Chapter 120
Ocean Auction House was packed.
Logan sat in the front row, tension written all over his face.
The antique he had his eye on was worth a fortune—the key to connecting with his new business partner. His funds were limited. Every move had to be calculated.
The auctioneer's voice rang out enthusiastically as bids flew back and forth. Logan raised his paddle, sweat beading on his forehead.
"One point eight million!"
Just when he thought he had it in the bag, a low voice came from the back. "Five million."
The entire room went silent.
Logan whipped around and saw Lucas sitting leisurely in the corner, no one beside him.
A hint of amusement played on his face, but his eyes were sharp as knives.
"Lucas!" Logan blurted out.
Lucas ignored him and simply gestured for the auctioneer to continue.
"Five million once! Five million twice! Five million... sold!"
The gavel came down. Logan's face turned ashen.
The plan he'd worked so hard on had just been casually destroyed by Lucas.
After the auction ended, Logan stormed straight up to Lucas, fury radiating off him.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"No problem. I liked it, so I bought it." Lucas's tone was casual.
"Do you have any idea how important that piece was to me?"
Lucas turned his head slightly. "What you've been doing is pretty important to me too."
The warning in his eyes was unmistakable. Logan's heart lurched—he knew exactly what Lucas was referring to. He took a deep breath, forcing down his rage.
"We need to talk," Logan said.
"Come to the Sharp estate." Lucas threw out the words and left first.
……
The living room of the Sharp family estate was heavy with tension.
Juliana sat on the couch with Lucas beside her, his expression cold and severe.
Logan's gaze landed on Juliana. She wore a soft loungewear set, nestled close to Lucas's side, looking relaxed. An unnamed anger flared in his chest, jealousy spreading like wildfire.
This woman should have been his.
Logan stared at her, a mocking smile curving his lips. "Juliana, you've changed."
"You're not exactly winning any awards yourself," Juliana shot back.
Lucas set his phone face-down on the coffee table with a soft thud. He looked at Logan, his eyes icy. "So. What exactly are you trying to pull?"
Logan's gaze shifted from Juliana to Lucas. That mocking smile deepened.
"What am I doing? Just helping you see Juliana's true colors." He sneered.
"I know her true colors better than you ever will."
But Logan wasn't deterred. He turned to Juliana, his tone dripping with insinuation. "Juliana, didn't you used to want to marry me? How'd you end up hooking up with my brother instead?"
Juliana's heart clenched painfully.
She looked at Logan's familiar face. Memories she couldn't control surfaced—the boy who'd once been so gentle with her, now completely unrecognizable.
She didn't answer, just gripped Lucas's hand tightly, her fingertips ice-cold.
She felt sick. Her former innocence and trust had become something filthy in his mouth.
Juliana raised her hand, the motion brushing past Lucas's sleeve. A sharp crack echoed through the living room. A bright red mark bloomed across Logan's face.
The slap knocked Logan's head to the side, his cheek burning.
But he just smiled, his eyes sweeping over Juliana's lips with an almost provocative look. He licked the corner of his mouth. "Juliana, still got that fire in you."
Lucas's expression turned completely dark.
He didn't look at Logan, just grabbed Juliana's hand and said quietly, "Don't dirty your hands."
Then he turned his gaze to Logan, his eyes cold and empty of warmth. "Since you're choosing war, I accept."
"Get out."
Logan was already familiar with Lucas's ruthlessness.
He knew staying any longer wouldn't get him anywhere. The mocking smile faded from his face. He shot Juliana one last sinister look and left.
As he walked out the front gate, the night wind hit his face, but it couldn't cool the rage burning inside him.
His phone vibrated. He answered, and a panicked voice came through. "Mr. Sharp, we've got a problem! Several of our project companies are suddenly under attack by unknown funds. The stock market's in chaos!"
Logan's steps stopped.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the panic was gone, replaced by an almost obsessive calm.
"Expected," he said.
"So... what do we do?" his subordinate asked anxiously.
"Hold steady," Logan said. "Keep Bianca under control. Everything else is manageable."
Silence on the other end—clearly confused by Logan's orders—but eventually they agreed. Logan hung up and pocketed his phone.
……
In a pitch-black room with no windows, the air reeked of damp and mold.
Bianca was curled up in a corner, her hair disheveled and tangled.
She'd lost all sense of day and night. Every time she heard the lock turn, her heart would race, only to sink deeper into despair moments later.
"Lucas..." Her throat was raw, her voice broken. She wanted Lucas, wanted him to come save her. But she knew—he must hate her now.
She'd thought once she married into the Sharp family, everything would fall into place. She'd be the prestigious Mrs. Sharp, have everything she'd ever wanted. Now she was like a caged animal, pathetic and broken.
She thought of Juliana—that cold, fragile woman.
Why had Lucas chosen Juliana over her? She'd done so much, sacrificed so much. And in the end, she had nothing.
In the darkness, her eyes turned venomous. She refused to accept this. Refused to lose everything.
Juliana. Lucas. You both owe me. And I'll collect every last bit.
Her nails dug deep into her palms, the pain keeping her sharp. She knew as long as she had breath left in her body, she'd never give up. She'd get out. She'd get revenge.
……
After the confrontation in the living room ended, the tense atmosphere still lingered. Lucas didn't return to his study. He just sat quietly beside Juliana, handing her a glass of warm water.
Lucas's phone lit up. He glanced at it and his brow furrowed. Without hiding it, he turned the screen toward Juliana.
It was a candid photo taken outside an upscale club. Logan was attentively opening a car door for a woman. In the night lighting, her profile was startlingly clear.
Juliana's breath caught.
The woman in the photo wore a flashy red dress completely different from her own style, with heavier makeup. But that face, those features—it was unmistakably her reflection staring back.