Tracy nearly tripped over her own heels as she rushed toward Lucian's work stall, her heart thudding with excitement. This was her moment , her grand entrance. Hunter's stepbrother stood right there, bathed in light and surrounded by the faint hum of engines, his posture calm yet commanding. She'd only ever seen him once at the club , but other than that in post , and up close he was kind of cute , her eyes glistened 'I'm going to have a cute in law,
"Hi! Lucian Dastin, right?" she said, breathless but smiling wide. "I'm Tracy Meadows , oh its ok , i know you might be surprised by my grand entrance" she chuckled "its not everyday you see a star out in the open"
Lucian blinked, confused, he looked at Tracy confused ,who the hell was this woman, "Uh… yeah. Are you… a fan?"
The question hit her like a slap. A fan? She froze for half a second before letting out a nervous laugh. "Oh! That's cute — no, no, no, I'm not just a fan. I'm Hunter's fiancée." She proudly said as she winked "and your sister in law" she flipped her hair behind
Lucian's eyebrows shot up. For a long moment, he simply stared at her as though he hadn't heard right. "Fiancée?" he repeated slowly. "You?"
"Yes, me!" Tracy said proudly, puffing her chest a little. "You might have heard about Hunter's engagement, right? The Dastin family officially picked me!"
Lucian tilted his head, expression calm but words sharp. "Why would they pick a commoner?"
The line hit like a punch to the gut. Tracy's jaw dropped, eyes wide in disbelief. "Excuse me?! I am not a commoner! I'm a model! You should show me some respect."
She straightened, flipping her hair dramatically before striking a pose. "Maybe you've seen me in the Glimora Skincare ad — 'Shine brighter than the stars'? That was me!"
Mason, who'd been watching from the side, snorted. "Looks like a crazy fan to me."
Tracy ignored him and continued, voice rising with confidence as she listed her entire résumé ,skincare, perfume, one short cameo in a shampoo commercial that barely aired. Her hands flew in elegant gestures as she turned from angle to angle, posing like she was on a runway.
Lucian and Mason watched in silence as they exchanged some glances at each other
Finally, Lucian blinked and asked with perfect seriousness, "Are you a children's model, then?"
The silence that followed was deafening. Tracy froze mid-pose, her face draining of colour before turning bright red. She let out a dramatic wail and dropped to her knees, waving an imaginary white flag. "I surrender!" she cried, clutching her chest.
Mason leaned toward Lucian. "You broke her." He teased as he poked his shoulder
Lucian sighed. "She started it."
But as Tracy sulked, Lucian's chest tightened unexpectedly. His eyes softened as he studied her , the pout, the charm, the way she'd so confidently called herself Hunter's fiancée.
So this was the girl Hunter was going to marry.
He didn't understand the sudden heat rising inside him, a strange mix of annoyance and… jealousy? He pushed the feeling away, jaw tightening. Why should I care? he told himself.
Mason looked at Tracy and his expression darkened as he smirked. She's not even worth the competition, he thought, looks like ill have a chance with Hunter while this idiot play house
Just then, movement caught Mason's eye. Hunter was walking at their direction, tall, relaxed, dangerous in black. Mason's smirk fell. "Hunter is over there missy" he said
Tracy's head snapped up, her blood running cold. "Oh, no, no, no—"
Lucian turned to ask what was wrong, but she was already gone , vanished like smoke.
"Where the hell did she—?" He blinked at the empty spot where she'd been standing.
"Told you," Mason said dryly. "Crazy fan."
Lucian exhaled and rubbed his temples. "But she looked… oddly familiar," he murmured.
Meanwhile, a few corridors away, Tracy sprinted down the hall in panic, clutching her purse like it was her lifeline. "He's going to kill me if he saw me there," she whispered to herself, darting around a corner. She hadn't told Hunter she was attending the opening ceremony. The last thing she needed was for him to find out she'd been snooping , especially what happened on their last date
She peeked around a wall, scanning the corridor. And there he was, Hunter Dastin himself, coincidentally walking straight in her direction with his usual unreadable expression.
"Oh, for the love of heels, why did you have to take the same route as mine" she hissed and darted into the nearest door, slamming it shut behind her. She leaned against it, panting. "Okay. Crisis averted."
"Who are you?"
The deep voice came from behind her.
Tracy froze, then slowly turned around. Steam filled the room. A tall figure stood near the showers, water dripping down his bare chest, a towel hanging loosely around his hips. His eyes , sharp, dark, and furious , locked on hers.
Her voice squeaked. "Oh, hi—sorry, I think I—uh…"
"You're in the men's bathroom," he said flatly.
Tracy blinked, then realized. Oh. Oh no.
Timothy ran a hand through his wet hair, glaring. "Didn't expect a peeping tom to be this bold," he muttered.
"Wha-? Peeping?!" she gasped. "I am not a pervert! I was just-"
And then the towel loosened.
Tracy shrieked, spinning around with her hands over her face. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Why would you-----"
Timothy sighed, annoyed, catching the towel before it fell completely. He tied it tighter, exhaling through his nose.
Curiosity got the better of her. She peeked through her fingers , just a little , and saw he was still in his underwear. "Pfft, and here I thought I'd get a better view," she mumbled without thinking.
Timothy's vein twitched. "What did you just-"
Before he could finish, voices echoed from the hallway.
Tracy panicked. What if Hunter came and saw her here with his rival, and gets the wrong idea, "Oh no, if he finds me here-!" Without thinking, she grabbed Timothy by the wrist and yanked him toward the row of lockers.
"What the hell are you-"
She shoved him inside with her, slamming the locker door shut just as footsteps entered the room.
"Shh!" she hissed, pressing her finger to his lips.
Timothy glared down at her, his back pressed against the metal, the space painfully small. His heartbeat pounded through his ribs. Tracy's perfume , sweet, floral, dizzying ,filled the air between them. Few boys entered and Tracy entered , at least it wasn't Hunter
Outside, the boys laughed and chatted as they changed, completely unaware of the chaos inside the locker.
Tracy tilted her head, trying to listen. "They're talking about the tournament," she whispered.
Timothy barely heard her. His entire focus was on not losing control. Her thigh brushed his; her hair tickled his jaw. His hands were pinned awkwardly against the wall. He grit his teeth. "Move," he hissed quietly.
"I can't, there's no room!" she whispered back.
He shifted slightly ,and she gasped.
"Stop, your fist is poking me!"
Timothy's jaw dropped. "My what?"
"Your fist!" she whispered indignantly. "Move it!"
His eyes twitched. "My hands are up here."
she froze. A few beats of silence passed. Tracy's eyes widened in realization. Slowly, very slowly, she reached down to confirm what exactly was poking her.
Her face went red instantly.
"Oh my god."
Timothy groaned, closing his eyes in disbelief. "You just had to touch it, didn't you?"
"........if i say its a overgrown muscle , will you agree " she nervously laughed , covering her face again.
From outside, the boys' voices faded as they left, and silence fell over the locker room. The tension inside the cramped locker was unbearable ,heavy, warm, and embarrassingly charged.
Finally, Tracy exhaled shakily, pushing the door open and stumbling out. "That… never happened," she said quickly.
Timothy stepped out after her, grabbing his shirt with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sure," he said smoothly. "But next time you sneak into the men's locker room, try not to assault anyone in the process."
Tracy gaped at him, scandalized. "You!.... I was saving your life!"
"From what, my towel?"
Before she could respond, the door creaked open again , Hunter's voice echoing down the hallway.
Tracy's heart leapt. "Oh crap-"
She bolted toward the back exit, leaving Timothy half-dressed and confused.
Timothy watched her go, running a hand through his hair with a faint smirk. "What an interesting little disaster," he murmured, amused despite himself. "The Regeants might be more fun than I thought." He said as he touched his chest where his heart fluttered slightly