Chapter 1778
Drawing in a steady breath, he straightened his posture, his tone now calm but no less resolute. “Tell me, Elwood—if the person you cherished were harmed like this, would you let the person behind it off the hook?”
“Absolutely not!” Elwood shot back, his answer immediate. He would see to it that they paid a price so steep, so excruciating, that it would haunt them like a shadow they could never outrun.
At that moment, everything clicked into place for Elwood. He finally understood Lucas’s actions. If he were in Lucas’s shoes, he would have done the exact same thing.
His expression changed as he gave a slow nod, lips pressed into a line. “Lucas, I understand now. You don’t have to worry—I won’t meddle in this any further. As for the favor I owe Baker, I’ll settle it another way.”
Lucas’s tense shoulders eased as a faint smile touched his lips. Truth be told, he had harbored a quiet fear that Elwood might stand against him for Baker’s sake. And if the Wright family—the most powerful among the four great families in Soling—chose to oppose him head-on, it would be no small storm to weather.
Thankfully, Elwood was a reasonable man.
Just then, Elwood’s voice broke the quiet again—softer this time, tinged with something almost like concern. “Lucas… how’s Belinda doing?”
Hearing this, Lucas eyed Elwood with a hint of confusion. “What do you mean?”
Elwood responded, “I’m saying, considering how Belinda’s parents treated her, she…”
Lucas’s brow furrowed sharply. “Of course she was devastated. Before she turned seventeen, Belinda had never experienced a father’s warmth. Even after Baker acknowledged her, he was cold to her. She leaned on Holley as her emotional rock, only to discover later that her own mother was behind her childhood struggles with weight issues. Belinda was in a really dark place emotionally when she learned that.”
Even now, recalling all that made Lucas’s heart ache, deepening his resentment toward Holley and Baker.
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Elwood, too, felt a heavy sorrow, an indescribable weight pressing on him. He felt as if a sudden, sharp pain had pierced his chest, and he couldn’t quite pinpoint why the emotions hit so hard.
Noticing Elwood’s concern for Belinda, Lucas felt complicated emotions. To put it plainly, he was a touch jealous. After all, Belinda and Elwood got along well, their conversations always flowing easily. Whenever Belinda finished talking with Elwood, she seemed genuinely happy. ? find?novel.net
After leaving the Triumph Consortium, Elwood headed straight home, his mood unmistakably sour.
In the evening, Lucas went to pick up Belinda. She had spent the day at her mentor’s house, helping out until nearly ten. As she slid into the car, she threw her arms around Lucas’s neck, kissed his cheek, and grinned. “Thanks for coming, Lucas! But you don’t need to keep picking me up. I can drive myself home after I’m done.”
Lucas smiled softly. “It’s no bother to come get you.”
After a brief pause, he added, “How about this—if I’m not stuck working late or tied up with something, I’ll drive you here and pick you up every day. If I’m busy, you can handle it yourself.”
Belinda blinked, tilting her head. “Isn’t that a lot for you?”
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