Chapter 3 Her gift

THIRD PERSON POV

Maelis smiled and acted shy, nodding her head to everyone to cut eye contact with Lucient

'Where did that motherfucker go?' she asked in her mind and frowned.

She quickly and discreetly removes herself in that room and tries to find Lucien.

"I can't fucking lose him right now, Lorenzo will kill me for spending 1 million dollars for nothing," she muttered to herself.

She went back inside the Auction room. When she saw Lucien also entering from the opposite door, she was about to make her way to him when someone suddenly poked her from behind.

"Mademoiselle?" It's the host, and he is with Valrti's. "The family is here to personally hand the item you bought," he added, and Maelis showed a fake smile.

"We're so grateful that you like our father's collection, Ms.?" One of Valarti's sons said.

"Martell Dupont." She said and accepted his handshake. "They are a magnificent collection," she added, and the son bowed like he was so proud.

One of the guards in a suit came with a briefcase and opened it, surprise, it's the dagger.  Maelis smirked at them but stopped herself.

'They are like their father, money hungry,' she said to herself as she smiled at them and pulled out a checkbook from her bag and wrote them a staggering 1-million-dollar check.

"Thank you," Valarti's son said as she took the check.

"Keep the briefcase, thanks." She said, smiling as she grabbed the dagger in the briefcase like it was nothing and walked away, leaving the people confused.

She was about to leave the room when a huge explosion sound was heard that shook the yacht, making the people, including her, stumble and fall on the floor, and the room got filled with screams and panic.

"Fuck!" she muttered as she pushed herself up to stand up, but because of her heels, she couldn't stabilize herself and almost fell. "Damn it," she hissed in annoyance and took off her heel and stood up to run.

She ran out of the room. People were running and pushing each other in panic as gunshots were heard around them, and the explosion continued to occur.

As soon as she reached the outside deck of the yacht, she tried to look for the person she was with, but saw no one familiar. She couldn't help but cuss and cuss in anger as people were pushing her.

"Cresia?" She said as she recognized the woman from a distance, holding a rifle and firing on the people. "Cres!" She said, but a gunshot made her cringe down and hug herself as a man with a scar on his face shot in her direction. "Shit! shit!" She said that when she felt a stinging sensation on her arm, a bullet grazed her.

"Stupid," A voice from behind her said, and a couple of gunshots again echoed. 

Maelis could feel the pain in her arms and the blood dripping down her arms. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her hip and was guided to stand up. And her eyes widened as she saw who the hand belonged to, her mission.

'Lucien Allard, did he just save me?' Maelis said inside her head.

"Stupidly hugging yourself in the corner won't stop a bullet that was about to be buried inside your head." He said and suddenly picked her up like a sack of rice on his shoulder.

"AH!" Maelis shouted in shock as she was carried by him upside down. "What the hell!" she complains.

But it's like Lucien couldn't hear her, Maelis couldn't clearly see who's happening. She could only hear the people cry and the chaos around them.  Until Lucien suddenly puts her down on her feet, she nearly stumbles back, but he is quick to hold her wrist.

"You're clumsy and annoying," He said while staring at her, or glaring? "You're really summing up the thing I hate about people." He added.

And Maelis blood suddenly boiled inside her. She wanted to punch him in the face, but she also knew that she had to control herself.

"Do I? Well, my bad." She said and licked her lower lip.

Suddenly, the speedboat they are in speeds up. She could smell him, their eyes meeting as she looked up at him. She felt like she wanted to gasp for some air, like her breath was being taken.

"You smell...good." She unconsciously said that, which made Lucien frown, and the corner of Lucien's lips went up.

"Clumsy, annoying, and now a weirdo." He spoke. looking at her. "Who are you?" He spoke.

"Mae---Martell..." Maelis lied as she snapped from her daze. 

"Sounds...weird," Lucien said, not to break eye contact with her.

"Lucien...sounds...crazy." She said, smirked, and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Lucien asks in a serious and authoritative voice.

'Why is he so damn...attractive...for an enemy.' Maelis asks inside her head.

"Well, I'm planning to give you something to thank you for saving me," Maelis said as their bodies close the gap between them. Her eyes look at him and slowly look down at his lips.

'Focus, Maelis, this is the most important part of the mission,' she said to herself.

"I don't take payments like this," Lucien said, but Maelis's eyes suddenly widened when he grabbed her waist closer to him. "Because I didn't save people, I killed them," he added.

Maelis gulped as their face and lips were inches away from touching. She could smell his breath; it smelled like mint. She could smell him, she was getting addicted like she was about to go high.

"What if I kill you first?" She said as she placed the blade of the dagger she's been holding on Lucien's neck while her arms were still wrapped around his neck.

"You can try," Lucien said and looked at her lips. 

Maelis licks her lips and chuckles. "You're funny," she said flirtatiously, "When I said I want to thank you for saving me, I want you to hand this." She said as she moved away from him and offered the dagger in her hand. "A gift for saving me, so it means I don't owe you anything." She said,

"You're so eager to buy that," Lucien said as she stared at her,

"Yeah, it's a fancy dagger. But I think because I want to repay you, you can have it. It seems like you're really interested in that dagger more than I am. Am I wrong?" Maelis said, but Lucien didn't say anything and just took it from her.

"Boss, we've arrived at the shore..." Basil said and seemed shocked. "Who...is...she?" He said.

"Enjoy my gift, Mr. Allard. I'll see you again." Maelis said and leaned towards him with a kiss on his cheek, "Au revoir." Goodbye. She said before walking out, passing by Basil and winked at him.

"What the hell was that?" Basil said. "You got the dagger," he exclaimed as he walked towards him.

"Send that to him," Lucien said, pushing the dagger to Basil.

"Wait, what? Aren't we supposed to go together?" Basil said

"I have something to do,"