Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 247: Rage baiting

Braelyn’s POV

The award ceremony started. There was a round of applause as the host went up stage.

The first award was the Rising Star Award. This was an award presented to executives who performed excellently and were recognised for their talent. Lucien glanced towards Raphael, a smile curling up his lips.

"Who do you think would win, Raph? I hope you do, to save face for Volkov Apex." he said sincerely, but it felt like a taunt. It all felt like rage bait.

Raphael glanced at him with a faint smirk. "When did you start caring so much about the company?" he hissed.

Lucien’s smile widened. "It is only natural since I am an executive," he retorted. Raphael scoffed at him but didn’t say anything.

I glanced at Lucien, still confused. I wanted to pry on what was going on. Why did he ignore me earlier and was happily chatting with Raphael now? Why was he so damn hard to understand? I felt like pulling off my hair.

Lucien glanced at me. "You look stressed. This is a summit and not a war," he casually commented, like he wasn’t the reason I was going nuts. I tried to concentrate, but it was hard. I just had too many questions to ask.

I could barely concentrate on anything and, besides his entrance, I was curious why he didn’t visit me in the hospital.

The nominees for this year’s award included Raphael because of his crisis management skills. Despite the threat of New Horizon, Raphael, with his new role as Vice Chairman, was able to manage the fallout.

This I discovered after getting out of a coma. Raphael had worked his head off to bounce back and had taken proactive steps against New Horizon.

And of course, Killian Orlov was also a nominee. He literally revived a dying company into a giant. Even before the results were announced, we had an idea who was going to win.

The host stood on the stage with a polite smile. "As always, according to the tradition of recognising new titans in the business world..." he drawled.

He smiled, then pulled out an envelope. A presentation was played on the projected screen on the stage mentioning the nominees. After the presentation, a round of applause filled the room.

"The winner of this year’s Rising Titan Award is..." he paused to draw the tension. Raphael was rigid as if he already knew. Unlike other award shows where nominees are told the results ahead of time, it was different at this summit.

"Mr Killian Orlov, CEO of New Horizon," it was announced, and a round of applause rang out. Under everyone’s gaze, the moment they waited for arrived.

Everyone stared at the New Horizon row. I braced myself for Lucien to dramatically stand up and accept the award. I was already imagining the drama that would happen when Raphael would realise he lost to Lucien.

But to my shock, Lucien didn’t move an inch. Instead, someone moved from behind us. An executive from New Horizon stood up and adjusted his suit buttons before walking to the stage. My mind almost exploded and, if I didn’t know better, my head would have snapped towards Lucien to start questioning him.

Wasn’t he about to reveal his identity? That was the reason for the mysterious, confident entrance. Why did someone else stand up?

Lucien glanced at Raphael, then sighed. "I thought you were going to win. The way you handled New Horizon these past few weeks was impressive, but I guess that isn’t compared to what Killian did," he taunted. Raphael finally looked his way, turning away from the New Horizon executive who was heading to the stage.

"Did you come here to mock me or support the company?" he asked Lucien plainly.

"Because honestly, I am confused. Which is it, Uncle?" he sneered. It was the first time I heard Raphael address Lucien as uncle. The word felt strange in his mouth.

Lucien smiled with that infuriating, careless signature look. The refined man from earlier had completely disappeared. "Of course I came for the company," he chimed before adding, "Seeing you lose was an unexpected surprise. I am glad I didn’t miss it."

Raphael’s jaw tightened. His dislike towards Lucien increased. "You know you don’t have to be an insufferable jerk every time," Raphael spat.

"I know, but I can’t help it." They both went silent and stared at each other. A round of applause echoed at that moment as the executive from New Horizon accepted the award, but none of the men by my side budged.

Raphael drew in a deep breath. He spoke first. "Why are you here? You weren’t even on the delegates list?" he asked, then smiled. "You caused quite a stir coming in with the New Horizon group."

That was the same question on my mind. His entrance was suspicious. "True, I wasn’t, but a delegate couldn’t make it and of course I wanted to experience this moment," Lucien vaguely answered, his eyes turning sharper.

"I wasn’t with a badge and New Horizon was nice enough to let me in," he revealed, then a contemptuous look settled in his gaze. "Or don’t tell me you thought of something else?"

Raphael’s gaze flickered. I wondered if he suspected Lucien was Killian from today’s stunt. It made me wonder if Lucien deliberately did it to bait Raphael.

"That’s not possible, just a misunderstanding," Raphael replied. For the moment, it was as if we had completely forgotten about the event.

"But you should have called for help from the company delegates instead of playing such a stunt," which was true.

Lucien nodded. "Yes, I could have done that," he admitted, then a mischievous look appeared in his eyes.

"But it would have wasted time and secondly, the way I did it was dramatic. It livened the summit mood," he shrugged, leaving both Raphael and me stunned, completely baffled.

"Who doesn’t like some drama?" he chimed.

Raphael laughed. It was a low, deep chuckle like he couldn’t believe his ears. "You are unbelievable, Lucien. Why do you love being a menace?"

Lucien shrugged, his gaze drifting to the stage where the executive was about to start a speech. "I love when people talk," he shamelessly said.