Chapter 8 Him Or Me

Violet lowered her eyes, a flicker of emotion flashing through them. So, a connected one, huh? "Sorry, the audition time has passed. I have personal matters to attend to. You can come back tomorrow." Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have minded staying late. But tonight was the Davis family's banquet—she had no choice but to go. Pearl blocked her path, her posture arrogant. "Producer Violet, I'm just here to go through the motions. Giving you face, really. But your attitude—it's not very appropriate, is it?" Violet: ??? She had been perfectly polite. How had this turned into an issue with her attitude? Seeing that Violet remained silent, Pearl pushed even further, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "I've never seen an employee of Mr. Lucien's company act so irresponsibly." Violet caught sight of a familiar figure in the hallway and let out a cold laugh. "Then why don't you have Lucien do your screen test? I'm off the clock." She grabbed her bag and strode toward the exit. Pearl, unwilling to let her go, was about to chase after her when she suddenly noticed the man stepping into view. "Mr. Xi Men…" But by the time she reacted, Lucien was already following Violet out. Pearl shoved past the crowd and ran after them, only to watch the elevator doors close right in front of her. And in that final moment, she could swear she saw the ever-aloof Lucien actively talking to that producer! Inside the elevator— Lucien asked, "Are you free tomorrow? It's the weekend." "No." Right after she answered, her phone rang. It was Mike—he was probably already waiting impatiently in the parking garage. As the elevator neared the basement level, she hung up the call. But the moment she stepped out, before she could react, a large hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her in the opposite direction. Nervous and unwilling, Violet followed, wary of being seen. "What are you doing, Lucien?" They stopped in front of the Koenigsegg, and he opened the car door for her. "Get in." Violet frowned. "Stop messing around. He's here for a reason." Under the streetlights, Lucien's dark brown fox-like eyes lifted slightly. "So what? We're going to the same place. Him or me—who do you choose?" Violet gritted her teeth. "Are you being childish?" Where was even a shred of the composed CEO now? That wild, possessive streak of his was resurfacing bit by bit. Lucien's lashes fluttered as he answered for her. "You choose me, baby." In the distance, the elevator doors opened again, and more people poured out after work. If anyone so much as glanced in their direction, they would see the two of them locked in a silent standoff in front of the luxury car. Violet swiftly slid into the passenger seat. Between Mike and Lucien, she'd rather sit in Lucien's car. At least it didn't make her feel sick. Mike, still waiting, called her again. Just as he looked up, he spotted a familiar Koenigsegg driving past his car. And in the passenger seat—he caught a fleeting glimpse of a delicate, fair face he knew all too well. Violet! His expression darkened as he floored the gas pedal, giving chase. His phone rang nonstop, but when Violet finally picked up, she only said a few words before hanging up. "I'm on my way." Lucien glanced at the rearview mirror, watching Mike's car desperately tailing them as if trying to prove something. Lucien let out a cold laugh, pressing down on the accelerator. At the intersection, he lost Mike completely. Then he asked, "Violet, when are you breaking up with him?" Ever since he had heard from Violet herself that she planned to break up, Lucien had been anticipating it every second of the day. He was getting impatient. Violet leaned back against the seat, eyes closed, her tone indifferent. "Mr. Lucien, when are you getting engaged?" That woman named Pearl already carried herself like the lady of the boss. At a red light, the car came to a stop. Lucien narrowed his eyes and looked at her. "With you? If it's you, anytime." Violet, "…" They were on completely different wavelengths. Lucien explained, "I don't know that woman from the set." Violet smirked. "Doesn't matter. As long as your family does." Pearl was only acting so arrogantly at the company because someone had her back. If it wasn't Lucien himself, then it was most likely their families. His family must have been very satisfied with their choice of future daughter-in-law. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let those engagement rumors spread. Violet suddenly realized that her words just now had sounded a little bitter. Feeling guilty, she turned to look out the window and swallowed. Lucien's eyes glinted with amusement. "Jealous?" Violet remained silent. Just before the car started moving again, his voice fell lightly. "I only want to marry you." A bitter feeling spread through her chest. She lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions threatening to surface. What's the use of wanting? His family had never accepted her… Three years ago, when their families were still equal in status, she hadn't been able to gain their approval. Now that she had lost her backing, what chance did she have? The car pulled into the Davis family estate. Old Mr. Davis had been waiting outside the hall for a while. "Well, well, I didn't expect Lucien to arrive first!" Then, he noticed the woman stepping out of the passenger seat and was visibly surprised. "Violet? Why are you in his car?" Without missing a beat, Lucien replied with a straight face, "We just happened to run into each other." Violet stared at him. Just happened to run into each other? Yeah, right. This was clearly premeditated. Just as they were about to head inside, Mike's car pulled in as well. He stepped out with a grim expression, his gaze landing on the two people standing a little too close together. Old Mr. Davis spoke up, "Perfect timing! Mike's back too. Come here, boy. It's been ages since you've seen your little uncle. What, you're not even eager to greet him anymore?" Mike stood in front of Lucien and bowed respectfully. "Hello, Uncle." Lucien gave a brief nod without saying much. Mike then turned to Violet and, in front of the entire Davis family, said, "Violet, this is your first time meeting my little uncle. Shouldn't you greet him properly?" "…" Violet's expression stiffened. Mike was deliberately reminding her of her place. "That's true!" Old Mr. Davis chuckled, then formally introduced them. "Violet, this is Mike's little uncle, Lucien. Now that you're Mike's fiancée, you can follow suit and call him uncle." Violet felt her vision go dark. Ex-boyfriend turned uncle-in-law. What a nightmare! She glanced at Lucien, hoping he would give her an out. But the familiar glint of mischief in his eyes told her otherwise. Not only did he have no intention of letting her off the hook, but he also seemed to be… enjoying this? With all the elders present, Violet had no choice but to lower her head and awkwardly mutter, "Uncle." Lucien listened to the words coming out of her mouth. That usually sweet voice now carried a distinct note of resentment. "Mm." His response held a hint of amusement. Violet rolled her eyes internally. Psycho. Once everyone had arrived, they moved to the dining room. Violet, naturally, was seated next to Mike. And on her other side—Lucien. From the moment she sat down, she could feel a gaze fixed on her. A slight turn of her head confirmed it. She purposely avoided looking his way and focused on eating in silence. Even so, she could still pick out Lucien's voice amid the casual chatter at the table. His was the deepest, most textured baritone she had ever heard. She still remembered the uproar during the university's opening ceremony when Lucien delivered his speech. That commanding, resonant voice had sent a tremor through her chest. At that moment, she had wanted to seduce him. She had wanted to make love with him, to hear how his voice changed at night. Of course, Lucien never knew any of this. The conversation among the elders continued. "Lucien, you're almost twenty-seven now. Now that you're back, it's time to start thinking about getting married, don't you think?" Lucien's gaze lingered on the woman beside him. Her hand paused slightly as she held her spoon, but she quickly resumed sipping her soup as if nothing had happened. He smirked. "I'm working on it." Old Mr. Davis beamed. "Ever since you came back, plenty of girls have been asking about you. Anyone catch your eye?" Lucien replied slowly, "Someone like Violet would be nice." "Cough—cough, cough—" Violet choked on her soup and instinctively grabbed the napkin Lucien handed her, her face flushed red from the coughing fit. Does this man even realize the nonsense he's spouting?! Lucien, as composed as ever, asked with feigned concern, "Why are you so careless? Eat slowly." Violet clenched her teeth and, under the table, stomped her silver high heel onto his polished black leather shoe in a warning. Bastard! A natural-born troublemaker! Could he be any more obvious about their complicated history?