Chapter 48
"Mr. Sharp, I'm better than that."
Not the kind of woman who'd use a child as leverage to marry into money.
The contempt and disdain in Juliana's eyes pierced Lucas's heart like a needle. He understood what she meant, yet somehow didn't fully grasp it.
He assumed her "not that kind of person" meant she had moral boundaries—that she wouldn't stoop to wrecking someone's family or being the disgraceful other woman.
This realization left Lucas's emotions instantly conflicted.
On one hand, he felt oddly pleased. This woman did have principles—she was nothing like Bianca, who'd do anything to achieve her goals.
But on the other hand, he was irritated. Why was she refusing? She was turning down him, Lucas Sharp.
Juliana didn't want to spend another second with him. She grabbed the medical kit and walked out without a word.
The next day, Juliana was reading with Damian in the guest room when a servant knocked, saying Mr. Sharp wanted to see her in his study.
When she entered, he hung up his phone, sat down behind his desk, pulled a document from the drawer, and tossed it in front of her.
"Sign it."
Another agreement?
Juliana frowned and picked up the document. She thought it would be something about custody or confidentiality.
But when she opened to the first page and saw the first clause printed in bold black letters, she froze completely.
[Party A (Lucas) and Party B (Juliana) shall enter into a marriage relationship effective immediately.]
Juliana thought she'd misread. She closed her eyes, opened them again—the line was still clearly printed there.
She snapped the document shut.
"I'm not signing."
"Reason."
Two words.
Juliana found it absurd.
"Mr. Sharp, you think I need to give you a reason? When did our relationship reach the point where we're discussing marriage?"
"You don't want to?" Lucas's brow finally furrowed. He leaned forward, that oppressive presence returning. "Juliana, you went to such lengths to get close to Damian—wasn't it all for this moment?"
In his view, this should be a perfectly natural transaction. He needed a qualified mother to care for his two sons, and she needed the Mrs. Sharp title to legitimately stay by her child's side.
He was even being generous about her previous deliberate concealment. He thought he was extending an olive branch, offering her the goal she'd been dreaming of.
Yet she was refusing.
Juliana trembled with rage at his matter-of-fact words.
"I went to such lengths?" She sounded like she'd heard the world's funniest joke. "Lucas, aren't you being way too full of yourself? You think every woman on earth wants to marry you, wants to be your wife?"
He knew. He must know everything.
He knew Matty and Damian were twins, knew they were both his sons!
That's why he wanted to trap her completely with a marriage contract. Once the children's identities were legally under the Sharp family, he could kick her out anytime with any excuse. Then she wouldn't even have anywhere to turn!
What a vicious scheme. He really was his mother's son.
"What else would it be?" Lucas's patience ran out. He stood and walked toward her step by step. "You dare say you don't have ulterior motives regarding Damian? You dare say you don't want to plant that Matthew kid in the Sharp family too?"
The man's shadow engulfed her completely. Juliana instinctively backed away, but her back hit the cold bookshelf. Nowhere left to go.
Her heart pounded wildly, fear and fury intertwining, leaving her mind blank.
"I'm telling you, Lucas. Don't even think about it! Matty is my son—mine alone! He has nothing to do with you or your Sharp family!"
"Nothing to do with me?" Lucas grabbed her wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he'd crush her bones. "Juliana, what are you playing at? I'm giving you an out—don't you know how to take it?"
"I don't need your out!" Juliana struggled violently, her wrist aching from his grip. "Let go of me! You lunatic!"
"I'm a lunatic?" Lucas laughed bitterly. He leaned down, nearly against her ear, his voice deep and furious. "Yeah, I'm a lunatic! I actually thought you were different from Bianca! Turns out you're all the same—willing to use any means to marry into the Sharp family!"
"You bastard!"
Juliana couldn't hold back anymore. She raised her other hand and slapped him hard across the face.
The blow turned Lucas's head to the side, a clear handprint rapidly forming on his handsome profile.
He slowly turned his head back, a terrifying storm churning in those unfathomable eyes.
Juliana's heart raced, her palm still tingling. She wasn't afraid. Not one bit.
She wrenched away forcefully, taking advantage of his moment of shock to break free, then bolted for the door.
She yanked open the heavy study door and rushed out without thinking.
But what waited outside wasn't an empty hallway.
It was—
Click! Click! Click!
Dozens of reporters with cameras and equipment blocked the study entrance completely, countless microphones shoved toward her.
"Dr. Wells! Congratulations! Did Mr. Sharp just propose to you in the study? What kind of ring was it?"
"Dr. Wells, do you have any thoughts to share with us?"
"We heard you have a son too. Are you planning to bring him into the Sharp family as well?"
Her mind went completely blank with a resounding buzz.
Reporters? Proposal?
She stood frozen in place. So that was it. That was his real purpose.
He not only wanted to bind her with a marriage contract but also announce it to the world, leaving her with absolutely no escape.
Behind her, Lucas followed out. When he saw the scene at the door, he quickly stepped forward and pulled the shell-shocked Juliana behind him.
"Who told you to come here?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried bone-chilling authority.
The reporters were cowed by his intimidating aura, instantly falling silent.
"If anyone leaks a single word about today," Lucas swept his gaze around, his eyes sharp as knives, "the Sharp Group's legal department will teach them the meaning of regret."
Then he turned to look at Juliana behind him.
But there was nothing there.
While he'd been confronting the reporters, Juliana had already squeezed through a gap in the crowd and was running back toward the guest room without looking back.