Chapter 159: Gathering Storm

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Gathering Storm

"Are you feeling any better?" Damian asked, his voice deep and steady.

"I am feeling better," Lucien looked up at Damian. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Not yet." Damian placed his glass of water on the table, then turned to look at Lucien. "Could you cook something?"

Lucien let out a laugh. "Do you think I am good at cooking?"

"No. But I know you rummaged through my kitchen this afternoon," Damian said, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. "I ordered breakfast for you, but you went and took the beef and vegetables out of the refrigerator instead."

Lucien blinked. "You saw that?"

"I have a camera in the kitchen," Damian replied nonchalantly, then sat down on the chair opposite him. "Just kidding. I only guessed. My refrigerator did not have any beef in it, so you must have gone out to buy some."

Lucien looked at Damian, then shook his head with a smile. "Then I will cook tonight. But do not expect it to be delicious."

"I am nota picky eater," Damian said, leaning back in his chair, his gaze directed toward Lucien. "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Lucien paused for a beat. He knew Damian was referring to the matter concerning Ethan. Lucien stood up, walked into the kitchen, and spoke while taking the beef out of the refrigerator:

"Ethan requested a four-day leave of absence. But before leaving, he packed up all of his personal belongings. Mark saw him stop by my desk, trailing his hand across the table surface, and he was also holding a USB drive. After that, he told Mark that sooner or later, I would be taught a lesson."

Damian did not say anything immediately. He watched Lucien, who was beginning to prepare the meat, then stood up, walked into the kitchen, and leaned against the nearby kitchen counter.

"I already knew about this," Damian said, his voice deep and steady. "Before you came back here, I received a report from the head of security."

Lucien turned to look at Damian. "You already knew? Why did you not say anything to me?"

"Because I did not want you to worry any further," Damian replied. "As for the situation with Ethan, I have had someone keeping an eye on him ever since I decided to deal with him. You do not need to trouble yourself over it."

"But I cannot help but be concerned," Lucien said, his hands continuing to slice the meat. "Ethan is an unpredictable person. If he wants to harm me, he will not show his face directly."

"I know," Damian said. "That is exactly why I sent someone to monitor him. And I also requested the IT department to run a thorough check on your entire computer at the company. If he installed anything on it, they will find it."

Lucien let out a sigh of relief. He had guessed that Damian would have taking measures, but he had not expected Damian to act so swiftly. Lucien bent his head down and continued cooking, then said, "Thank you. I also backed up everything beforehand, so I am not afraid of losing any data."

"Good," Damian replied. "As for the rumors going around the company, do not worry about them either. Let me handle it."

Lucien stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Damian. "How do you plan on handling it? You are not going to catch every single person who is gossiping, are you?"

"There is no need to catch anyone. We just need to present the results," Damian said, his tone remaining steady. "When the project is a success, all the rumors will automatically vanish on their own."

Lucien gave a soft smile. "You make it sound so easy."

"Because you will be able to do it," Damian replied, then stepped forward, placing his hand on Lucien’s waist naturally, as if it had been a long-standing habit. "I believe in you."

Lucien felt the warmth from Damian’s hand through the thin fabric of his shirt, and suddenly remembered the new sensation that 000 had just unlocked. His neck was currently more sensitive than usual, and with Damian standing so close, Damian’s breath fanned lightly against the nape of his neck, causing him to shiver slightly. Lucien did not say anything; he merely gave a slight nod, then turned back to the pan of meat.

Right at that moment, 000’s voice rang out in his mind again, this time with a new mission notification:

[Side Mission: Make Damian take the initiative to touch your waist one more time tonight. Reward: 20 bonding points.]

Lucien almost burst out laughing. He had completely forgotten that this system was still silently monitoring everything. He did not answer 000, merely thinking to himself: "This might actually be even easier than the main mission."

During dinner that evening, the two of them ate while discussing the project plan. Damian offered feedback on a few points, and Lucien took notes. When they finished eating, Damian stood up and told him to stay seated so Damian could clear the dishes. Lucien was about to protest, but then decided against it, because he knew Damian would refuse to listen anyway.

While Damian was washing the dishes, Lucien sat at the table, opening his laptop to review a few more details. As he was engrossed in staring at the screen, Damian suddenly leaned down from behind, placing a hand lightly on the back of the chair, almost grazing his shoulder.

"You should adjust this part a little bit," Damian said, his finger pointing to a specific spot on the screen. "The layout is slightly off-center."

Lucien turned his head around, nearly bumping his face straight into Damian’s chest. The distance between them was so close that he could distinctly smell the familiar scent of cedarwood. He swallowed dryly, then nodded: "Yes, I will fix it."

And exactly as the side mission required, Damian took the initiative to place his hand on Lucien’s waist once more, albeit simply to maintain balance while leaning down. Lucien silently counted until enough time had passed, and only then did he speak up: "With you just standing there like that, I feel a little self-conscious."

Damian cast a sidelong glance at him, then stood up straight and walked over toward the opposite chair. "Go to bed early once you are done reviewing it. You still have to go to the company tomorrow."

"I know," Lucien replied, then packed his laptop into his bag.

The two of them went into the bedroom one after another. Lucien lay down on the bed, closing his eyes, but his mind was still swirling with countless thoughts. He knew that tomorrow would be a long day, and he needed to be completely alert.

"Tomorrow, everything will be different," he thought to himself. "Ethan may have already started making his move, but I will not just sit idly by, either."

Then he drifted off into a deep sleep, right beside the familiar warmth of the man whom he simultaneously wanted to keep his distance from and yet found himself entirely unable to leave.

The next morning, Lucien woke up even before his phone alarm could ring. He opened his eyes, stared up at the familiar ceiling, and then turned to look at the space beside him. Damian had already gotten up at some point; the spot where he slept only held a lingering trace of warmth on the bedsheets. On the nightstand, there was a hastily scribbled sticky note: "I left for an early meeting. Make your own breakfast, then head to the company. Do not walk; take a taxi."

Lucien picked up the piece of paper, letting out a soft chuckle. This man was always giving orders as if Lucien were a mere child. He tossed the note back onto the table, then stepped out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

After showering, he opened the wardrobe and took out an outfit that Damian had laid out for him since yesterday, a crisp white button-down shirt, a pair of black tailored trousers, and polished leather shoes. He put them on, adjusted his collar, and examined himself in the mirror. The kiss mark on his neck had faded significantly; only a small, faint trace remained, which could easily be concealed by his collar. He nodded in satisfaction, then headed out to the living room.

Breakfast was still sitting prepared in the refrigerator. Lucien quickly ate a box of salad and a slice of bread, drank a glass of fresh juice, and then hailed a taxi to the company. On his way there, he opened his phone and checked the message from Mark.

"Ethan still has not returned. But today, the human resources department sent out an email announcing a personnel adjustment. You should take a look at it."

Lucien opened his inbox and saw the email from human resources sent early that morning. The content was brief and to the point: "According to the decision of the board of directors, employee Ethan Lee will be transferred to a different role and will no longer be in charge of the Autumn-Winter fashion project. Employee Lucien Sinclair will serve as the primary person in charge starting today."

After reading through it, the corners of his lips quirked up slightly. It turned out that Damian had acted far quicker than he had anticipated. He typed back to Mark: "I have read it. Thank you."