Novel & Cerita Lux Arcadia

Ada bias getir pada tatapan itu, perempuan yang sedang memaksa dirinya menerima takdir baru. “Ini keputusan yang benar… Ini harus kulakukan,” gumam Alexa, seolah meneguhkan dirinya sekali lagi. Di sisi lain kota, sebuah helikopter hitam mendarat mulus di atas rooftop gedung tertinggi milik keluarga Lucarl. Udara berembus kuat ketika baling-baling perlahan berhenti, dan Lucian melangkah keluar dengan setelan tuxedo hitam yang tampak terlampau mahal untuk ditatap. Cara berjalannya tenang, tegap, dan penuh kendali.

Namun tiba-tiba, bantahannya itu disanggah dengan sentuhan ringan di puncak dada yang membuat Alicia terkesiap. "Aku bisa melihatnya dengan jelas dari sini," kata Lucius, tersneyum penuh arti sembari menatap belahan dada Alicia. Alicia mengikuti arah pandang lelaki itu dan menemukan puncak dadanya tampak menonjol di balik bra putih yang kebesaran. Dalam posisi meringkuk seperti itu, branya terangkat ke atas sehingga dari potongan leher gaunnya, Lucius dapat melihat dengan jelas puncak dadanya yang---seperti kata lelaki itu---telah mengeras.

Alice tersenyum lebar kemudian melirik ke sekeliling kamar mewahnya, lalu kembali menatap mata hijau Lucien yang kini meredup karena kekecewaan yang luar biasa. "Karena kau adalah gudang emas yang paling mudah untuk dimanfaatkan, Lucien," desis Alice tanpa ada sedikit pun rasa bersalah di wajahnya. "Aku hanya memanfaatkan kekayaan dan namamu untuk membiayai gaya hidupku dan menutupi hubungan rahasiaku dengan pria lain!"

Luca and his team argued over every detail as if it were a huge global crisis. They finally picked a midnight blue suit. It fit so well that it felt like liquid on my skin. I wore a crisp white shirt and no tie. Those Italian shoes probably cost more than my old rent did. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. "Now you look like you belong on Aldric Fenmore's arm," Luca purred. "I feel like a doll." “Darling, you're arm candy for billionaire Aldric at a society gala tonight. Your job is simple. Make every Alpha jealous of him, and every Omega jealous of you.”

I dug my fingers into the grass, enjoying the cool green scent of my garden. Arcadia is a strange part of Above. It can be whatever you want it to be; a memory, a perfect representation of a real place, a surreal world of oil pastel and golden light... whatever you need. It can be affected by your mood, who you're with, what you ate... It's a blank canvas, but what it ends up presenting you is not always what you expected. So I sat on the gentle slope and stared at the old oak that had been a young oak when I was buried beneath it.

She stomped outside to have one more word with her but instead saw she and her husband driving out in a flashy car. The lady on the counter ran out, calling. “Sir Damien, Sir Damien, don’t you need the table again?” Lucy turned to the lady. “Who is that guy?” The lady gave her a condescending look. “Haven’t you heard of the Wade’s? He was willing to be our shareholder even if we’re small and he gives good marketing advice too.” No words could Lucy form as she gawked at the flashy car driving at top speed. Should she have annoyed her cousin who somehow married a wealthy rich man?

Jealousy boiled off him so thick I could taste it—hot, ugly, like acid on snow. Lila stepped between us like a shield, arms crossed, her voice cutting like a honed blade. “The only desperate one here is you, Marcus, still sniffing around what you never had a claim to. Rose didn’t throw anything away—she claimed what the old magic gave her. And if your precious eastern packs want to whine about it, let them. The Accord just reminded everyone that sovereigns don’t need permission slips from entitled pups with silver spoons.”

" He blushes and shoos her into the bathroom. ––– The Mercedes AMG S-Class purred through Paris streets, its interior a cocoon of sleek leather, polished chrome, and the faintest scent of cedarwood. Aurelia sat back against the seat, nerves buzzing, while Jake sipped his second coffee of the morning, humming a Madonna track under his breath, trying to ignore that he is sitting in another luxury car different from the one yesterday.