Chapter 70 Let Her Fill In The Blanks

Chapter 70 Let Her Fill In The Blanks
Lucas's POV

I had fallen asleep on the couch in the sitting room, still fully dressed from the night before. My mind had been too wound up to bother going to my own bed, replaying every second of the humiliation from the party over and over until exhaustion finally won.

The sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs pulled me out of my light sleep. I opened my eyes just as the guard I had assigned to take care of Haley came into view, his clothes ruffled and expression clearly shaken.

He froze the moment he spotted me sitting there.

"Sir," he said, his voice trembling slightly as he gave a quick, nervous bow, sweat visible along his hairline despite the early morning chill.

I didn't bother returning the greeting. I sat up slowly, studying his face for a long moment before speaking. Whatever he had gone through keeping Haley calm through the night clearly hadn't been easy, judging by how rattled and exhausted he looked standing there.

"You're leaving the country today," I said flatly. "Everything will be arranged for you."

His eyes widened in shock. "Sir, I... My parents are old and sickly, I'm the only one taking care of them. I can't just leave them behind, please."

I gave him a cold, thin smile that didn't reach my eyes at all.

"Then I suppose you have a choice to make," I said calmly. "You can board that flight this morning, or you can stay here and watch what happens to your parents instead. Either way, you won't be staying in this city, and this conversation isn't up for negotiation."

His face drained of color almost instantly. He understood exactly what I meant without needing further explanation. Men who worked for me learned quickly that my threats were never empty ones.

"I'll go, Sir," he said quickly, bowing again, deeper this time, his hands trembling slightly at his sides. "I'll leave immediately, I swear it."

"Someone is already waiting outside to take you to the airport," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't waste any more time standing here."

He nodded frantically and hurried toward the front door without another word, disappearing outside within seconds.

I closed my eyes again once the door shut, rubbing my forehead with two fingers, frustration building steadily behind my temples.

Everything about last night had been a disaster from start to finish. Months of careful planning with my business partners, all unraveling because of one reckless, humiliating scene at a party. I had worked too hard building that image, the calm, reliable boyfriend from a respectable family, only for Haley to shatter it in front of everyone that mattered.

I thought about the faces of my partners as they watched Haley scream and claw at her own dress, the way their polite smiles had turned into barely concealed disgust. Months of careful dinners and golf trips, all of it undone in ten humiliating minutes. I would need to reach out to each of them personally, smooth things over, maybe offer better terms just to keep them from walking away entirely.

She really was nothing but bad luck. Every single time I thought I had things under control, she found some new way to ruin it. First it was the constant demands for attention, then the jealousy over every woman who so much as looked at me, and now this. A public spectacle that could cost me everything I had spent years building.

I sat there for a long while, running through the possible damage control I still needed to handle, letting my thoughts spiral through one problem after another as the sky slowly brightened outside the windows.

Eventually, I heard footsteps on the stairs again. I didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

Haley appeared a moment later, looking exhausted, her hair messy, dark circles shadowing her eyes. She still looked pale from whatever the drug had put her through, her steps slightly unsteady as she crossed the room toward me. She spotted me immediately and walked straight over, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug before I could react.

"Thank you," she murmured against my chest, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for staying with me and taking care of me last night. I don't know what I would have done without you."

She pulled back slightly and looked up at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, searching my face like she was looking for reassurance.

"I feel so lucky," she said softly. "To have someone who loves me as much as you do. Not many men would have stayed by my side through something like that."

She buried her face back into my chest, holding onto me like I was the only steady thing left in her world.

I kept my expression soft, caring, and gentle as usual

"I only did what I had to do," I said gently, stroking her hair. "You're mine to protect, Haley. I wouldn't hesitate to lay down my own life for you if it came to that."

Inside, I felt nothing close to what my words suggested. If anything, the thought of holding her right now, after everything that happened last night, made my skin crawl slightly. Still, letting her believe I had personally taken care of her the entire night, comforting her through it, was far too useful an opportunity to pass up.

Her gratitude was a tool, and I intended to use it properly. A woman who believed she owed her life to me would be far easier to control going forward.

Haley sniffled, clearly touched by my words, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over. She sobbed quietly against me for a moment before pulling back to wipe her face, her makeup already smudged from all that happened last night.

"I don't remember much of last night," she admitted quietly, wiping at her eyes. "It's all blurry, just flashes here and there. But I remember your voice, feeling safe whenever you were near and how you showered me with your love nonstop."

I simply nodded, letting her fill in the blanks however she wanted…It was easier that way.

"It had to be Eva," she said suddenly, her voice hardening. "She's the only one who hates me enough to do something like this. She must have switched the drinks somehow."

"Are you certain about that?" I asked carefully, keeping my tone neutral, watching her reaction closely for anything she might let slip.

"Who else would it be?" Haley snapped, though there was more hurt in her voice than actual anger. "Nobody else at that party hates me the way she does. She's always been jealous of me, of everything I have. My father's attention, this relationship…all of it."

"You might be right," I said, mostly to keep her talking rather than out of genuine agreement.

Then she paused, her brows knitting together as something seemed to click in her mind.

"Wait," she said slowly. "Sasha was the one who had the drinks brought over last night. Eva never even went near the bar, so she couldn't have switched anything, could she?"

I felt my jaw tighten slightly at that, though I kept my expression neutral.

"My sister wouldn't do something like that," I said firmly. "Especially not something that would humiliate our own family in front of half the city. Think about it, Haley…Our reputation took just as much damage as yours did last night. Why would she deliberately drag her own name through the mud along with yours?"

"I don't know," Haley admitted, chewing on her bottom lip, clearly torn between her suspicion and my words. "It just doesn't make sense that Eva could have done it if she never even touched the drinks that night."

"Maybe the waitress made a mistake," I offered smoothly. "Maybe someone else entirely paid her off…someone we haven't even considered yet. There's no reason to jump straight to conclusions about my sister without any real proof behind it."

"Maybe you're right," she said quietly after a moment. "I just don't know who else it could have been."

Before I could respond, the front door burst open and one of my guards rushed inside, his expression filled with urgency, his breathing slightly uneven like he had run the entire way from the front gate.

I straightened immediately, my earlier calm replaced with sharp attention. Haley pulled back from me slightly, turning to look at the guard as well, confusion flickering across her tired face.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice sharp.

The guard hesitated for half a second, his eyes flickering briefly toward Haley before he finally spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"Sir, the Mayor has sent people to bring Miss Monroe home.”