Chapter 122

Serena’s POV I glanced at Ryan as he took my car keys from my hand. "I'll have someone continue investigating Lucian," he said, opening the passenger door for me with surprising gentleness. "Just remember what I told you—try to avoid meeting him alone." As I slid into the seat, I heard Ryan mutter under his breath, "That man had the audacity to treat you like his personal driver. He truly doesn't know his place." I couldn't help but smile a little at his irritation. The fact that Ryan was upset someone had "used" me when he himself would never do such a thing was almost... sweet, in his own possessive way. Over the next few weeks, I personally oversaw every detail of the joint collaboration with Celestial Gems. Every sketch, every prototype, every marketing plan—nothing escaped my attention. I wanted this partnership to be flawless. But when Lucian invited me out again, something felt different. I couldn't shake Ryan's warnings from my mind. These meetings were becoming suspiciously fr