Early Life

CHAPTER 6

LUCIEN

Lucien leaned against the hood of his sleek black car, staring up at the quiet night sky. As he replayed the evening in his mind, he couldn't help but think of Ana 'She most is an interesting woman ' he thought.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him out of his thoughts. He frowned as he saw the caller ID: Dad.

He hesitated but answered. "What is it?"

"Come home," his father's deep, authoritative voice commanded. No greeting, no preamble. Just an order.

"Why?" Lucien replied curtly, his hand tightening around the phone.

"Don't ask questions. Just come. It's important."

The line went dead before he could argue. Lucien clenched his jaw, his earlier musings of Ana now replaced by a familiar bitterness. He hated going back to that house, the place where the walls felt more like barriers than shelter. His father's presence had always been suffocating—an overbearing man with impossibly high expectations and little regard for the people around him.

Sliding into the driver's seat, Lucien gripped the steering wheel tightly. As he started the car, his reflection in the rearview mirror caught his eye. For a brief moment, he saw the boy he used to be—the one who tried so hard to earn his father's approval. He shook his head and pressed the accelerator. "Let's get this over with," he muttered to himself.

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Lucien adjusted his blazer as he stepped out of his black car in front of his family's sprawling estate. He hadn't been back in years, preferring to keep his distance from a place filled with painful memories. The estate, once a symbol of his childhood innocence, now felt more like a prison, suffocating and cold. Lucien knew better than to ignore his father's summons. Despite their fractured relationship, his father's words still held weight.

As he walked through the front doors, the familiar scent of polished wood and expensive furniture hit him. He immediately regretted coming. Standing in the grand foyer were two people he had hoped to avoid: Marjorie, his stepmother, and her son, Damian.

"Lucien," Marjorie said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness, though her sharp eyes betrayed her true feelings. "What a surprise. We didn't expect you to actually show up."

Damian, lounging casually against the banister, smirked. "Still playing the good son, huh? Don't know why you bother. Dad's never cared about you."

Lucien ignored them both, his jaw tightening as he strode past. He had no time for their petty games. " Your father's waiting in the study," Marjorie called after him. "Don't keep him waiting, darling." Her laughter echoed through the halls as he climbed the staircase.

Richard Grey sat in his grand study, the years of stress and success etched deeply into his once powerful face. His frame, now frail and hunched, was a stark contrast to the once imposing man Lucien had remembered.

"You're here" Richard said without looking up, his voice raspier than Lucien recalled.

"You asked me to" Lucien replied curtly, taking a seat opposite his father.

Richard leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk " My health is failing Lucien, and I don't have much time left"

Lucien's expression remained stoic"And?"

Richard's gaze hardened "The company needs stability. A future and.."

"And I have made sure it's stable father, the company has never been more stable" Lucien said, cutting his father off.

Richard frowned "Let me finish boy, and stop cutting me off! I know the company is stable now, but what I am talking about is an heir to carry on its Legacy. I know you are the only one capable of running it, but there's one condition"

Lucien raised an eyebrow"Condition?"

"You need to get married"

The room fell silent. Lucien stared at his father, unsure if he had heard correctly "Married? You are joking"

"I'm not Lucien," Richard said firmly. "This family needs an heir, someone who can continue the Grey's legacy. And if you refuse, I will have no choice than to hand over the company to your brother, Damian"

Lucien clenched his fist "You can't be serious. I worked hard to turn the company into what it is today. You definitely can't hand it over to Damian, he'll ruin everything"

"Oh I know Damain isn't capable, but I will hand it over to him anyways if you don't do as I said" Richard shot back. "You have a month to walk down the aisle, or Damian gets the company"

Lucien left the study, his mind racing. He knew his father wasn't bluffing. Damian's smirk as he passed him in the hallway confirmed it.

"You don't look so good little brother" Damian sneered. "Bad news from the old man?"

"Shut up Damian" Lucien snapped, his voice low and dangerous. "You know you can't run the company, you aren't fit to"

Damian laughed "Face it Lucien. You are just as disposable as the rest of us. Tick-tock brother, one month isn't a lot of time"

Lucien stormed past, refusing to let Damian get under his skin. But he knew his step-brother wasn't entirely wrong.

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Lucien's earliest memories were of his mother's warm embrace, her soft laughter, her comforting scent and the way he'd brush his hair from his face- those were the memories he clung to when everything fell apart. But those memories were fleeting, a cruel tease of life he would never know again. When he was six, his mother walked out of his life on a cold autumn morning, he woke up to find his mother gone. No goodbye, no explanation—just the emptiness of her absence.

His father, a man already consumed by the demands of his business, grew even colder after her departure. Richard had no patience for Lucien's tears or questions. "Your mother made her choice," he'd say, his voice flat and final, as though emotions were an inconvenience. But within Lucien, the questions lingered, gnawing at him. Why had she left? Why didn't she take him with her? Within months, Richard remarried Marjorie, a woman whose pristine smiles and sharp eyes masked a heart of stone.

Marjorie came with her own son, Damian, five years older than Lucien and twice as cruel. From the moment they moved in, Lucien felt the sharp divide between them. Damian was the golden child, basking in Marjorie's adoration, while Lucien was a shadow, barely tolerated. From an early age, Lucien knew that love and kindness were not guaranteed.

"Stop sulking, Lucien," Marjorie would snap whenever he retreated into himself. "You're too old for this nonsense." Her words were venomous, each syllable reminding him that he was an outsider in his own home.

Damian's cruelty was different. Where Marjorie dismissed him, Damian tormented him. He'd hide Lucien's belongings, push him into walls when no one was watching, and whisper, "No wonder your mom didn't want you," with a smirk that made Lucien's chest tighten.

Lucien endured it all in silence. His father was no refuge. Richard only noticed him when it came to discipline. "Don't embarrass me," was a phrase Lucien heard often, whether it was about school, manners, or appearances. Love wasn't part of their relationship—only expectations.

The only people who actually cared about his well-being were his grandmother- paternal grandmother, Eleanor and his best friend Eric.

Eleanor lived in a cottage just outside the city, and every chance he got, Lucien would escape to her place. Eleanor was everything his father and step brother weren't-warm, patient and kind. She'll pull him into her arms, bake her cookies and tell him stories.

"You're stronger than you think, Lucien" She would say, her voice steady and reassuring. "The world can be harsh, but you have a good heart. Don't let them take that away from you"

Eric, his childhood friend, was the only person his age Lucien could trust. They met at school when Eric stood up for him against bullies. From that day, they became inseparable. Eric didn't ask questions about Lucien's family life; he simply offered companionship and loyalty, something Lucien desperately needed.

But even Eleanor and Eric couldn't fully shield Lucien from the scars of his past. The trauma of abandonment ran deep. As Lucien grew older, he became wary of relationships, constantly fearing that anyone he let close would eventually leave, just as his mother had. By the time Lucien reached adulthood, the wounds of his childhood had scarred over but never healed. He moved out as soon as he could.

His father had him run the company because of Damain's reckless attitude. He spends lavishly, drinks himself to stupor and deals in drugs. Richard feared he would ruin the company if left in his care. Lucien, on the other hand, is intelligent and had a knack for business.

And now, here he was, given an ultimatum to get married or lose the company to his step brother.