Chapter 183

Lucas's POV

I watched her resolved face, the sight sending a sharp pain through my chest. At this point, I could only make one final promise: "If I can't keep you safe through this, I'll marry Rachel. I'll never disturb your life again."

I knew I was gambling everything on this last hope. My heart pounded as I waited for her response, watching as she seemed to struggle with words before choosing silence.

I could guess what she was thinking. Ever since she'd discovered my deception about Milo and Stella - while deliberately getting close to her - she'd lost all trust in me. She surely believed I'd approached her purely for revenge: revenge for her disappearance years ago, revenge for abandoning kids without a backward glance.

The rational demeanor she maintained broke my heart, watching her deliberately deny herself any chance of getting close to me again. I understood. After Ian, then encountering someone like me, she was exhausted. In her life now, besides Milo and Stella, she refused to trust anyone.

"Fine," she agreed with resignation, her expression unchanged. I could tell she wasn't agreeing out of trust in me.

But just getting her agreement made me delighted. I knew her well enough as a businesswoman to recognize she'd accepted this as a transaction after weighing the pros and cons. At least this way, she could ensure her safety and avoid unwarranted imprisonment.

At her agreement, I felt myself slowly exhale. I had to admit, my palms had been sweating with anxiety.

"Let's look at the case," she said, handing me the files with clinical detachment, clearly unwilling to discuss anything else.

I took the documents and began studying them carefully. The situation was even more complex than I'd anticipated, each detail revealing the intricate nature of our opponents' planning. After a long while, I finally spoke: "Mind if I take a copy?"

"No," she replied, keeping it brief.

"Thank you." My voice rised and my gratitude was genuine, even in this professional exchange of case files.

Her expression changed slightly at my excited response, but it quickly faded back to a blank stare.

"I should go. I'll call you the moment I have any progress," I said, not wanting to waste any more precious time.

"I only have two weeks," she reminded me from behind.

"I know." My response was firm, certain.

I forced myself to maintain a composed expression as I left, not wanting her to see my anxiety. But the moment I was out of her sight, my pace quickened. The case was indeed challenging, but I couldn't let her down. This might be my last chance.

In the car, I was already mentally dissecting every detail of the case. I knew these two weeks would be a race against time, and I had to win. Because this time, losing wasn't an option.

Serena's POV

I kept my head down, studying the case details, but I could feel Eleanor's steady gaze on me. Without looking up, I asked quietly, "What do you want to say?"

"Well, about my brother..." she began tentatively.

I didn't cut her off. Perhaps my earlier conversation with Lucas had shifted something subtle in my emotions.

Sensing my tacit permission, Eleanor seemed to find her courage. "The marriage to Rachel - he's being backed into a corner. I know he hasn't handled things perfectly between you and Rachel, but how could he? When he started pursuing you, he had no idea the Thornes were harboring these intentions. If he'd known, he would have dealt with them first before even thinking about approaching you."

I listened silently, feeling a familiar bitterness rise in my chest. Eleanor continued, her words coming faster now. "But once feelings developed between you two, and the Thornes learned about your existence, there was almost no way for you to stay completely clear of the Lucas-Rachel situation. Well, there was one way - if Lucas immediately cut all ties with you and agreed to be with Rachel. But he doesn't love her. Even if you weren't in the picture, he would never marry her."

She leaned forward slightly, her expression earnest. "Ironically, your presence became the Thornes' leverage against him. They must have realized how important you are to Lucas, which is why they're targeting you to force his hand. I'm not blaming you, please don't think that. I'm just trying to explain how difficult this is for him."

Watching Eleanor's anxious explanation, I understood her concern. She didn't want me to hate her brother; she wanted me to understand the pressure he was under.

"And I can promise you this," her voice grew remarkably firm, "my brother would sacrifice anything to keep you safe. Please don't be too hard on him? It would break his heart."

"I'm not making things difficult for him," I replied evenly, my voice carefully neutral. "We've reached an agreement about how to proceed civilly."

"What agreement?" she asked immediately, curiosity evident in her voice.

I didn't want to keep secrets from Eleanor, but I also didn't want her worrying more about our situation. "We'll discuss it later."

I could sense Eleanor picking up on my continued resistance regarding her brother, heard her soft sigh.

*Matters of the heart were difficult for outsiders to fully grasp, even those closest to us.*

"Oh, right," she suddenly perked up, as if remembering something important.

I lifted my head to look at her.

"My brother has a journal - did you know about it?" she said.

"Hmm?" This was completely new information to me.

"I snuck a peek at it once," she continued, watching me intently. "I vaguely remember him writing about this girl. He mentioned she was really athletic - excellent at swimming and running."

At those words, my heart skipped a beat.