The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 264

Lucie and Elio froze, caught off guard by what just happened.

Over at the nurse’s station, the nurses looked genuinely panicked. “Mr. Heath, are you alright? Mr. Heath?”

“Somebody go get help!”

Elio let out a snort of laughter. “What? He fell down all on his own. That’s not on us.”

Lucie, feeling a little vindicated at last, glanced at Elio. “Let’s get out of here. The last thing we need is him blaming us for this.”

Elio nodded, smiling. “You’re right. People like him? Better steer clear.”

With that, Elio scooped Lucie up and walked away, not bothering to look back.

Down at the bottom of the stairs, Steven was a mess—blood trickling from his scalp, a nasty bump already rising at the back of his head. But honestly, the physical pain was nothing compared to how he felt inside. Humiliated and furious, he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

He’d falle so hard, and Lucie hadn’t even blinked. She just left, tossing a few cold words over her shoulder.

“Lucie—”

Two nurses rushed over. “Mr. Heath, are you okay? Mr. Heath?”

Steven was so angry and upset he couldn’t even catch his breath. His vision swam, then everything went black.

“Mr. Heath! Please wake up!” One of the nurses frantically pinched his philtrum.

Another nurse, a big woman with thick glasses, shoved her aside. “He’s out cold—he needs mouth-to-mouth!”

Without hesitation, she took a deep breath, her mouth still full of the spicy, lingering smell of her recent lunch. She pinched Steven’s nose, parted his lips, and gave him a full blast of breath.

Steven shot upright, coughing and gagging, his stomach turning.

The nurse was already inhaling again, ready to go for round two.

Steven blinked his eyes open and was met with a pair of plump lips pressing down on his. It wasn’t the kiss that got to him—it was the overwhelming stench of garlic and chili that made him retch.

“What are you doing?” Steven shouted, shoving her off and scrubbing at his mouth.

The nurse just looked at him with genuine concern, her cheeks pink. “You fainted, Mr. Heath. I was giving you CPR…”

Steven just glared. “Get away from me!”

He struggled to his feet and stormed off, his whole day in shambles, angrier than ever.

***

“So, what? You never loved me at all?”

“I…” Lucie felt her throat close up. Elio’s hopeful, intense gaze made it impossible to just blurt out the truth. Maybe she’d never really loved him. When she’d agreed to be his girlfriend, it was more because he moved her, and she’d started seeing him in a different light. They’d only been together a month before things blew up.

“Well? Did you, or didn’t you?” Elio leaned in closer, searching her face for the answer.

Lucie’s heart raced. “Let’s not go there, okay? We were just kids. We didn’t even know what love was. And we’re not right for each other.”

Before she could finish, Elio slipped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her, deep and unhesitating.

Lucie’s eyes flew wide. Instinctively, she tried to push him away.

But Elio only held her tighter, the kiss growing more urgent.

“...Let go…” she gasped, finally wriggling free and shoving him off.

Elio just grinned, all mischief. “Hey, you kissed me first. I’m just returning the favor.”

Lucie stared at him, totally stunned and at a loss for words.

Outside the car, a camera shutter clicked. Somewhere in the shadows, a paparazzo had captured it all.