosphere feel heavy.

She shifted slightly in her chair, then forced herself to remain still.

But she refused to let him see any of that.

She kept her expression cool and composed, meeting his gaze as though his presence had no effect on her. She refused to fidget or look away, even when the weight of his attention made it difficult to breathe normally.

Lucius folded his arms across his chest and leaned back slightly, his face stern and his eyes fixed on her.

The movement drew attention to the broadness of his shoulders and the quiet authority in his posture. He looked entirely at ease, as though he had all the time in the world and intended to make her wait for whatever he planned to say next.

Stella held his stare, forcing herself to remain calm despite how difficult it was to sit across from him. She could feel the tension gathering between them, stretching across the table and filling the silence, but she refused to be the first to acknowledge it.

Her fingers tightened briefly against one another in her lap before she deliberately relaxed them.

Eventually, she broke the silence.