Chapter 50 Fifty.

Chapter 50 Fifty.
LUCAS

I sat behind my desk, my shoulders tight, my fingers loosely clasped as I stared at the dark wood surface as though it might offer answers I wasn’t ready to face. The study was silent, but my mind wasn’t. It hadn’t been for weeks.

My pulse still hadn’t steadied, and that alone irritated me more than the argument, the kiss, or the way Valerie had fled.

I had told myself the kiss hadn’t meant anything. I’d told myself that as I walked to my study, as if repetition could turn a lie into the truth.

The distance between Valerie and me hadn’t been accidental. It had been deliberate. Carefully calculated. Necessary—or so I had told myself.

And yet, the harder I tried to push her away, the more relentlessly she occupied my thoughts. She slipped into my head uninvited, lingering in quiet moments, haunting spaces I had always believed were under my control.

It had been hell.

What unsettled me most wasn’t the argument in the kitchen. It wasn’t even the kiss. It was the way my chest had tightened when she said she was going downstairs.

When she mentioned Vanessa again.

When she spoke of ending things as though it were simple. As though it wouldn’t tear something open inside me.

I knew she wasn’t wrong.

Delaying fulfilling the contract terms until Vanessa returned was the logical thing to do. It had always been the plan. Valerie had only been following what had been decided from the very beginning—acting according to the contract, according to reason.

And yet…

I hadn’t wanted to hear it from her.

That truth sat heavy in my chest, stubborn and unyielding.

Somewhere beneath pride and denial, I knew I had been at fault. I had taken her innocence that night—taken her trust—and then dismissed it with cruelty disguised as control.

I had called it a mistake because it had been easier than facing what it meant.

Now, the thought of her leaving once Vanessa returned twisted painfully in my chest.

I leaned back in my chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling as though distance might grant me some clarity.

A sharp knock jolted me from the spiral of my thoughts.

“Come in,” I said, my voice low.

The doorknob twisted, and Logan stepped inside, a file tucked under his arm. He closed the door behind him; the soft click echoed in the study.

I exhaled and tilted my head back, eyes shut briefly.

“Hey, Lucas,” he greeted.

I sighed but didn’t respond.

“I called earlier,” he pressed. “You didn’t pick up.”

Another sigh escaped me. Silence stretched. I could feel him watching, but he didn’t prod.

He opened the file anyway. “Investor briefing rescheduled. Shipping approvals are sorted. Legal finalized the Delacroix merger amendments. Accounts balanced. I’ve kept the board informed, as instructed.”

I nodded absentmindedly, though I wasn’t listening. My mind wandered back to the kitchen—to the weight of Valerie’s words, the flare in her eyes, the way she had said she was done.

How she had looked at me like she already knew she mattered more than I had ever allowed myself to admit.

“Lucas Castillo!”

The slam of the file on the desk jolted me upright. I lifted my head, arched a brow, meeting Logan’s gaze.

“You’ve been gone for a while. What’s happening?” Logan’s eyes flicked to my arm. “Pain acting up?”

I stayed quiet.

He stood, glanced toward the door. “I can call Dr. Cortez… or inform Valerie—”

“No.” My hand shot out, catching his wrist before he could move. “I’m fine. Honestly. This… has nothing to do with my arm.”

Logan studied me, his frown deepening. “Then… what is it?”

My chest rose and fell rapidly, lips parting, words trapped. “…It’s Valerie,” I finally admitted, voice low, almost a whisper.

The shock on his face was immediate. His eyes widened. His lips parted slightly. He blinked rapidly, clearly unprepared for this admission.

And there I sat, exposed, letting the name linger between us.

Logan leaned back in the leather chair, hand resting on his chin, giving me his full attention. “So… what about Valerie?”

I ran a hand over my face and exhaled sharply. “She… she wants to end things. The contract. She’s done.”

“And isn’t that what this has always been about? She’s just a substitute, Lucas. Once Vanessa returns, you both go your separate ways, and you and Vanessa live happily ever after.”

I felt a flash of heat, my jaw tightening. “I don’t care about the plan anymore. I do not want her to leave.”

“Really? And why is that?” Logan asked, leaning forward.

I stared at the dark wood of my desk. “I… I don’t know why. But I know if she leaves, it won’t just be the contract ending… it’ll feel like losing something I can’t replace.”

Logan shook his head slowly. “Come on, man. Vanessa’s the one you’ve been waiting for.”

I turned my head sideways, glaring at the thought. “It’s been a year and six months since Vanessa left… without a trace, without explanation. The least she could’ve done was tell me why she ran away, not leave me sidelined like this.”

I exhaled sharply, anger heating my chest. “And Valerie… She helped my mom, even when she could’ve refused, especially after I’ve been nothing but cruel to her from the start. I don’t understand why she agreed to take Vanessa’s place, but I know she didn’t do it entirely of her own free will.”

“She even tried to stop my parents, stop the contract. Do you know how much that scared me? If I hadn’t stopped her, who knows how things would’ve ended last night.”

I looked away, my jaw tight.

Logan leaned forward. “I’m glad you’re beginning to see things for what they really are. But… why not just end it? Let her go. You sound guilty. You have the power to end this now—free her.”

“I just… can’t,” I said, my eyes lifting to meet his, silent but resolute.

He studied me. “Then what do you want?”

“I want her,” I said, voice tight, almost breaking. “I don’t want her to go.”

Logan nodded slowly. “Now, let’s figure out the next move. Is that okay?”

I gave a small, tense nod.

He sighed, leaned back again, hand on his chin. Then a grin tugged at his lips.

“Do you love Valerie, Lucas?”

Shock froze me. My lips parted; nothing came out at first before realization hit me. Why else does the thought of her leaving scare me so much?

I'm in love with Valerie. I've fallen for her. “Yes. Yes, I do, Logan. So much.”

Logan’s grin widened. He let go of my hand and leaned back fully in the chair.

“Perfect. Go get your woman, man, before someone slips her out of your hands.”