The city stretched endlessly beneath them.
Thousands of lights illuminated the darkness.
Traffic moved like streams of gold through the streets below.
The gala had ended.
The guests had gone home
The world felt quiet.
Selina leaned lightly against the terrace railing.
The cool night air carried away the exhaustion of the day.
Beside her, Lucian was unusually silent.
That alone was enough to make her suspicious.
Normally, Lucian spoke only when necessary.
Tonight, however, he looked as though he was actively thinking about something.
Which was somehow worse.
Selina turned toward him.
"You're plotting."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm standing here."
"Men like you don't just stand anywhere."
Lucian sighed.
The sound was so rare that Selina nearly smiled.
"That's a very unfair statement."
"It's completely fair."
His silver eyes met hers.
For a moment neither looked away.
Then unexpectedly—
Lucian smiled.
A small smile.
But genuine.
And that surprised her more than anything else.
Because Lucian Blackwood rarely smiled.
The man treated happiness like a confidential business document.
Selina blinked.
"You should do that more often."
Lucian immediately stopped smiling.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The reason I don't."
She laughed softly.
The sound echoed gently across the terrace.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward.
It never was anymore.
Not with him.
That realization still felt strange.
There had been a time when Lucian's presence made her nervous.
Then cautious.
Then confused.
Now—
it simply felt natural.
As if he had always been there.
Perhaps he had.
Across more timelines than either of them could count.
The thought made her unexpectedly thoughtful.
"Lucian."
"Hm?"
"Do you regret it?"
He looked toward her.
"What?"
"The timelines."
The question lingered between them.
Lucian didn't answer immediately.
The city lights reflected faintly in his silver eyes.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm.
"No."
Selina blinked.
That wasn't the answer she expected.
"Not even the painful ones?"
"No."
"The failures?"
"No."
"The timelines where everything went wrong?"
His gaze remained steady.
"No."
She frowned.
"Why?"
For several seconds, he simply looked at her.
Then answered quietly.
"Because every version of them led here."
The words settled softly between them.
Simple.
Honest.
Dangerously effective.
Selina looked away first.
Not because she wanted to.
Because suddenly maintaining eye contact felt difficult.
Lucian noticed.
Of course he noticed.
The man noticed everything.
Fortunately, he chose not to comment.
For once.
A few minutes later, they left the terrace and made their way toward the hotel elevators.
Most of the building was empty now.
The gala staff were already cleaning up.
The evening had officially ended.
As they walked through one of the quieter corridors, Selina suddenly stopped.
A familiar figure stood near one of the display windows.
An elderly woman.
Elegant.
Well-dressed.
Watching them carefully.
Selina immediately recognized her.
Evelyn Blackwood.
Lucian's grandmother.
One of the most powerful women in the city's business world.
And possibly the only person capable of intimidating Lucian.
The older woman smiled.
A dangerous smile.
The kind that suggested she knew something everyone else didn't.
Lucian visibly resigned himself to his fate.
"Grandmother."
Selina nearly laughed.
His tone sounded exactly like someone preparing for disaster.
Evelyn approached gracefully.
Her sharp eyes immediately settled on Selina.
"Dear."
"Mrs. Blackwood."
"Nonsense."
The older woman waved dismissively.
"You've survived reality collapsing."
A pause.
"You may call me Evelyn."
Selina wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that.
Fortunately, Evelyn continued speaking.
"I enjoyed your speech tonight."
"Thank you."
"It reminded me of someone."
The older woman's gaze shifted briefly toward Lucian.
Then back again.
"A stubborn child who once donated his entire birthday fund to a scholarship program because he thought expensive parties were a waste of money."
Silence.
Selina slowly turned toward Lucian.
Lucian looked horrified.
Genuine horror.
This was priceless.
"You did what?"
"It was one time."
Evelyn ignored him.
"He was ten."
Selina burst out laughing.
Lucian looked deeply betrayed.
His grandmother appeared delighted.
"I have photographs."
"Grandmother."
"I saved them."
"Grandmother."
"In multiple albums."
Selina laughed even harder.
For perhaps the first time in recorded history, Lucian Blackwood looked helpless.
It was magnificent.
Eventually, Evelyn left.
Though not before promising to visit Blackthorn Estate soon.
A statement that visibly concerned Lucian.
As soon as she disappeared, Selina smiled.
"I like her."
"She's dangerous."
"Now I definitely like her."
Lucian sighed.
Again.
Another rare achievement.
The elevator finally arrived.
The doors opened.
They stepped inside.
The descent was quiet.
Comfortable.
Then, unexpectedly, Lucian spoke.
"She likes you."
Selina glanced at him.
"Evelyn?"
He nodded.
"That's good, right?"
"Very."
A pause.
Then he added:
"She normally hates everyone."
Selina stared.
"That is not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be."
She laughed softly.
The elevator doors opened into the underground parking level.
Most of the area was empty now.
Their footsteps echoed through the space.
As they approached the car, Selina noticed something unusual.
Lucian seemed distracted again.
Thinking.
Hesitating.
Which was incredibly unlike him.
Lucian Blackwood didn't hesitate.
He decided.
He acted.
He intimidated entire industries before breakfast.
Yet tonight—
he looked uncertain.
The realization caught her attention.
"Lucian."
He looked toward her.
"What is it?"
For several moments, he said nothing.
Then—
unexpectedly—
he asked:
"Do you remember the first thing you said to me?"
Selina blinked.
The question was completely random.
"Which timeline?"
A faint smile appeared.
"The original one."
Selina thought back.
The recovered memories.
The childhood memory from the first timeline.
Then suddenly she remembered.
A little girl standing confidently in front of a very annoyed little boy.
Declaring:
We're friends now.
The memory made her smile.
"Yes."
Lucian's expression softened.
Only slightly.
But enough.
"And do you remember what I said?"
Selina frowned.
Then searched her memories.
A few seconds later—
she laughed.
Because she remembered.
Perfectly.
The young Lucian had crossed his arms and replied:
No, we're not.
The memory was ridiculous.
And somehow completely fitting.
Lucian looked away.
Almost embarrassed.
Almost.
"To be fair," he said, "I was eight."
Selina was still laughing.
"You were awful."
"I was cautious."
"You were awful."
"I stand by my decision."
"You literally became obsessed with me later."
Lucian paused.
Then calmly replied:
"That is unrelated."
Selina nearly choked laughing.
And for the first time in many years—
the future didn't feel uncertain.
It felt exciting.
Because whatever came next—
they would face it together.
Not because fate demanded it.
Not because timelines forced it.
But because they chose to.