Chapter 13 - THE MAN WHO WAS AFRAID TO LOVE
Lucien Moreau had never been afraid of enemies.
He understood threats.
He understood betrayal.
He understood the cost of power.
But loving Camille frightened him.
Not because she was weak.
Because she wasn't.
She challenged him.
Questioned him.
Refused to accept vague answers.
She saw the parts of him he tried to hide.
And she stayed only when he gave her reasons to trust him.
One evening, they walked through the French Quarter.
Music drifted from open doors.
The air smelled of rain and warm bread.
Lucien stopped beneath a balcony covered in flowers.
"Camille."
She turned.
"Yes?"
He hesitated.
"Would you consider having dinner with me tomorrow?"
She smiled.
"We've had dinner many times."
"Not like this."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?"
He took a breath.
"As a date."
Camille stared.
For months, their relationship had grown through shared grief, difficult truths, and quiet moments.
He had never pressured her.
Never assumed her gratitude meant affection.
Never treated his help as something she owed him for.
She smiled.
"I was wondering when you'd ask."
Lucien blinked.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"You're surprisingly slow for a man who controls half the river."
He laughed.
"I wanted to be sure."
Camille stepped closer.
"Then ask one more question."
Lucien studied her.
"May I kiss you?"
She smiled.
"Yes."
May you like
He kissed her beneath the old iron balconies.
And for the first time in years, Lucien Moreau felt that love might be something he could receive without controlling it.
