Chapter 12 The schemers
After their laughter, Diana said, “As I said earlier, Emily let him sleep here.”
Emily frowned. “I felt uncomfortable with that. How would it help his case?”
“Think about it,” Diana said quickly. “If we take him home and your dad finds out his plan failed, he might try something worse next time. But if Lucas stays here, it’ll be easy to make it look like he spent the night with a girl. Your dad will think his plan worked.”
Emily hesitated, processing it. The logic made uncomfortable sense. “But…” she said, voice dropping, “what if it wasn’t my dad? What if someone else is targeting him—someone we don’t even know about?” Her eyes shimmered with fear. “What if this is bigger than we think?”
“In that case, let’s just get him another room,” Diana said quickly, already dialing. As the phone rang, she paced a little. “Hello, Bella? It’s Diana. I need a room at the lodge—urgently. My friend is intoxicated. Please send a porter with the key now, and I’ll sort the payment immediately.”
Within two minutes, a porter arrived with the key in hand. With his support, they helped Lucas to room 446. His steps were wobbly, his body limp between them.
As they moved him, he kept mumbling incoherently, “Where’s my cutie? I can’t smell him... bring him back, please...” His voice was laced with longing and confusion, making Emily and Diana exchange a surprise look from time to time.
After laying him gently on the bed and tucking him in, they left the key on the table, jammed the door shut from the outside, and quietly walked away.
Later that night
When Emily walked into the house, her father was in the living room, sipping from a glass of wine. His face lit up when he saw her.
“Emily,” he said with feigned concern, “didn’t your brother come home with you?”
She paused just long enough to recall Diana’s words. “No, Dad. I couldn’t find him. I called, and he sounded drunk... like he was with someone. He told me not to worry and to just head home.”
Her eyes stayed fixed on him—watching. And then she saw it. That flash of satisfaction, the sly glint in his eye as he raised his glass in a mock toast.
“Hee-hah,” he said with a smirk, sipping casually.
Emily’s blood boiled. “Damn it, Dad! Why are you doing this to him?” she snapped.
He looked over with a faux-innocent smile. “Doing what, Emily?” he asked, voice cool as ever.
She clenched her fists, seething inside. But now, she knew. He was the one behind it.
The moment Emily shut her bedroom door, her phone buzzed. It was Diana.
"Hey, how did it go? Did he react as we expected?" Diana asked eagerly.
Emily sighed, flopping onto her bed. “Yeah… it was him, no doubt. He didn’t even try to deny it. But don’t worry, I handled it. He bought the story completely. So the schemer was schemed”
Before Diana could respond, a sudden blast of music boomed through the walls.
“Wait… is that music?” Diana asked, confused. “Is that from your house?”
Emily sat upright, frowning. “What the heck?” She got up and tiptoed to her door, the beat growing louder. Curiosity turned to disbelief as she descended the stairs.
Reaching the living room, she froze.
There was her father, spinning, swaying, and grinning like a teenager, holding a framed photo of their late mother in his hands as he danced.
“Dad?” Emily blinked. “Seriously? It’s almost midnight. Can you not wake the entire neighborhood?”
Her dad twirled, then clutched the picture to his chest. “You don’t get it, Emily! Tonight’s a celebration. Your brother’s becoming a real man. I finally did it. His dick is working now. I got him on track!” He chuckled, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
“Dad, please,” she groaned. “At least turn the volume down.”
“Fine, fine.” He shuffled to the stereo, turned the music down slightly, but kept dancing in slow motion. “I’m just happy, sweetheart. Let me enjoy it, I was afraid he was not a man but now that I know he is, I need to celebrate.”
Emily rolled her eyes in exhaustion. “What the heck is that supposed to mean Dad? You're unbelievable,” she muttered and walked back upstairs.
She returned to her room, put her phone back to her ear, and heard Diana bursting into laughter.
“I can’t breathe,” Diana said, giggling. “Dancing with your mom’s picture? Oh my God, your dad is wild!”
Emily collapsed on the bed and chuckled too. “Wild doesn’t even begin to cover it. My dad is losing it. He said he thought my brother was not a man, can you believe that?”
Diana suddenly paused, her voice lowering. “Wait… what if your Dad thinks Lucas is gay?”
There was a heavy silence on both ends of the call as the idea sank in.
Emily’s eyes widened. “Oh holy jinkies… You might be onto something. What if he’s not just guessing—what if he actually knows? Maybe that’s why he keeps pushing girls at him. Trying to ‘fix’ him.”
“Exactly,” Diana agreed. “It makes sense now. But drugging him and forcing escorts on him? That’s crossing every line. Your dad’s way out of control.”
Emily nodded firmly. “Yeah, it’s not just toxic—it’s a violation of his basic rights. He’s not a project. He’s a human being.”
There was another pause, then Diana let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Damn… so Lucas is gay. And here I was, low-key crushing on him, just waiting for the guts to finally ask him out.”
Emily nearly choked. “What?! Diana, are you serious right now? I thought you had your eyes on Nathan, Lucas’s course mate in culinary school.”
Diana groaned. “I did initially. Until I saw Nathan last week at a club… tongue-wrestling some dude like his life depended on it.”
Emily gasped, then burst into laughter. “Oh my jinkies! Girl, let me give you some friendly advice—go for the plain ones. These beautiful boys? A whole heartbreak waiting to happen.”
Both girls laughed until their sides hurt, before finally wishing each other goodnight.
At the hospital parking lot
Still seated in the car at the hospital parking lot, Alex slammed both palms against the steering wheel, frustration surging through him like a storm. His jaw clenched as he stared blankly through the windshield, thoughts spinning like a roulette wheel.
“Who the hell would spike my drink?” he muttered, his mind racing through faces—Jason, the guys… but they looked just as shocked as I was at Annie's condition. It wasn’t them. That left only one conclusion: someone else did it. Someone with an agenda.
“But I don’t have enemies,” he murmured, his brows furrowing. “At least… none I know of.”
Then, like a jolt, a name flashed through his mind—Larrisa.
He straightened in his seat. “Could it be her?” he asked aloud.
But just as quickly, he shook his head. “No. No way. She might be petty, but she’s not reckless. All I did was tell her the truth—that I wasn’t interested. That shouldn’t be enough for something this extreme…”
With no clear suspect and irritation clawing at him, Alex reached for his phone. He tapped the screen, brought it to his ear, and waited.
After two rings, a voice answered.
“Hello, boss,” came the calm, alert tone on the other end.