Chapter 95 A Tough Choice
Anna's POV
I almost smiled. "Are you sure?"
Serena gave me an amused look. "Believe me, Anna. Have I ever lied to you about something like this?"
I shook my head. "No, you haven't but I wasn't expecting you to find him that fast. Even Xavier couldn't find him."
"Well, I'm not Xavier and Xavier isn't an agency that trains spies. So I have certain resources he doesn't."
She reached into her handbag and brought out her phone. "Look at this pictures, they're recent activities of Lucas since he disappeared."
She opened a folder and handed the phone to me.
My eyes widened as I scrolled through the pictures.
Lucas. He looked exhausted.
His beard had started growing, and the sharp suits he usually wore had been replaced with plain clothes. One picture showed him buying groceries.
Another captured him entering an apartment building with his hood pulled low. A third showed him standing on a balcony late at night, staring into the distance.
He looked... broken.
I looked up. "Where were these taken? Or better yet, where is he now?"
Serena folded her arms. "Right under Xavier's nose. Infact, more accurately, right under your nose."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"He never left the city." She tapped one of the pictures. "Lucas has been staying in your late foster parents' apartment."
I blinked. "What the fuck! My foster parents' apartment?"
Serena nodded. "He bought the property recently in someone else's name. so one can ever connect it to him."
I stared back at the photograph. For several seconds I couldn't speak.
Finally I whispered, "He's an idiot, a big one at that."
Serena laughed. "I thought you'd say something nicer."
I shook my head. "No, he is stupid.He should've disappeared, he should've crossed the border; should've gone somewhere Xavier would never think of looking. A far away country."
Instead... He had hidden in the one place tied to me.
Serena shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore."
She took back the phone. "The important question is what you're going to do with this information."
I looked at her.
"You could tell Xavier." She continued before I could answer. "Or better still, you can tell his capos."She smiled knowingly. "If you're the one who hands Lucas over... You'll earn their trust forever."
I slowly let out a breath. "I don't know what Xavier will do if he finds Lucas."
Serena remained silent. "And because I don't know... I don't think it's a good idea to tell him."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"And I'm definitely not telling his capos either."
For the first time since she'd entered my room, Serena genuinely looked surprised. "What? Are you kidding me. You've got the perfect opportunity sitting in your lap."
"I know."
"And you're throwing it away just like that?"
I shook my head. "I'm protecting someone."
"Lucas?"
I nodded.
"What are you going to do then? Pretend you don't know where he is? Why then did you ask me to look for him?"
I walked toward the window and looked outside. The mansion grounds were calm. "I'll go to him."
Serena stared. "You what?"
"I'll talk to him, I'll try to make him understand. That's the safest option."
She actually laughed. "Anna..." She looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. "Are you crazy?"
"You want to reason with the same man who drugged you? The same man who kidnapped you? The same man who nearly got you killed?"
I sighed. "I know what he did, I haven't forgotten, but I also know Lucas. He isn't evil, he just made a terrible decision."
She folded her arms. "A terrible decision can still get you killed. And nothing is stopping him from making it again."
"Don't worry about me. I'll be very careful around him."
She narrowed her eyes. "Careful?"
I nodded. "I won't drink anything he offers me this time."
That earned a dry chuckle from her. "That's if he doesn't come up with something else."
I looked at her. "At least you would be close by, so even if he does something stupid, he won't get away with it. But if there's a chance I can save him from himself, I'm taking it."
"Alright, Alright," Serena replied. "Have it your way."
I smiled faintly. "Thank you."
She became serious again. "Even if I agree... How exactly do you plan on doing this? Because I still don't see how it would work."
I frowned. "I don't understand, what do you mean?"
She gestured around the mansion. "You're acting Don now, which means, the securities around you has been doubled since Xàvier left you in charge. They will escort you everywhere. So you don't exactly have the freedom to disappear for an afternoon."
I hadn't thought that far. Serena continued. "You can't just walk up to Xavier's men and announce. you're off to meet the man Xavier has declared wanted.'"
I rubbed my forehead. "They'd never allow it."
"Ofcourse, they wouldn't; they'd either stop you or insist on following you. And if they follow you, they'll find Lucas. So how do you plan on dealing with that?"
The realization settled heavily inside me.
She was right. Every word. I couldn't risk Lucas being discovered.
I looked back at Serena. "So what do you suggest?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't know. But whatever you do, It has to look completely natural. It has to be something nobody questions."
I nodded slowly. My mind immediately began racing through possibilities.
A charity visit? Shopping? Inspecting one of Xavier's businesses?
None of them guaranteed privacy.
Serena watched me think. "I'll help you if I can. But this has to be planned carefully."
"One mistake and Lucas dies."
I swallowed hard. "I know."
She stepped closer. "And if Xavier finds out you hid Lucas from him..." Her voice dropped. "...he'll see it as betrayal."
"I know."
"So ask yourself one question before you do anything." She held my gaze. "Who are you willing to betray?"
I didn't answer. Because I honestly didn't know.