Yours, Until Needed
Chapter 114: Vault

Chapter 114: Vault

ELIANA

Lucian didn’t seem like himself this entire week. His precision had always been robotic, and his schedule made it easy to predict what he was doing.

But recently, I noticed how messed up he was. First was how he barely slept. Lucian wasn’t the type to overthink, so while I could stay up all night thinking about things that would never even happen, he could force himself to sleep without much effort.

But I’ve been seeing him up for longer than usual. And it wasn’t his usual thing where he stayed up to do more work. Lucian was just staring at the ceiling. Like most normal people would do when faced with something they’d rather avoid.

At first, I found it funny because he looked more normal that way. But when the guy accidentally started burning food, my amusement turned into worry.

Then there was Oliver, who looked even worse than before. And that’s saying a lot because he already looked like hell was his playground. But his exhaustion seemed far worse recently.

So, I finally decided to ask him.

As someone who doesn’t really listen to emotions unless he is planning on coercing anyone, Lucian may be experiencing something he just couldn’t deal with.

There are usually no clear-cut solutions to emotional turmoil, but it’s much worse for people unaware of their own feelings.

Some would say I’m putting words in his mouth, or maybe I’m assuming things. But since Lucian wasn’t familiar with how to deal with such things, the guy wasn’t the best at masking his expressions.

It was the subtle tick in his veins and his eyes turning murderous during particular times. Safe to say, he was at least angry about something.

And that was how we ended up in this current position. Where he’s got a vice grip on me, and I could only wonder if he was mad at me.

So, I tried my best to placate him, running my fingers across his hair and scalp.

Maybe a scalp massage ought to help him decompress?

But Lucian just kept on coiling around me.

Was he anxious about something?

The difficulty of reading Lucian is that I couldn’t just use the same mold I use for most people. Things that should be obvious weren’t exactly obvious in his case.

I wouldn’t even know if he had an idea of what anxiety would feel like. The guy wouldn’t blink at companies toppling over. Nor would he blink at someone getting stabbed in front of him. Lucian also skipped that period when people compared themselves with each other. So, the guy probably has no concept of insecurity.

He could weaponize it against others because he could tell what emotions looked like but not what they felt like. And he couldn’t be staring at the mirror, trying to see how he looked all the time. Then there’s the question of why he was feeling like that.

For someone like Lucian, who would always be fixated on cause and effect, it would be an unfathomable concept to him. Sometimes, people just can’t help but feel one way.

Who wants to be envious, jealous, or anxious? Probably no one. But do we always have a say in the matter? Not all the time.

Because we can’t fully control emotions.

And this big baby probably doesn’t understand that.

"You worried about something?"

"I think so."

"Care to share?"

"Theft. I’m worried about thieves." Lucian said as he pressed his face harder against my shoulders.

"Well, maybe you could ease up on the grip first. We might have to worry about broken bones before theft." I tried to remind him that while I was fit and trained, being squeezed like this would still mangle worldly humans.

Lucian seemed to understand that, and his grip loosened ever so slightly.

"Did you get a hold of valuables that could be stolen? And what about hiring professional security agencies for high-value items?"

I wouldn’t touch the Sinclairs’ business dealings unless absolutely necessary. I already have more on my plate than I would prefer.

Heck, we even went for the hospitality industry so that we could at least use our own facilities once we had amassed enough wealth to retire early.

But that’s generally why I haven’t been privy to the particulars of anything but the Windham Project.

So, I had no idea he’d gotten his hands on something worth stealing.

"Yeah. And those are already in place, but it’s not enough."

"Have you considered a vault?"

How expensive was this item to need a vault? Or was that overkill?

"I’m thinking about it."

"There’s been great development in that area, so maybe you could find a good one that’s impenetrable."

Maybe, then, he’d stop sulking.

"So, you’re saying you’re find living in a vault?"

"Huh?"

"Why would I live in a vault?"

"That was your idea, wasn’t it?"

"Yeah, but I don’t mean to be the guinea pig to your security issue. Just contact a security company for that."

"No. That won’t work."

"You run around too much. You can’t even stay in one place for a period of time the moment you start craving something."

???

I don’t get it.

Oh.

Wait.

My face had a disbelieving look as I tried piecing things together.

"You’re not saying you’re planning on locking me up, are you?" I said, trying to verify my guess as I pointed at myself.

"Who else would run around like you? Even Lily learned her lesson after doing it once."

"Hey! Excuse me, but why would you even lock me up? And I don’t just go around for food."

Lucian looked at me with judging eyes, and I remember rushing to the convenience store for noodles.

"Blame your office for not having food. That’s a basic need."

"Are you in some Apocalypse? Where instant noodles are part of basic needs?"

"That’s beside the point. What I’m more concerned about is how theft is the issue when I’m involved. Have you heard of anything related to kidnapping? Or such related plans."

"Yeah. Such related plans. And you even stood there as he tried to lure you into his lair." Lucian looked angry like he wanted to scold me for something I didn’t even know about.

"I don’t remember facing off with thieves or kidnappers."

"Then what do you call your interaction with that thief back at the convenience store?"

"Are you talking about Nicholas? Did he steal something from the store when I wasn’t looking? Were they planning on framing me for it?"

That would be a rather stupid plan, but Alexa did that before to another unsuspecting kid.

"No. But you allowed him to speak. And you listened to his confession."

Hold up.

I moved my head back, wanting to see Lucian’s expression because this was too mind-boggling.

"Lucian."

"Are you seriously jealous this time?" My expression was probably of doubt because I thought he was just annoyed back when I got that flower delivery. I was just teasing him for being irritated about something so trivial.

But was he for real this time?

Lucian didn’t answer but had a pout that bordered on a scowl.

"Oi. What’s with that face? You make it sound like I was cheating on you!"

What the hell was this development?!