Thea looked down at her phone as she tried to remain calm. Flipping a lock of her hair back behind her ear, she looked back up at her grandfather who was still busy talking to Peter.“… I think that this will work out better for you than before,” Her grandfather said and Peter nodded.“Relying on one main source of income was too risky. I guess we had it coming. It was bound to happen,” Peter answered and Thea wanted to sigh.She had no idea how Peter always managed to have a normal conversation with her grandfather. She had such a hard time just getting him to listen to her…“What do you think we should do about the day of the event?” Peter asked.“I think we should leave this to the school committee and Chim&Bio’s PR team. They will come up with a date for the event,” Thea answered looking into her email box another time. This time skipping over the message that left her too shocked to talk and going straight to the email she was looking for in the first place.As soon as she found
Lucian was having a hard time controlling himself even though he knew what he was doing was wrong. More guilt piled up in his conscience as he parked his car in front of the coffee shop where Thea was supposed to meet Robert.He had heard her on the phone earlier and seeing the messages he was sending her over her shoulder, Lucian couldn’t sit still as he watched her drive to her appointment with him. Admittedly, She had never lied to him about who she was meeting because he never asked in the first place. But he still couldn’t shake this feeling that she was going to be stolen away from him. That Robert was seeking more than friendship with Thea, more than a working relationship.And he was right.Through the window, he could see Robert reaching out to put his hand on top of Thea’s as he spoke leaning toward her too closely. Lucian didn’t think further after that, before he knew it, he was getting into the coffee shop, making his way toward them just as Thea stood up shaking Robert’s
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea!” Lucian all but yelled as he grabbed the car door handle for dear life making Thea chuckle.“Don’t worry, I will get you there with time to spare,” She answered as she sped up through the coastal road smoothly gliding the car.“I’m worried about getting there in one piece…” Lucian answered looking from her to the road with an alarmed expression.“You’re such a worrywart. I always thought you were such a careful driver; your driving is worse than an old grandma’s,” she told him and Lucian snorted clearly offended by her comment.“At least I wouldn’t have died while recklessly driving. I’m not so sure about that now- woah!” He screamed as Thea dodged a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction.“Okay, that’s it! Thea, I don’t care about the car or the meeting. Just stop the car on the side of the road, I'm getting down,” He ordered, and Thea merely laughed as she sped up more.There was a lull of silence between them as Thea began to drive m
“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
“Oh lord…” Thea mumbled as she closed her eyes looking down at the book in her hands barely seeing the words.“Did you say something?” Lucian asked as he leaned forward on the kitchen counter to look at her.“No, nothing,” she said with a smile, and he nodded, going back to preparing whatever it is that he was preparing.Thea stole another glance at him, feeling her heartbeat faster at the sight of him in his unbuttoned shirt and waistcoat hugging his muscles in a perfect fit that made her almost swoon. It had been like this since she got back from the hospital, so much that it had gotten unbearable.At first, Lucian was simply more attentive, especially since she was having trouble dealing with the pain from moving around. He had been adamant about not leaving her alone to the point of intending to sleep on the chair bestie her!In the end, he slept the whole night on the bed beside her on top of the covers when she insisted that he shouldn’t sleep on the chair. He didn’t touch her n
For a while, it was quiet. An absolute quietness that was both peaceful and disturbing. There were moments like flashes when voices would reach her sometimes calling her name and sometimes talking amongst each other. But she was never able to pull through long enough to truly know what was going on.It was by the time that her awareness grew more alert when she heard them. The two distinct voices she knew so well.“How could you let this happen?! How could you when she was right beside you?!”“When are you going to stop blaming others for your own problems? You lost Thea because you acted like you could control her. Stop trying to blame me and start trying to figure out how to redeem yourself!”These words were followed by the distinct sound of a slap. And even in her sleep, Thea would later realize what truly went on that day.“…”“Are you alright?” Another voice asked.“Yeah… can you go check on him?”The silence that followed after that was deafening. Thea tried shifting her hand a
“You didn’t answer my question,” Lucian said in the same calm tone as if this man hadn’t just threatened to violate her in front of him. “Who. Is. Behind. You” Lucian enunciated each word coming out of his mouth.Thea’s eyes moved away from the sight before her to look at Lucian’s hands. They were clenched in tight fists that she could distinguish through the darkness. She didn’t need to doubt whether or not Lucian was provoked by this man’s words. Because she could feel the rage coursing through his tight muscles ready to spring out at a moment’s notice.The man paused looking at Lucian with a blank face, the smile completely gone as he looked at him. Thea thought for a moment that he was going to turn violent when he simply asked.“Why? Are you going to pay me more than them?” He asked.Thea felt instant relief when the man said that, if he could be convinced with money, then…“If we can reach a deal,” Lucian answered, and the man smirked.Something was wrong, seriously wrong. His e
Thea's head felt as if it was going to split in pain as she began to regain her consciousness. She groaned and tried to shift wondering why she was having another hangover when she didn't even remember drinking. That's when the memory of her last moment of consciousness hit her brutally like a slap.Thea opened her eyes frantically looking around her. In a panicked move that did nothing but kick her back to the concrete ground with a hard thud as her hands remained tied behind her back unable to do anything to block the impact.The air got knocked from her lungs and she gritted her teeth looking around her trying to distinguish where she was only to hear a voice from near her."Hey... It's okay, don't move abruptly,"Thea turned around and felt her eyes well up with tears as she looked into the blue eyes she had been trying so hard to avoid for more than a month."What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up this time succeeding as she maneuvered herself up."We were kidnapped. I
"What the hell did you just do?" Thea looked back at her friend to find her looking at her with a deep frown as she held her phone in her hand mid-gesture as if she was too shocked to continue what she was doing."I asked him to leave..." Thea answered simply and Pen sighed."I know. I was there. But why would you do this? He came all the way here from his meeting and raised hell because they took you in like this,""Well. that's all pretense. We're supposed to be a loving couple after all. I just don't want him involved too much in my problems," Thea stated as she turned around intending to walk outside."Are you okay with this?" Pen asked."Of course. This is for the best," She stated feeling a pang in her chest at the words she uttered.Somehow, she could see Lucian's blue gaze as it filled with hurt when she asked him to leave. His face as he looked up at her on the stairs telling her that he wanted to be with her. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Didn't you go a bit too far
Everything was a lie… Every single thing. Every moment, every word, and every touch. Even the sincere moments of consolation that drew out her strength, and the silly fights over small things. It was all a well-orchestrated scheme to make her hopelessly fall in love. How ridiculous is that? Just how much effort did it have to take to make her believe this? A pang rang through Thea’s chest as she felt the moment of realization she had been avoiding for more than a month draw near. “Did you hear what I just said, Professor Keaton?” The detective asked and Thea looked at him a bit out of it trying to gather her thoughts. “Sorry, can you repeat that?” She asked as she looked at him. “I was asking if you knew something about the money. Your uncle keeps insisting that you used it for illegal activities and we can’t find any trace of it in your accounts,” the detective said making Thea sigh. “As I said for the fifth time. There are no unusual activities and the money went to charity,” s
"Professor... Professor Keaton!" Thea was startled as she looked back at her student who was looking at her with a worried expression on her face."Yes... Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment there," She said with a soft smile."You seem more tired after coming from your honeymoon, Professor. Are you sure that you're okay?" She insisted and Thea smiled at the young woman and nodded."Of course, I was just thinking about something. did you want something?" She asked."Oh, yes. There was another bouquet for you from your husband. I left it in your new office, and the data from last week's tests are out," She said with a sly smile as she handed her the results printed on a document.As she looked down at it to find a little envelope on top."This is.." She began only to find her student already walking away with a grin."Came with the flowers!" She announced as she disappeared into the other side of the lab.She lifted the envelope to find her name written on it with the distinct
Lucian woke up with a start as his hand slipped from the edge of the table making him lose his equilibrium. Looking around him, he sighed when he realized that he was still sitting in the kitchen with the lights on waiting before his silent phone.He had returned home that evening from work eager to try and have dinner with Thea, knowing that she should be home before him. As he waited and waited, he realized that Thea was probably dining outside and had his meal in lonely silence mulling over how to win her over again.Walking through the house, he sighed at the unfamiliarity of the place. It was a new house even for him. A place he had been hoping to live in with her. Now that he was, he realized that just living with her was never going to be enough. Because even though she was by his side, she felt farther away than when she disappeared last month.Reaching for his phone, he took a deep breath and tapped the screen calling her phone. The call went straight to voicemail. Worry star
Thea walked into the coffee shop looking around for her friend. She waved at her from across the room, and as she was walking toward her, she could see that she wasn't alone.Thea paused giving an exasperated sigh as she glared at the grinning, other person, who wasn't supposed to be there. Instead of looking guilty or even bothered, he smiled at her and lifted his cup in greeting.Thea looked at the door ready to walk outside, but the sight of the mint tea waiting for her on the table made her hesitate. Making a split-moment decision, she gave in to temptation and sat down reaching for the cup and inhaling the fresh herbal scent."Told you that the tea would be a good bait..." Peter said with a smirk and Pen sighed."Sorry. He insisted on coming as soon as he knew that we were meeting," She said.Thea took a sip from her tea and savored it completely ignoring the two."Well, she's not answering my calls and she's never in her office when I visit. If I go to her house, Lucian will pro