Chapter 2

After visiting Zac at the hospital, Fiona went straight back to the company the next day.

In the CEO’s office, Fiona sat behind her desk, a trace of exhaustion showing on her cool, beautiful face.

She closed her eyes, rubbed the space between her brows, and called out instinctively, “Lucas, get me a cup of coffee.”

Soon, the office door opened.

Fiona didn’t even lift her head. She took the coffee and had one sip.

Then she spat it out.

No.

That wasn’t the right taste.

Irritated, she looked up. When she saw who had come in, she paused.

“Why is it you? Where’s Lucas?”

Her assistant, Mandy Fisher, explained awkwardly, “Mr. York hasn’t come in yet.”

Fiona glanced at her watch.

It was already ten.

Shaw Corporation started work at nine. As her personal assistant, Lucas always arrived at eight every morning.

Because Fiona worked long hours year-round, she had developed chronic headaches.

Every time she arrived at the office, Lucas would personally make her a steaming cup of coffee to help her wake up.

She had already gotten used to that taste.

The atmosphere stiffened.

Mandy spoke carefully. “Ms. Shaw, should I make you another cup?”

Fiona waved her off, her tone impatient.

“No. Call Lucas now and tell him to come to work immediately.”

She knew Lucas was angry about the canceled wedding yesterday.

But no matter how angry he was, he couldn’t let it affect his work.

If he was this emotional over everything, how could she ever trust him to become part of the Shaw family?

Mandy hesitated for a moment, then handed Fiona her phone.

“Ms. Shaw, maybe you should watch this first.”

The video on the screen was playing the moment Lucas had sworn his vow yesterday.

“Starting today, I’m leaving the Shaw family with nothing. I swear I will never marry Fiona Shaw. Not in this lifetime. Not ever. And if I do, I deserve whatever hell comes for me.”

Fiona laughed in disbelief.

Lucas wanted to cut ties with her?

He really thought he had grown some backbone.

“Ms. Shaw, about yesterday…” Mandy said softly. “Shouldn’t you explain things to Mr. York?”

Mandy and Lucas were both assistants, and they had always gotten along fairly well.

The wedding had been canceled so suddenly that Mandy couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.

“No need.”

Fiona stood, her voice cold.

“Since he didn’t show up for work, dock his entire salary for the month. Hand the Hangelia project he was handling over to you. Book the flights now. You’re coming with me overseas for the inspection.”

With that, Fiona strode out of the office.

There had to be a limit to his childishness.

She had indulged Lucas too much in the past. That was why he had started pushing his luck.

Once she gave him the cold shoulder for a while, wouldn’t he come crawling back and lower his head to her?

Lucas returned to the Shaw family villa and packed up all his belongings.

He had lived with the Shaws for more than ten years, but everything he owned fit into two suitcases.

Dragging them behind him, he took a cab to a small apartment he’d bought in the suburbs.

The apartment was only about six hundred square feet. It wasn’t big, but it was warm and cozy.

He had bought it with the money he saved after he started working.

It was the only thing that truly belonged to him.

Because he had grown up in an orphanage, he had always longed for a home more than anything.

He had once thought he and Fiona could build one together.

But yesterday, reality had hit him hard.

Now, he was beyond grateful that he hadn’t listened when Fiona told him to sell the apartment. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have a place to live.

No one had lived there for a long time, so dust had collected everywhere.

Lucas spent the entire afternoon cleaning.

He had just opened the door to take the trash downstairs when he heard a burst of noise from next door.

He stopped.

The door to the neighboring apartment was suddenly kicked open, and a young woman was thrown out hard.

She landed right at Lucas’s feet.

Her hair was a mess, hiding her face, but the arms exposed beneath it were covered in bruises.

Lucas frowned. He reached down to help her up and asked gently, “Are you okay?”

“Who the hell are you? Mind your own business!”

Several tall, muscular men walked out and glared viciously at Lucas.

One look was enough to tell they were gangsters.

When the young woman saw them, her whole body trembled. A soft, frightened sound escaped her throat.

“Please… please, I really don’t have any money left…”

Lucas shielded her behind him.

“If you’ve got a problem with her, talk it out. A bunch of grown men beating up a girl is crossing the line, don’t you think?”

He wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s business.

But seeing her covered in injuries somehow reminded him of himself as a child, back when he had been bullied at the orphanage.

The leader looked Lucas up and down, then lifted his chin with a disdainful laugh.

“Her dad borrowed from us to gamble and never paid it back. Debt’s debt. Since he can’t pay, she does. What, you planning to pay it for her?”

Lucas fell silent.

The young woman cried as she begged, “I’ll pay it back. I swear I will. Please, just give me a little more time.”

“We already gave you three days. Since you can’t come up with the money, you can pay us back with your body.”

The man let out a filthy laugh and glanced at his men.

They immediately moved to grab her.

Lucas stepped sideways and blocked her. He caught one man’s outstretched arm with both hands and threw him over his shoulder.

The man went flying.

With a loud crash, his body slammed into the wall and left a huge dent in it.

“Ah!”

The man screamed like he was being slaughtered.

Everyone froze.

Lucas froze too.

He lowered his head and stared at his hands, shock filling his face.

That strength…

A faint flicker passed through the young woman’s eyes as she looked at the stunned men.

The men quickly lifted their groaning companion off the floor and fled toward the stairwell.

The leader didn’t forget to throw one last threat over his shoulder.

“Consider yourself lucky today! Next time I see you, you won’t get off so easily!”

Soon, they disappeared down the stairwell.

“Um… thank you for helping me.”

She tucked her messy hair behind her ear and thanked Lucas solemnly.

Lucas came back to himself and looked down at her.

Her eyes were clear and bright, framed by curled lashes. Her skin was fair, and her face had a delicate, pretty softness to it.

Lucas quickly looked away and nodded faintly.

“You’re welcome. What was going on with those men? Do you need me to call the police?”

She hurriedly waved her hands.

“No! Please don’t call the police!”

From her explanation, Lucas finally understood what had happened.

Her name was Nina Smith. Her father was a gambling addict who had borrowed from loan sharks and couldn’t pay them back. He had used her as collateral, and those men had come today to take her away, only to run into Lucas.

Nina’s eyes reddened.

“They took all the money I had. I lost my job too. I can’t even afford this month’s rent.”

Lucas wasn’t good at comforting people, so he stayed silent.

He had thought being betrayed after giving Fiona so many years of his life was already miserable enough.

But compared to a matter of life and death, maybe that pain was not the worst thing in the world.

Nina bit her lip and looked at him hesitantly. Then she suddenly bowed deeply.

“I know this is a lot to ask, but could you please help me?”

“I want to help you, but…”

He had left the Shaw family with nothing.

All his savings had gone into the wedding.

His salary for the month hadn’t come in yet. Other than this small apartment, he had no extra money at all.

“Please. I just need somewhere to stay. Once I find a job and get paid, I’ll move out right away. I’ll pay you rent too!”

Nina looked at him pleadingly, her eyes full of despair.

She had truly been pushed to the edge. She had nowhere else to go.

“All right. But once you find a job, you’ll move out.”

Lucas hesitated for a while, but in the end, he agreed.

Since he had already helped her, he might as well see it through.

He was only giving her a place to stay. It wouldn’t hurt anything.

“Lucas, thank you!”

Nina let out a small cheer.

“I’ll go pack my things right now!”

With that, she hurried eagerly back into the apartment next door.

Lucas paused.

Had he ever told her his name?

How did she know it?

Before he could think too deeply about it, his gaze landed on the dent in the wall.

He thought back to the moment he had so easily thrown that man across the hallway and slowly clenched his fist.

Could it be that his strength had returned?