The scent of sweat and determination filled the gym as Lucian pushed open the heavy door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He yawned, expecting the space to be empty, but instead, he was met with the sight of Lia already hard at work.

She moved with intensity, her fists cutting through the air in perfect form, her toned body glistening under the fluorescent lights. She wore a fierce look of concentration, her boxing gloves hitting an invisible target.

Lucian smirked. "You're early."

Lia turned to him with a playful grin. "The early bird gets the worm."

Lucian chuckled as he pulled off his t-shirt, tossing it onto a bench before slipping his hands into a pair of boxing gloves. He didn’t notice the way Lia’s eyes flickered to his sculpted torso before quickly darting back to her own movements.

"Hey, can you help me with something later?" she asked, rolling her shoulders as she continued practicing.

Lucian, busy lacing up his gloves, barely looked up. "What do you need?"

"I need you to help me pick out some pictures for my social media."

He scoffed. "Seriously? That’s what you need help with?" He stepped into the boxing ring, rolling his neck.

Lia followed him, nodding. "Come on, it won’t take long. I just need another set of eyes."

Lucian grumbled. "You can pick them yourself."

"Geez… can’t you just help me?" Lia sighed, shifting into her fighting stance.

Lucian took that as his cue to start the match. He threw the first punch, aiming for her left side. Lia swiftly dodged, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Don’t look away," Lucian instructed, his voice low and firm. "Look into my eyes while we’re fighting."

Lia swallowed but nodded, focusing on his gaze. Their bodies moved in sync, ducking and weaving as they tested each other’s strength.

By the time they finished their round, both were panting, beads of sweat trailing down their skin. Lucian leaned back against the ropes, wiping his forehead, while Lia sat at one of the tables, grabbing her water bottle.

Without warning, she pulled out her phone, shoving it toward him. "Alright, now help me."

Lucian raised an eyebrow but leaned forward to look. The screen displayed a few photos of Lia in her workout outfits—posing, stretching, showcasing her toned figure. His expression froze for a second as he took in the slightly sultry angles.

He cleared his throat. "And... you're posting these?"

"Duh," Lia rolled her eyes. "I’m an influencer, I have to post daily. Don’t worry, I haven’t revealed my face yet. They’ll just see my body and the gym in the background."

Lucian’s grip on the phone tightened as he realized she was right—her face wasn’t visible in any of them. But that didn’t make him feel any better.

"You're wasting your time on social media," he muttered. "You should be practicing your vocals instead."

Lia huffed and muttered under her breath. "What do you know? My fan base will be what helps me grow as an artist."

Lucian suddenly leaned in close—too close. His intense gaze locked onto hers as his voice dropped to a whisper. "I can hear you just fine. You don’t need them when you have me."

Lia’s breath hitched. His proximity sent a jolt down her spine, and she felt her stomach twist in knots. She swallowed hard, abruptly scooting back in her chair.

Lucian smirked at her reaction before standing up, grabbing his discarded t-shirt.

"Fine," he said, walking toward the door. "Plaster yourself all over the internet if you want. Just don’t neglect your training."

Lia blinked, still in a daze as she nodded absentmindedly.

As he reached the door, he paused. Then, with a glance over his shoulder, he smirked.

"The second pic was better."

The gym door clicked shut behind him.

Lia sat frozen in her chair, her brain short-circuiting.

Had she just heard that correctly?

Had Lucian—the cold, serious, no-nonsense Lucian—just casually flirted with her?

Her hand shot to her chest as she felt her heart racing.

"That cold demon actually knows how to flirt?" she whispered to herself, blinking in shock.

Her mind replayed the moment—his face inches from hers, the way his voice dipped just slightly lower, his parting wink—over and over again.

"Damn… my heart."

It took her what felt like an eternity to recover. When she finally regained her composure, she logged into her social media account and uploaded the photo Lucian had chosen.

Her caption read:

"I hate exercising, but results are the only thing I work for!"

A small smile tugged at her lips as she hit “Post.”

And just like that, her thoughts drifted back to Lucian.