Lucas’ POV
I sat with Maddie in the restaurant of the hotel, waiting to hear who this man after her was and to speak to her about her shares and more. At the back of my mind, I hoped she agreed to this but with my idea, she should be able to.
“I met him in college. He was an assistant to one of my professors. He is pretty intelligent and all. I had a crush on him, and I always wanted to hang out with him. We started to date in my final year in college and I started to dread leaving him.” She paused to take a sip out of the coffee she had between her hands. When she dropped the cup, she chuckled. “I was a naive girl then. My parents wanted me home so I can start working at our family company. Sometimes, I wished my dad was like those fathers who didn’t want their daughters near family business, but he wasn’t.”
I thought about what she had just said. Jackie and I were having
Lucas’ POVI didn’t want to believe him. He could be lying. There was no way, absolutely no way this was true. Dad could never do this. Even though I knew him as an uncle, he could never do such a thing. He was a kind man, a man full of laughter and jokes. There was no way he abandoned Matt and whoever his mother was.“I know you don’t believe me because you were dad’s favorite,” he said with strong venom in his tone. “I was born two years before you were born, and I knew nothing at my age. All I remember was my mother taking care of me until I turned thirteen. The only memories I have of that man was how he fought with my mother every time he visited. How my mother cried every night. I hated him so much. I hated him with my whole heart and wanted him gone.”I could see the raw anger and hate swimming in his eyes. It was scary. His eyes were darker, and it made him appear feral.“When I found out he died, I was happy. I was glad because it was better, he was dead than for me to know I
Jackie’s POVI still could not believe that Cindy had left Paul with me. Since yesterday it has been like a nasty dream. I wanted to wake up and pretend that everything that had happened so far was just a dream, including whatever troubles Lucas was going through. I couldn’t even focus on my studies or classes. Worst of all, Matt had not shown up for the presentation of the project which I was glad about, but the only problem was we ended up with a C on the project. It was better than nothing as far as he was nowhere near me.After my class ended, I went to Andrea who was holding Paul, since Evangeline was not around to take care of him, and Jared was busy with whatever he had. On seeing me, Paul started to kick his tiny legs. It made me smile, happy that he knew nothing of how his mother had abandoned him. It made me wish he didn’t grow up to find out the nasty truth of how he was abandoned. The stories I heard about parents leaving their kids felt different but experiencing it was a
Jackie’s POV“Darrell,” I repeated, testing the name on my tongue while he smiled, nodding. “Do you go to our college?”Darrell shook his head. “I was there to meet someone when I saw you bent over your car. I got worried when I saw you were pregnant. So, I helped.”I was glad someone was around to help because I didn’t know who to call out to at that moment. It was rare for a stranger like him to go out of his way to help me and even stay with me until now, with Paul included. He seemed like a nice guy.“I am sorry for keeping you from meeting the person you wanted to see.”“Nah, it’s alright. I already called them.”I looked around the bed before spotting my phone, which I wanted, on the small bedside table by my left-hand side. I grabbed it and swiped through to call Lucas, hoping that he would answer my calls this time. I was not liking how he was ignoring my calls ever since he went to Rochester. Moments like this needed us to stay in touch with one another and not keep things aw
Lucas’ POVI was beginning to regret having this girl in on my plan. I could tell she was attracted to me. And it was not going to be good if I wanted us to be partners under the family company. All I wanted was to have people on my side and not catch an infidelity case.Something told me Jackie had heard her speak because when I returned to the call, it had ended. I was worried that she overhead what Maddie had said to me, and I knew I was in deep shit. Looking back at the girl sitting on the couch across my bed, I began to think the name Maddie was cursed.“So, I spoke to my dad about it, and he says he is aware of the meeting back at Hamilton Inc. He told me he isn’t interested in selling his shares to anyone but when I mentioned that you were Lucas Hamilton, he became shocked. He said something about you finally coming to your senses. Do you know my dad or something?”I perked up at the last few words she had uttered. I didn’t know who her father was, so it was surprising to me ho
Lucas’ POVI would know him anywhere. I would know the man I once thought was my uncle, anywhere, even though he had an identical twin brother. But the shock of seeing him made me freeze. I was told he had died yet he was in front of me, alive and staring up at me. My heart was leaping fast and a rush of cold flowed over me.In fear, I stepped back, almost stripping on the steps. I eyed the man lying on the steps with wonder and curiosity flowing through me. He was dead but how was he alive?“You’re not Henry,” I said with a shaky voice.“What?” I heard Ruth say.“Lucas,” Mom called to me from behind.I had so many questions the more I looked at him. If he had been alive all these years, why had he abandoned me? Why did he stay away when I needed a father? My eyes started to prickle, and my heart burned when anger and sadness filled me up.
Chapter’s Soundtrack: Let You Go by Morgan PageJackie’s POVI was stalling.Ever since Darrell showed me the picture, I invited him in and have stayed in the bedroom I shared with the man I thought was my everything. I still believed he was my everything, but the recent happenings made me think otherwise. The picture matched with the words I heard from the Maddie girl from before. My heart was hurting, and my eyes were threatening to spill tears. I was scared of what Darrell had to say about Lucas.A part of me believed he would never hurt me. But then again, our relationship was still new and not even up to a year, we were still new adults and Lucas had still been sleeping with women months ago before we started dating. The train of my thoughts made me wonder the possibilities.What if I was just another woman for him? We had a lot more years ahead of us and anything could happen.When Paul turned on the large bed, I sighed and covered him with his baby blanket before walking to the
Lucas’ POVDad and I have been talking for hours, catching up on the things that happened years ago and currently in our lives. I told him all about the struggles I went through, the things have been up to, especially how I made enough money through racing and the shares I had in the company. He was all smiles as I told him everything and it felt so good to have someone like him with me. Before I knew him as my real father, I always loved his presence. He had been my best uncle and now I was with him, as his real son, I felt even more happy and relaxed in his presence.“Lucas,” he said in his soft voice. “I am so proud of you.”My heart fluttered at those words. So many times, I wished the man I thought was my father would say them to me. I used to hear Henry say those words to Axel and it always hurt but now, I got to hear them from my real father. I had to bite my lip and take a deep breath to control my tears.“I always wanted to hear those words,” I said, and he placed his hand on
Jackie’s POVAs I turned my head on the bed, I felt a dull headache and forced my eyes open, chasing the heavy feeling of sleep way. My eyelids were heavy and narrowed, as well as swollen. Dry crusts were pinching my eyes and my throat felt like I swallowed sand. I remembered crying before I slept all because of Lucas. My heart ached once again when I remembered why.He was cheating on me.I wanted to still believe he wasn’t cheating but when bad boys fell, trouble followed. I wanted to hate myself so much for being so careless with him, with my heart, with my body. I fell hard for his charms and now he was cheating, with a girl that was the type of girls he hung out with in high school and possibly in college; pretty, popular and rich.I pushed the images forming in my head away and rolled over to my other side. My waist felt heavy, and my bulging stomach made me feel uncomfortable. As the days clocked by, the changes from my pregnancy became more prominent. Every part of my body fel
Jackie’s POV“Evangeline, please.”I laughed at the way Matt had spoken. He was so down bad for Evangeline who gave him an incredulous look. I watched him wrap his arms around her waist and put his face in her neck. I could see that Evangeline was blushing from his touch, and it made me happy for her. At least, Matt has become a new man and no longer the person he was, plus, he made her happy even though she still played hard to get. I shipped them so hard. The day they announced that they were dating, I would rejoice.“Are you done?”I looked away from the duo to Andrea who was pointing at the sliced apples on the chopping board. In her arms was Paul, who was sucking on his pacifier. He grinned when he noticed my attention was on me, making my heart melt.“Lucas’ mom wants to see you,” Andrea said, and confusion filled.“Me?” I pointed at my chest. “Do you know why?”“Girl, I don’t know. She just wants to talk to you about something.”I dropped the knife I was holding and wiped my han
Chapter’s Soundtrack Love Me Hard by Elly DuheLucas’ POVI felt the dawn of a new day and opened my eyes. There was slight darkness in the room as my eyes took in the expanse of the room. I yawned and tried to stretch, only to feel a weight on my arm. I blinked and looked down, then smiled at the sight of Jackie sleeping in my arms. My heart fluttered at the feel of her body resting against mine, fitting perfectly.I held my breath when she moved and moaned before cuddling me more. I pressed my lips against her head and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. I looked at the hand that was fisted on my bare chest then took it, lacing it with mine. I brought her hand close to my face and kissed the knuckles of her hand. I opened her hand and pressed her soft palm on my cheek before nuzzling it with my nose.She moaned and moved in my arms again, making me stop what I was doing. She moved her head against my chest, rubbing her nose on it before raising her head off it. I smiled when she co
Lucas' POVI knew trying to trigger Henry was the wrong move but seeing Matt and Jackie with me gave me the courage to know that we would all walk out alive, but it seemed as if I was wrong as I watched him pull the trigger. The first thing that came to my mind was to protect Jackie, and how a repeat of what happened was about to repeat itself.But what I did not expect was for Matt to stand between us and Henry, taking the bullet. When he dropped to the ground, it felt as if everywhere around me went dark. My heart squeezed from fear and worry as I stared down at his body that lay unmoving on the floor.When Jackie screamed, I snapped out of my state and looked up with rage coursing through my veins. Henry was stiff from shock, and I took that as an opportunity to dash my way to him. I hit the and that held the gun, sending it flying away. Before he could react, I hit him in the face. I barely had any strength but adrenaline to finish off Henry was in me. I had the urge to kill him,
Jackie’s POVFear was back.I could feel the fear just as I could feel the weight of the gun against my cheek as he began to count from number one. I looked away from Lucas to the side to try to stare at the monster. He had a nasty smile on his face, a maniacal one that reminded me of Maddy’s. It was crazy how there were psychopaths moving with us. Why couldn’t my love life have jealous exes who did not murder and crazy family members who didn’t just like their child’s partner?“Three… You’re not saying anything, son.”He needed to stop calling him that.My heart skipped a beat when he dug the mouth of the gun into my cheek, making me feel pain there. I gritted my teeth and tried to look over my shoulder at Matt. What was that fucker doing? He needed to cut the man off per our agreement.“Tw—”“Wait,” Matt said, getting our attention.I let out a sigh of relief and thanked the heavens when he left my head and let me fall back to the floor. I crawled over to Lucas’ feet and held his an
Jackie’s POVI felt like I was going crazy from all the influx of emotions inside of me.Anger, sadness, guilt, worry and shame.They were at war within me as I tried to clear my mind, to remain sane, to be hopeful. I was forcing myself to believe that it was not my fault. I was not at fault for losing Drake and was about to lose Lucas too. I felt so stupid all because I wanted to get a few school items. If I had just waited a little more, or forgot about it, a stranger would not have snuck into our home and taken my child.Tears formed in my eyes, and I let them fall, heating up my cold cheeks. I sniffled and began to cry softly. I had no idea what condition Drake and Lucas were in while I sat in comfort. I hated feeling useless. I wished I could do something to save Lucas and Drake, but I was useless. I was barely healed from childbirth and that made me even more angry.I curled my body on the bed and cried harder, trying to force the pain in my heart to seize. I grabbed a handful o
Lucas’ POVPain, dullness and a slight feverish feeling was heavy on me as I struggled to open my eyes. I started to feel confused, wondering where I was and what had happened, especially why it felt as if I could not move. My chest felt heavy and at the same time, it felt as if I could not feel one side of my body.I opened my eyes and hissed as an ache hit my head. I blinked multiple times before my eyes opened properly. I raised my head and groaned when my arm hurt so badly. I looked at the arm and saw that the sleeve of my jacket was stained with blood.“Finally awake?” A deep voice asked.I tried to sit up and grunted when I realized that I was tied to the spot I was sitting in. I looked down at my body and saw a thick rope tied around my torso, arms and legs. I raised my gaze to the person and frowned when I saw Henry. He was sitting on a couch across the room, holding a gun and a glass of wine.“Untie me, you bastard,” I demanded, and he laughed with a shake of his head.“I kno
Lucas’ POVI didn’t know how I boarded a flight back to Atherton, but I did and throughout, it felt like my soul was not in my body. I felt empty with only fear and anxiety as I was trying to understand how my son was kidnapped. Everything around me felt as if I was in some type of bad dream that I desperately wanted to wake up from.Jared was beside me on the plane, trying to calm me down but his words were either distant or jumbled up. All I could think of was Drake. What was anyone doing when such happened? Was Jackie okay? Was anyone harmed? I needed answers.Almost two hours later, I arrived at Atherton and booked a ride home. The moment we arrived at our destination, I rushed out of the car, leaving Jared to pay for the ride. There were cops parked in front of the house and my heart only picked up from fear.Jackie.I ran into the house and was met with more cops in the living room and a crying Ruth sitting on the couch. I went over to her and fell on my knees in front of her.“
Lucas’ POVI returned to Rochester the following day the moment Ruth came to Atherton, saying she wanted to see her nephew. She was still pensive about Cindy’s son, Paul. She hated Cindy right from the beginning, even before Paul was conceived and her hatred now made more sense to her than before. So, when she texted me that she was in Atherton to see her nephew and not nephews, I knew what she meant. I already made her understand that hating a child that had nothing to do with how nasty his real mother was made no sense and she just told me she didn’t hate the boy.I just didn’t want any more bad blood between our families as our generation needed to move on and make amends from the damages created by our older family members. Which was why I was still stunned and somewhat relieved when the person who bought the night racing group was Matt Jefferson. I never knew the fucker had it in him to be good for fucking once.A knock on my office door made me blink out of my thoughts. I cleare
Jackie’s POVEver since I saw the email stating that the scholarship I had applied for was a success, I have not been in the right state of mind. All I could think about was what Lucas would say or how he would react to the news.Looking at him now, it was hard to tell what he was thinking because of how blank his expression was as he read through the paper again and again. I knew this was going to be difficult. I had applied for the scholarship after Andrea sent me a link to the school since her family knew the dean. When I applied for it, I never thought he and I would get back with each other. I was scared now that we were back together. The scholarship would keep me out of the continent for years and it made me worried with fear.“Lucas?” I said his name softly.I watched the edges of his mouth twitch before it expanded into a smile. I was confused for a second before he looked up at me with an even bigger smile on his face. He opened his arms like before and I got even more confu