Page 67 of King of Rage

It had been so long since Stella had last stood in his office. When they had been together, she used to visit him there frequently, and seeing her in that familiar space brought a flood of memories rushing back.

The ache those memories stirred in him was almost unbearable, yet he couldn’t stop the happiness that spread through him at the sight of her.

The moment Lucius saw her, his face brightened.

It had been so long since Stella had last stood in his office. When they had been together, she used to visit him frequently, and seeing her in that familiar space brought a rush of memories back to him.

The ache those memories stirred was almost unbearable, yet he couldn’t stop the happiness that spread through him at the sight of her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, stepping closer with a smile as he reached for her.

Stella immediately pushed him away.

Lucius stopped, his brows drawing together as she glared at him.

“Is it true?” she demanded. “Did you invest in Licius because you wanted to please a woman you like?”

Lucius stared at her for a moment, caught off guard by the question. Then, instead of denying it, he gave her a quiet answer.

“Yes. I did.”

Behind them, Nial quietly turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.

The moment Stella heard Lucius confirm her suspicions, her anger intensified. Fury hardened her features, and her eyes flashed with such hostility that Lucius couldn’t understand what he had done wrong.

He stared at her, genuinely confused.

All he wanted was to make her happy in every way possible.

After she broke up with him three years ago, he had spent the entire year suffering through her absence. He had no intention of making the same mistake again. This time, he was prepared to do whatever it took to bring her back into his life.

Investing in Licius had been one of those ways.

He wanted to be connected to her in every possible sense. By tying himself to her business, he had created a bond that wouldn’t be easy for her to sever. It was another way to keep himself close to her, another way to make sure she couldn’t simply walk away from him again.

Lucius reached for the box of fruit and opened it. He picked up one of the cherries and held it out to her with a faint smile.

“Look what I bought for you.”

Stella didn’t respond.

“Don’t you like them?” he asked. He brought the fruit toward her mouth. “Here. Try it. See if it’s sweet.”

Before he could feed it to her, Stella slapped his hand away. The fruit flew from his fingers and landed on the floor.

Lucius’s expression shifted.

Stella turned toward him, her anger finally boiling over.

“You think you can shrug me off with a fucking fruit after what you’ve done to me?”

Her voice rose with every word. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.

Lucius stared at her, his brows drawing together in confusion.

He had no idea what she was talking about.

All he had wanted was to please her. He had gone out of his way to find something she loved, and instead of making her happy, his efforts seemed to have made her even angrier.