Chapter 168 What’s the plan?

Chapter 168 What’s the plan?

The news slammed into Leonard and Lucinda like a massive bolt of lightning straight out of nowhere, leaving them both completely stunned and reeling.

For years, they had poured every ounce of their energy into shaping their kids’ minds, teaching them all about business, leadership, rock-solid discipline, and real responsibility.

They made sure that Lord and Love could stand tall on their own long before most people their age even finished up college. But somewhere along the way, they had totally overlooked something huge and important.

No matter how insanely intelligent or prepared their children had become, they were still going to fall head over heels in love one day. It was just a natural, unstoppable part of growing up and becoming their own people.

Lord had grown into this respectable, strong young man, while Love had blossomed into a stunning, confident young woman who lit up every room she walked into.

Sooner or later, someone was bound to come along and completely capture their hearts in that wild, all-consuming way.

The heavy realization settled deep in Leonard’s chest like a ton of bricks. The idea of Lord eventually building his own life and family didn’t hit him nearly as hard. But Love? She was different in every single way that mattered.

One day she would get married, leave home, and start building her own world, and just picturing that future made his heart twist with this deep, aching pain that he couldn’t shake off.

Ever since the day she was born, she had been his precious little princess, and their father-daughter bond was something truly special and unbreakable.

Lucinda shared that same unique, tight connection with Lord. Knowing that another man had already managed to find a real place in his daughter’s heart left Leonard feeling totally caught off guard and emotionally wrecked.

He stared at Love in pure disbelief, his eyes wide. “Love…” His voice came out soft and full of confusion. “You’ve been in love with someone all this time, and you never told me about it?”

Love lowered her eyes, this shy little smile spreading across her face like she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She had barely opened her mouth to respond when Lord let out a long, frustrated sigh and jumped in to answer for her.

“That’s because she’s been too busy chasing after some ridiculous fairy tale,” he said, leaning back in his chair with a look of total unimpressed annoyance all over his face.

“She’s completely obsessed with some rising star movie star.” He rubbed his forehead like the whole thing gave him a headache before turning to their parents. “Dad, I looked into him myself. His dating history is a total disaster and a complete mess.”

Love immediately frowned hard, shooting her brother an annoyed glare that could have melted steel. “That’s not true at all,” she fired back. “You’re just believing every single trashy thing the media says about him.” She folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. “I don’t believe any of those stupid stories for a second.”

Leonard slowly leaned back in his big chair as a specific name clicked into place in his mind. Whenever Love had any free time, she was always glued to movies.

More than once he had walked past the living room and caught her watching the exact same film over and over again like it was her favorite thing in the world.

At first he figured she just really loved the storyline, but now… everything suddenly clicked into place with crystal clarity.

His eyes widened just a little. “Don’t tell me…” He looked straight at her, almost afraid to hear the answer. “It’s Danny West.”

Love’s face instantly flushed bright red, but she smiled wide without even trying to hide it anymore. “It’s him, Dad,” she said, her voice full of that undeniable spark.

Lucinda closed her eyes for a second, already feeling a killer headache starting to build behind her temples. “Love,” she said, her voice gentle but overflowing with real concern.

“There’s nothing wrong with falling in love. But don’t let all his fame and glamour blind you to reality. His reputation isn’t good at all, every headline out there talks about him dating women, breaking their hearts into pieces, and then moving on like they never even mattered to him.”

Love quickly shook her head, refusing to let any of that sink in. “But I’m not just any woman, Mom,” she said, her face lighting up with pure confidence. “I’m smart.” She pointed at herself with a big grin. “I’m beautiful.”

Another finger went up. “And I come from one of the richest families in the entire country.” She smiled proudly, her eyes sparkling with fierce determination.

“He’s famous because of his action movies, sure, but our family is way richer and more powerful than he could ever dream of. I honestly think I’m the one who can actually change him for the better.”

Lucinda’s heart sank like a stone in her chest. She couldn’t help comparing Danny to Asher in her mind. Even though Asher was a year younger than the twins, he had already proven over and over again that he was dependable, respectful, and deeply trustworthy.

He had quietly stayed right by Love’s side for years without ever asking for anything in return. Compared to Danny’s messy reputation, there wasn’t even a real competition. It was night and day.

Lucinda inhaled deeply, ready to push back, but Leonard lightly touched her hand under the desk. He gave her a small, knowing look. “Let’s talk for a minute,” he said quietly.

His eyes shifted toward the twins. Lord caught on right away, and Love picked it up a second later. Without another word, the siblings stood up and quietly walked out of the office, leaving their parents with the privacy they needed to hash things out.

The office fell into a heavy silence the moment the door clicked shut behind them. Leonard let out a long, slow breath before turning fully toward his wife.

“It’s almost impossible to convince a woman who’s head over heels in love that the guy she wants isn’t right for her,” he said, his voice heavy with the weight of it all.

Lucinda nodded, frustration clear as day all over her face. “I know,” she replied, rubbing her temple. “I never imagined we’d be sitting here having this kind of conversation about our own daughter.”

Her shoulders dropped as the reality settled in. “But we can’t just sit back and watch her end up with someone like him.”

“And if we try to force her away from him…” Leonard’s expression turned thoughtful and calculating. “she’s only going to end up resenting us big time.”

Lucinda studied his face for a long moment. She knew that look all too well. Whenever Leonard got that particular expression, it usually meant he had already started cooking up some kind of plan in his head.

One corner of her mouth lifted into a small smile. “Enough with the suspense already,” she said, crossing her arms. “Just tell me.” Her eyes locked onto his with that familiar intensity. “What’s the plan?”