Chapter 140: My charm does that to people~
Chapter 140: My charm does that to people~
The team moved by noon, the convoy left the residence under heavy cover, no one called it a military operation, but it sure felt like one.
Two decoy vehicles left first, a service van moved five minutes later, then Evelyn’s convoy rolled out through the side gate.
[Camera loop clear. Street one clean. Media cluster near south entrance, no movement toward us. Police checkpoint active.]
Clara’s voice came through everyone’s comms.
Lucian sat beside Evelyn in Car One and he... was silent.
"Are you worried?"
Evelyn couldn’t help but ask.
"Yes."
Lucian answered honestly.
He had stopped putting up a fake front in front of her in most cases and Evelyn wasn’t blind, she could see the preparations that were made today, they wouldn’t have made such preparations if they weren’t worried.
"An attack today would be ugly."
Lucian commented as he stared outside the car window, looking for abnormalities.
"You think they will come?"
"Yes."
"That is very comforting to hear."
Evelyn chuckled.
Lucian noticed her heartbeat that remained calm and he nodded inwardly. Evelyn was braver than people thought, this was also one of the reasons he was keeping her in the loop.
People fear the unknown more than what they can prepare for.
"If you want, I can comfort you in some other way~"
Lucian spoke as he looked at her with lascivious eyes.
Evelyn laughed as she gently held his hand. Lucian stared at her, then, his expression softened.
"If something happens, you do what I say immediately, don’t ask questions."
"I’ll be very obedient."
Evelyn spoke with a playful glint in her eyes.
"Good girl."
Lucian smiled as well.
The car continued forward, nothing happened, it made Lucian narrow his eyes. He remained suspicious throughout the movement, all while joking and flirting with Evelyn.
They reached the venue without incident.
Meridian Grand Main Hall was as massive and bright as always, even under daylight. The public entrances were already surrounded by barricades. Fans had begun gathering even when there were still hours before the gates would open. Security teams moved through lines, police watched the roads, media vans waited behind marked zones.
And above all of it was noise.
Excitement.
Expectation.
Twenty-six thousand people would be inside by evening, more would remain outside. Lucian’s face turned grim at that thought.
For now however, he closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, then, he stepped out of the car.
His eyes scanned the venue, entrances, barriers, rooftops, windows, service gates, media zones, crowd direction, emergency lanes.
He could already hear hundreds of heartbeats, it was already overwhelming his senses, it would be even worse later.
Alaric stepped out from Car Two, the two glanced at each other, then, Lucian turned and extended his hand towards Evelyn like he always did.
"Your Majesty."
He bowed.
Evelyn smiled, then, she held his hand and stepped out.
The moment a few fans behind the distant barricade saw her, their eyes lit up.
"EVELYN!"
"Oh my god!"
"She’s here!"
Phones lifted, cameras flashed.
Evelyn smiled and waved, that got an even stronger reaction.
"EVELYN!!!"
"I LOVE YOU!!"
Lucian’s mouth twitched at those words, his eyes began looking for the one who said that, but just then—
"MR. BODYGUARD!!
DO ME NEXT!!"
Another voice was heard and the next instant, Lucian froze.
This time, Evelyn’s mouth twitched, she still kept smiling and waving at the crowd, her eyes however, now looked dangerous.
"Look at that~
Even I have fans."
Lucian chuckled and Evelyn—
"We will talk once this is over."
She spoke in a low voice, that made Lucian tremble.
"...you know I didn’t do anything, right?"
Evelyn didn’t say anything, she just moved with the team.
"Eve? Hey..."
Lucian followed her.
The team moved Evelyn through the protected entrance and into the backstage corridor, inside, the venue was controlled chaos, staff hurried past with equipment, dancers moved in groups, technicians checked cables, stagehands rolled cases down the hall. Makeup artists, stylists, managers, lighting crew, sound engineers, and security personnel all moved according to their schedules.
Lucian looked at the people inside.
Every single one of them was screened very, very carefully, all their badges were checked, all the corridors were mapped.
Still, Lucian did not trust any of it, he watched all of them carefully.
The team reached the main backstage control room, the final security briefing began there.
Alaric stood at the head of the table, Clara displayed the venue map, Sarah and Elise stood near the side wall, Lila checked her medical kit and Evelyn sat beside Lucian without saying anything.
Clara pointed to the screen.
"Public gates open in two hours, VIP entrance opens in ninety minutes, staff lockdown begins in forty-five. After lockdown, no one enters backstage without our confirmation."
Alaric nodded.
Then he looked at everyone again and—
"If an incident occurs in the crowd, Miss Starling does not move unless I give the order or Cross initiates emergency extraction."
Weeks ago, everyone in the room would have found it surprising, to think the Commander was openly trusting Lucian to make the decision.
Right now however, everyone nodded as if that was the most natural thing to do.
That made Evelyn smile, her Lucian was getting the recognition he deserved, but at the same time, it also made her narrow her eyes, too many people were trusting her Lucian now, and most of these people were women.
Actually, why were there so many women in this team?
Aren’t women weak? Why are there so many of them in security work? That Clara girl also seems closer to her Lucian now. Evelyn thought of raising a complaint. No women should be allowed in the team.
This was the moment when the feminist inside Evelyn died because of her personal vendetta.
The final briefing continued, the room’s atmosphere remained serious, Lucian did not joke either. They knew what was coming, the enemy had already tried before, the concert was the largest opening they would ever get.
They would come tonight.
And they needed to be prepared for that.
Hours passed.
Rehearsals, makeup, costume check, sound check, final route confirmation, gate opening, crowd entry.
Everything remained clean.
A little too clean for Lucian’s comfort.
He didn’t like this feeling.
By the time evening fell, the crowd was here, and they were loud, all twenty-six thousand of them, gathered under one roof, all waiting for Evelyn Starling.
Lucian stood near the side-stage entrance, dressed in black, comm in his ear, eyes scanning the darkened hall beyond the curtain.
The audience lights were low, their phones glowed like stars, the stage crew moved into position.
[All units, final check.]
Alaric’s voice came through the comm.
[Routes stable.]
Clara answered first.
[Backstage secure.]
Sarah followed.
[No residue detected.]
Elise nodded.
[Medical team’s ready.]
Lila spoke in a determined voice.
And Lucian—
He looked at Evelyn, she was standing a few steps away, dressed for the stage now, waiting for the cue to move.
She looked at Lucian, and for a slight moment, everything else in her mind faded away.
"How do I look?"
She asked as she turned around.
"Makes me want to pick you up, take you somewhere private and do things to you."
Lucian answered honestly as his purple eyes shone dangerously, Evelyn smiled at those words, satisfied.
"Try not to make them faint."
Lucian chuckled.
Evelyn smiled as well.
"No promises.
My charm does that to people~"
The two laughed.
Then, the stage manager lifted a hand.
Thirty seconds.
Both of them nodded, Lucian’s eyes moved to the crowd, then, he waited.
And thirty seconds later—
Evelyn walked onto the stage, the music began and—
The crowd screamed.