“Okay, that’s enough drama for today. Ladies and gentlemen,” Lucian looked at his father in shock as he came into the room his vest draped over his shoulder and his cane in hand as an assistant helped him move into the room. Still, despite his state, his father’s presence commanded the room to his attention and he seized the whole situation with only a few words directed at them while a charming smile never left his lips. This was the power of someone who led the company for more than ten years. If it wasn’t for his sudden illness and his absolute need for rest, no one in this room would dare to entertain the thought of an inheritance battle in the first place. “Father, You came,” Lucian said with a smile as he made his way toward him taking his assistant’s place to help him to the head of the table. A place that his mother had been occupying until moments ago and now she was standing back trying her best to blend into the wall. “Your grandmother wouldn’t let me rest even when I am
“I see you have regained your ability to speak,” said Lucian's father with a cheerful smile, “Now why don’t we talk about what happened here?” Thea regarded him for a few moments in silence glimpsing the calculating look Lucian used to give her back when they first met. The same exact look he'd given her with he proposed to her. She remembered how unsettled it made her, and decided immediately that she wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. So she gave Lucian's father a cool smile before talking.“You mean other than how your wife burst into the office, called me Lucian’s new toy, ruined my work files and tablet, injured me, and then cursed my dead parents before trying to attack me?” She asked.She watched as the confident smile died on his lips and felt Lucian curse at her side. She sensed that he was going to interfere in their conversation with apologies about his mother and squeezed his hand in both warning and reassurance. Lucian shouldn't interfere in the conversation
"We're not going there..." Lucian said with a frown as he sat in front of her desk in her office."Please tell James that we will be there," Thea said into the phone."Alright, thank you very much Professor Keaton," The man on the other end of the line said before hanging up the phone."We're not going there. We're not having dinner with my family," He said looking like a child sulking because he didn't want to go visit his aunt."Come one, Lucian. It was goodwill from your father that we need to accept. Besides, it's the only way to prove to your mother that she can never influence your relationship with your father," She added and Lucian sighed."It's hard enough as it is to spend time with you these days. If we're going to have dinner, I'd rather have it at a restaurant just the two of us. Slash that. I'd rather have it at your place or mine," He added with a smile seeming to like the thought.Thea ignored that comment. Over the past few days, she had been pointedly avoiding any si
"Here she is. My dear future daughter-in-law..." Lucian's father said as he welcomed them into his house his arms wide open as he sat on a wheelchair looking more energetic than when he came into the company a few days earlier."Thank you for having me," She said with a smile as she let Lucian help her with her coat and handed the wine she brought to one of the servants standing there."Thank you for coming," he said with a smile," Please excuse my state for I'm afraid that my visit to the company was a bit too much for my health. So the doctor ordered absolute rest for me, including being confined to this wheelchair,""Although I've never seen him use it..." Lucian said and his father gave them an unpenetrable smile."Now, why don't we head inside and chat in my study? Bella will be taking a while to join us," He declared reminding Thea of one of the reasons why she was there.Thea settled in the study with Lucian by her side silent and brooding. His father, either oblivious or choos
"I'm sure that you're going to like that house. It's perfect for the two of you," James said for the third time that day as they all sat having dinner. "I'm looking forward to seeing it now," Thea said with a smile trying to ignore the piercing gaze Bella was throwing her way. She had been staring at them since earlier making Thea quite uncomfortable. She had properly apologized to Thea when she came into the office calming some excuse about not taking her medicine and not feeling well that day. Lucian simply snorted at that excuse taking Thea's hand and standing up heading toward the dining room. "You'll need to find a better excuse than that. This one is getting a bit old don't you think, Mother?" He'd comented leaving both his parents behind as he made his way out of the office. His father simply sighed and made a sign for the butler to push him back to the dining room. Strangely enough, conversation flowed back as they began to have their meal and Bella was acting like nothing
“It’s perfect isn’t it?” Lucian said as he came to sit beside Thea on the couch. “It is damn perfection,” She said with a sigh as she looked at the spacious open-concept living room. The house that James had shown them was perfect, whether it was the walking distance to the store, the car drive to university or the company, and the space they needed to divide between them. With enough sunlight, a reading room with a view, two offices one huge library, and enough bedrooms for them to live separately. It was basically made for them. James had defied every impossible request they had prepared for the house and even managed to exceed their expectations. It was simply perfection. Thea looked back at Lucian and he turned to her. Their eyes met for a moment but they only managed to look at each other for a few moments before they burst out laughing. “Can you believe this, the house even has a walkway to a small greenhouse in the back?” She said as she laughed, “I knew Dad was good but
“You know I can’t be in the same place at the same time right?” Thea told Pen and she sighed through the phone.“But I was really hoping that you could get some exposure for the outreach program today, it had been your work for years and you deserve the credit for it,” She complained.“I know but Peter did as much work as I did. I don’t mind letting him take the fall- I mean the exposure,” She shuttered with a laugh.“I heard that. And I know that you’re making excuses but I will let this one slime since you will be dealing with much more media with the project anyway. Make sure to stop by for Lunch when the time comes,” Pen instructed.“Alright…” Thea sighed “Oh, and Lucian and Haden are going to be here too. I have a meeting with them right before lunch,”“Alright…” Pen answered before hanging up.Thea looked back at the huge crowd of applications before her and sighed. She was going to be sorting through these for the rest of the week if she doesn’t find someone to help her. But sh
Lucian looked down at his watch as he leaned against the wall listening to Pen and Peter argue about their Lunch destination. “How can you even suggest eating something like that, it’s disgusting,” Peter said as he scrolled through his phone.More concerned about Thea’s tardiness he only half listened to them as he looked at them. Peter smiled at one of the students who passed by them only for her eyes to widen when she realized that he was standing with one of her professors. He looked like one of the university students with a light shirt and skinny jeans. Lucian never noticed but Peter was one of those people easily mistaken for younger than their age. According to what he told him he was already in his late thirties and was already been married once.He always thought this but there was some unique quality to Thea’s friends. From Pen and her contrast from femme fatale to lab rat, to Peter who could have passed on for a university student while he was one of the youngest and most