While at Lucien's apartment that night...
Lucien lay in bed, the room dim except for the faint glow of his iPad screen. His thumb scrolled slowly through the endless stream of comments flooding the media.
"I feel so bad for Young Master Ash. He doesn't deserve this kind of humiliation."
"It's not too late-Ash can still call off the engagement."
"Can you believe an S-rank Alpha getting involved with an Enigma?"
"Guess being an Alpha doesn't stop you from being a bottom after all 😂😂."
Lucien exhaled quietly, his jaw tightening. He scrolled a little more, each word cutting deeper; pity, mockery, and speculation all tangled together. For a moment, he just stared at the screen, the reflection of those cruel comments flickering in his tired eyes.
The sound of footsteps made him flinch. Quickly, he locked the iPad and set it aside just as Ash entered the room, his hair slightly messy from studying.
