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“I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I try to smile to let him know how much I appreciate this. And even more, I try not to over-analyze it because all I can wonder is why now? And did he do this to ensure I say yes to his proposal? Last night, he promised to let me make the choice on my own. However, I never mentioned enticement.
I stare up at the building. And showing me trust, finally, definitely entices me. He comes around and helps me out of the car.
We get to the door, and Lucas answers after one knock. “What do you want?”
Nic clears his throat, and I can’t see him from where he’s positioned behind me, but Lucas’s face makes me think he doesn’t appreciate the attitude.
Instead of arguing, he steps away from the door to let us inside. He’s cleaned up the mess from the tussle between him and Nic.
Once we sit on the couches, Lucas throws himself in a chair and glares, dragging his eyes between us to make sure it registers with both of us.
I turn to face Nic and take his hands in mine. “Can I have a minute alone with Lucas?”
He grits his teeth, tightening his palm around mine. “Absolutely not.”
“He won’t hurt me. And I just want to talk to him, and I don’t think he’s going to say anything in front of you.”
“He will if I beat him into it.”
I cup his cheek in my palm, forcing him to look at me head on. “I understand why you brought me here. You want me to know, truly know, things are different now. However, you have to know when to ease up.”
“I can’t leave you alone with another man.”
I wave at Lucas. “He’s not going to touch me, either. How about you go into the bedroom and stay there until I call you out? At the very least, give me the illusion of privacy.”
He takes a long time to decide, staring around the room, pinning Lucas with a death glare. Finally, he stands, buttons his suit jacket, and heads back into the bedroom. Before he closes the door, he calls out. “You only have a few minutes. When I come back out, the meeting is over.”
The room feels bigger without his demanding presence at my side. Lucas clears his throat pointedly but doesn’t say anything.
“Sorry, he’s being weird. We’re trying to decide something.”
“Looks like you’re trying to decide something. I know my brother. He’s already made his choice.”
I’m not touching that one. He looks much better since the night Nic found me. I’m reminded of the way he looked that night when I left.
“Did you see a doctor for your ribs?”
He crosses his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes. “Is that why you’re here, so you can ask me about my health? Next time call and save us both the time.”
Damnit. He’s so much like his brother. So fucking hardheaded. However, Nic has some temperance to his stubbornness, whereas Lucas would argue the sky is green just because someone else insists it’s blue.
“You know, I didn’t come here to talk about your numerous issues. I’m here because I have some questions I think you can answer.” I force myself to breathe after I get all the words out.
Lucas takes so much time to answer. I think he’s about to fling more profanity and waste the time I have left. But he nods once, giving me permission.
My chest loosens, and I nod heavily. “Tell me about your childhood.”
“Pass.”
I jerk back from the vehemence in his tone. “You don’t want to talk about you two as kids at all?”
“Nope. And if that’s your entire line of questioning, you should just leave now.”
I don’t bother trying to hide my disappointment. “Well, can you tell me more about what you know about my father and my sister?”
This gets his attention. He drops his boots from the edge of the coffee table to thump on the floor. “Are you finally understanding what kind of man your father is?”
“I’m not saying anything. I only asked you a question. What do you know about it? How do you know about it?”
A cruel smile twists his lips, and something tells me he is enjoying this. Maybe not my pain directly, but dismantling any fantasy I might harbor involving my father. “Soo, as you are well aware by now, keeps tabs on everyone. Their movements, their digital footprint, all of it. He was watching your father that night, and worse, when the family your sister was about to marry requested the proof of her demise to maintain their continued support, he sent a video from his cell phone. The same cell phone Soo had cloned. Now, Soo has the video and every other naughty thing your father has done.”
He whips out his cell phone, turns it to face me, and hits the play button. “I asked him to forward me this when I saw Nic caught you.”
