The Negotiation (Part One)

Lucian was silent as he admired Aisha's violet eyes. It was blazing with fiery determination and seriousness in the depths of her eyes. Her violet eyes is hypnotizing, and he couldn't help but to get lost in the beauty in it.

It was full moon tonight, the room was dimlit, and the moonlight and other yellow lamps are the only one that provides them lightning and yet, it only made the stunning lady in front of him more... beautiful.

Actually, as Lucian gaze at the moon reflected in her eyes, he felt that the word "beautiful" won't do any justice to describe Aisha. She was... exquisite.

She was mesmerizing and breath-taking.

After a moment of silence, Aisha's expression turned into annoyed ones. I know I'm gorgeous but did he have to be that astounded? Can he focus in the topic at the moment?

Aisha pursed her lips, her expression tells Lucian that she was displeased. "Mr. Lumière, have you heard what I said?"

For someone who is wanting to have an alliance and asking a favor, Aisha sure is demanding.

Lucian blinks and realize that he has been staring Aisha for quite awhile now, with this thought, Lucian's cheek tainted with red and was glad that he was wearing a mask. He cleared his throat to compose himself and gave Aisha a slow, lazy smirk.

"I'm just taken aback by your beauty, I didn't mean to offend you."

Aisha almost choke on her saliva. I'm the one who is taken aback by your pick-up line!

Who knew that the rumored cold, ruthless, Demon King Boss of the Lumière famiglia would be this good at flirting with women?

Didn't he dislike and was disgusted with women?

"You can praise me for other things, I know very well how gorgeous I am."

"You're also very boastful."

Take a deep breath, Aisha told herself, you need his help so control yourself.

Lucian placed his glass into the table, he cross his legs the way Aisha did and have both of his palms on his knee. "Ms. De La Torre wants to have an alliance with the Lumière famiglia, may I know the reason why?"

Seeing how Lucian turned serious, Aisha also turned po-faced and say, "You know, most of the De La Torre's mafiosi aren't really pleased the fact that I was their Boss."

"But you are the rightful heiress for the position since you are Morano's daughter."

"Sadly, that doesn't work with them. Although I was capable of ruling them, they don't want to have a woman as their Boss."

"Looks like their thinking is in medieval period."

Aisha was getting pissed at being cut off by Lucian a couple of times. "Like I said, they aren't too please with me and I happen to have a strong enemy that will need strong forces in order to defeat him.

"No matter how strong the forces of the De La Torre famiglia, it's no use if they don't obey me. It will be just like using an army of dogs just to bite me in the back.

"I can't seek for the Cavelli famiglia's help due to some reasons, that's why I seek for your famiglia's instead."

"And what makes you think that we will not betray you?"

Aisha smirks at Lucian's question, she pours herself a glass of red wine and drinks it before saying, "Of course, I also consider that possibility but I know you won't."

Lucian raised his brow at her. "Quite a confidence you have there. How can you be so sure?"

"I just know it." Aisha said in all seriousness. There was just this feeling inside her that tells her that she can trust this man.

Lucian froze for one second before a genuine smile forms in his lips.

"You said earlier you can't seek for the Cavelli famiglia's help, why so?"

If it's any other Boss of famiglia, Aisha wouldn't tell him all the information she has but this is Lucian Lumière. Reid said that he hates the Cavellis to the core, and Aisha is going to trust his words.

Plus, he may know what she did to the Cavellis that's why he's here now. He wouldn't meet her if he still thinks that Aisha have a good relationship to the famiglia he hated.

"I figured you might know what I did to the Cavelli's main headquarters since you also send your men during that night.

"I'm not gonna lie, the Cavellis and De La Torres had been friends over the past decades, but it doesn't mean that it will forever remain that way.

"That "good relationship" that both famiglias has had already cracks, and it breaks the moment the Cavellis betrayed the De La Torres."

Aisha felt angrier as she was saying those words, her palm had cupped the bowl part of the glass, and without knowing how much pressure she gives in her tight grip, the glass breaks and shattered into pieces.

"Tsk!" Aisha clicked her tongue in frustration. She lets go of the glass pieces in her hand, and frowned as her hand sting from cuts from the shattered glass, some pieces even pierced her skin.

She was about to pull the shards out of her palm but Lucian was quicker than her. One moment he was seating in front of her, then the next he was beside her.

He hold her wrists gently, and placed her bleeding hand into the table covered with dozens of tissue, and pulls the shards out of her skin with gentleness.

It stings but Aisha couldn't be bothered with the pain. Instead, she was staring at Lucian with eyes as wide as a tarsier[1], she clearly didn't expect him to tend her wounds.

It is... the first time someone tends her wounds willingly and not because they were tasked to.

It was good that there weren't little shards so it was easy to remove the shards since it was bigger and can be seen with eyes alone.

"You need to control your emotions, and stop harming yourself unconsciously. What if you're holding a knife? Will you cut yourself?" Lucian was obviously angry at her, he was wrapping Aisha's hand with his handkerchief, and while he is angry, his hands are gentle.

This isn't the first time Aisha harmed herself when feeling an extreme emotion. It was a bad habit of her. When Morano died, she almost cut her ulnar artery in her wrists and almost died of blood lost.

Lucian went on with his scolding but Aisha wasn't listening to him and say absentmindedly.

"You know, except for my parents, no one has ever cared for me like this."

Lucian stops with his rambling and looks at Aisha. She had a faraway look in her eyes, but there was anger hidden in the depths of her eyes.

"But they are now gone because of the Kristen and Rafael Cavelli."

[1] Tarsiers are any haplorrhine primates of the family Tarsiidae. Each eye is as big as the animal's brain, and rivals the eyes of orangutans for size. More info in Google.