Lucien’s POV

That was like the few times in our teenage days when we were just 2 boys.

For a few hours, it felt like we were not rivals, just two boys wasting time in a place neither of us was supposed to be. Raphael was terrible at most of the games, which made it better. He kept losing and still refused to quit.

It felt good knowing there was something I was good at because it wasn’t something he was really interested in

"You are actually bad at this," I said, barely holding back a laugh as I beat him again.

He shot me an annoyed look hiding his amusement. "You say that like this is something to be proud of." he sneered

"It is to me," I replied, grabbing another controller. "At least I am good at something you are not."

"That’s because you spend your time gaming instead of studying. "He snorted, my lips twitched.

We kept going like that, switching games, arguing over wins, stuffing our faces with junk food like we had nothing to lose. At some point, I noticed the way he was eating.

"Does your mother even let you eat this kind of food?" I asked, watching him tear into a large pack, as it might disappear.

Raphael’s lips twitched, but he did not answer. He wiped his hands and glanced around the place instead. "Do you come here a lot?"

I shrugged. "My maths teacher told me to find somewhere else to sleep instead of his class. So I come here most times."

He stared at me like he did not know what to say. I could tell something was weighing on him. Probably the skating. He did not bring it up again, and I did not ask. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

We lost track of time without noticing. That was mostly on him. He was enjoying himself too much to remember anything else. By the time we finished a match and stepped out for ice cream, the sky had already gone dark.

We stood in line, waiting, talking about nothing in particular. Then out of nowhere, pain exploded at the back of my head.

My hair was yanked hard, forcing my head back. I hissed and turned, only for a sharp slap to land across my face. The sting burned through my skin.

Natalia? She stood there with cold eyes, gripping my hair tightly. Raphael froze beside me. "Mum..." he muttered.

Her expression turned ugly. "So this is what you are doing? Sneaking out of school?" she hissed.

Raphael opened his mouth, but no words came out. Chicken, I snickered internally.

She scoffed. "Get in the car. Your father will hear about this." He hesitated, then looked at me. There was an apology in his eyes. It did not change anything. He turned and left.

The moment he was gone, Natalia raised her hand again. "Stay away from him," she snapped. "Trash like you will only ruin him."

I caught her wrist before it could reach me. She froze and for a second, she looked at me like she did not recognise who I was. Then her face twisted, and before she could speak again, I slapped her.

The sound echoed. She stumbled back, hand flying to her cheek, eyes wide with shock. "You slapped me?" she gasped.

I looked at her without flinching. "And I will do it again if you forget yourself. What makes you think you can touch me?" I said coldly.

She took a step back, thrown off balance by something she did not expect. "You have no manners." she blurted. There was fear in her eyes.

I let out a short laugh. "I am a bastard. What were you expecting?" I sneered in her face.

That shut her up for a second. Her face darkened further."You... you..." she struggled, unable to form the words.

I looked at her properly then, calmer than I felt. "Give Raphael a break," I said. "If you keep controlling everything, he might become the successor you want, but he will end up hating you."

She stared at me.

"He loves the ice. Do not take that from him. If you will not let him skate, then at least let him play hockey."

The words surprised even me. Why was I helping Raphael? Her lips pressed into a thin line. "And what gives you the right to judge how I raise my son? You never had a mother." The words stung but I swallowed them.

I did not react externally.."That makes it worse," I replied. "Even someone like me can tell you are doing a terrible job."

That hit a sour spot. I saw it in her eyes. Her hands clenched. "Stop acting like you understand anything." She paused, then smirked, like she had found something to throw at me. "You do not even know you have been lied to your whole life. Your mother did not die from illness."

Everything in me went still. "What do you mean?" I stepped forward, reaching for her, but she pulled away.

"Ask Gregor," she said. "If you are brave enough." Then her expression hardened again. "Stay away from Raphael." she gave a final warning.

She walked off without another word.

I stood there, trying to process what she had said. It did not make sense, but it stuck. The topic of my mother was something no one spoke about. It was like it never existed.

After that day, Raphael and I drifted again. Not completely, but enough. Natalia did take my advice, even if she would never admit it. Raphael joined the hockey team, and whenever he was on the ice, he looked... free.

By our final year, I had already made up my mind. I ignored Gregor’s advice about studying something related to the company. I chose medicine instead.

Part of it was spite. Olivia had once said I was too dumb for anything serious. I wanted to see her face when she realised she was wrong. The other part was simple. I needed a way out.

No one said it directly, but I knew they did not want me in the company.

For once, I did something out of character. I studied properly with no shortcuts or pretending. I aimed for the top schools abroad. Somewhere far enough that I would not have to look back.

When the results came out, it caused more noise than I expected. Olivia even had it investigated. It only made things worse for her when nothing came up.