Chapter 28

''You look beautiful my dear.'' Lucas smiled.

Everytime he set eyes on Kiara, he couldn't believe that their marriage had worked. It was very surprising to say the least and seeing her everytime just told him that he actually had something going for her. Prior to all of this, he had thought that he would completely hate her, even going as far as bad mouthing her wherever he went to but he was quite suprised that that wasn't the case. In fact, he fell in love with her more and more. She had this energy in her that always lifted his mood. There wasn't a single day that passed that she wouldn't try to cheer him up and even though she had a fiesty attitude, she always found a way to come back to her normal self.

Sometimes, he had tried talking to her about her father but everytime, he hit a brick wall. She didn't want to talk about him which was understandable because she was still grieving but still, he really wished that he knew what she was thinking about him. She was the strongest person he knew and even though sometimes she showed weakness which was completely normal as humans, she didn't allow it get to her.

Now, they were heading towards a small bar where they were celebrating a mutual friends' birthday party and he was enjoying every bit of their conversation withing his car. They were due to arrive the bar in a few minutes and somehow, Lucas wished that the journey could be extended because he wanted to talk more with her. He feared that as soon as they stopped, all of this would only be a distant memory, forever locked in a corner of his mind.

''You did that?'' Lucas asked, suprise written all over his face.

''Yes, i did. I just had to in that circumstance because there was really nothing else i could do.'' she laughed.

She had been telling him how she had to swin in ice cold water to get to where her phone had fallen just at the edge of the pool she had been swimming in. It was only a miracle her phone hadn't spoilt.

''Sir, we have arrived.'' Lucas' driver announced.

''Oh so soon?'' Kiara smiled.

''Yep. You ready?'' Lucas asked, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

He knew how she didn't do so well among crowds. Contrary to what people might think, the young heiress wasn't really a party freak as the media had painted her. She was actually shy and withdrawn among crowd and especially with the people she didn't know. Lucas had been surprised when he first leant of that and couldn't quite believe it until he had a first hand experience of it. It was true what they said; ''You can't judge a book by its cover. You have to know its content first before judging.''

''I think so.'' she smiled.

Together, they climbed out of the car, heading towards the entrance of the bar. They were flanked by both of their bodyguards and as soon as they stepped out, several papparrazi followed them like bees to honey.

''I don't think i would ever get used to this.'' Kiara chuckled.

Lucas drew her closer, using himself as a human shield around her against the media men who wanted to get every snapshot of them as much as possible. He was already used to it and he knew that it didn't take him by suprise anymore.

''No one gets used to stuffs like this.'' Lucas chuckled.

Finally, with the help of their bodyguards, they were able to get in. The bar was calmer, a sharp contrast to how it was outside. Outside just seemed like a battle field with the many papparazzi's and reporters.

''Oh wow! Cute and beautiful.'' Kiara gushed.

''Yep.'' Lucas simply said.

''Oh shit! I have to use the bathroom real quick.'' Kiara said.

''Really now?'' Lucas asked.

''Yes. Don't worry, i'll find it myself.'' she smiled before walking away quickly.

Lucas shrugged, going over to sit at the bar. He ordered a drink and upon glancing at his watch, he realized that they still had about twenty minutes before the event began.

''Plenty of time to pretend like i don't exist.'' he mummured.

He sat at the bar, nursing his drink and watching the people around him. He wasn't a regular at this bar, but tonight he felt out of place. He knew it was due to the fact that this wasn't his kind of place to be. He was usually found in the more chic and expensive looking places.

As he sat there lost in thought, he noticed a woman sitting next to him. She was beautiful and had a kind smile. He started talking to her, and soon they were deep in conversation and couldn't believe how friendly she was. It just seemed like they had known each other for a while when in reality, it had only been a few minutes. At some point, Kiara had arrived but left when she saw her highschool mate, leaving Lucas to talk to his new found friend.

They talked about everything from their favorite movies to their dreams for the future. John felt a connection with her that he hadn't felt in a long time, a friendship connection with the opposite sex other than Annalise.

As the night went on, the woman ordered Lucas another drink. He didn't realize it at the time, but she had slipped something into his drink - something that would have killed him if he had taken another sip but then, a man walked closer to them, his bodyguard. He was tall and muscular, with a stern expression on his face. He walked straight up to the woman and spoke to her in a hushed voice.

Suddenly, the woman's demeanor changed. She stood up quickly and grabbed her purse. Lucas watched in confusion as she hurried out of the bar, leaving him alone with his bodyguard.

He had seen the woman slip something into Lucas' drink and had acted quickly to save his life. Lucas was shocked and grateful at the same time. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the danger he was in.

His bodyguard called the police, and the woman was arrested for attempted murder. Lucas was shaken by the experience but also relieved. He knew he had been saved by a his most trusted man and he would never forget the debt he owed to the man who had saved his life. It wa something that he would forever remember because it meant a lot to him.

''What the hell?! That was really scary.'' Kiara shook.

The incident had caused a ruckus among everyone who was within the bar at that period. She couldn't quite believe that her husband had almost died. If it hadn't been for his guard, he would have died and nothing would be done about it.

''Its okay baby, i'm fine. Its okay.'' Lucas said, still a bit shaken.

As more investigations were carried out, they were made to understand that the woman had worked alone but still, Lucas knew that there was something behind it. The woman had been sent probably by one of his enemies, that was just something that hammered in his mind. And with that thought in his mind, Lucas made up his mind to see the woman the following day in the cell she had been held. He wouldn't tell Kiara because he knew she would dissuade him from going but he had to because he wanted to get to the root of this.

*************************

As the Lucas approached the cell, he could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. He had never been in a situation like this before, and he was unsure of what to expect.

The woman sat on a small cot in the corner of the cell, her eyes fixed on the ground. She looked up as he approached, but didn't say anything. There was no single emotion in her eyes and Lucas had a feeling that she might not even know what was happening around her.

"Why did you want to poison me?" Lucas asked, his voice shaking slightly.

The woman looked at him for a moment before speaking. "I didn't want to poison you," she said softly. "I was trying to poison someone else."

Lucas raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Who were you trying to poison?"

"My husband," the woman said. "He's been abusive to me for years. I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to try and get rid of him. But I made a mistake and used the wrong poison."

Lucas felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to be in her situation. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had no idea."

The woman looked at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Why are you sorry?" she asked.

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "I'm sorry that you felt like you had to resort to something like that," he said. "No one deserves to be treated like that."

The woman looked down at the ground again, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Lucas stood there for a moment longer, unsure of what to say. Finally, he turned and walked away, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions all pointing to the fact that there was still something here that he was missing and in that moment, he decided to find out what it was.