LOGIN"Where’s Amal?" Lucas asked, his voice sounding thin in the sterile quiet of the ward. He was already looking toward Bassinet Number 4, his eyes searching for the tiny, dark-haired "blob" that had become his only anchor to sanity.The bassinet was empty. The sheets were gone. He frowned. "Oh, he and his mother were discharged this morning," the nurse replied, looking up from her charts with a warm smile.Lucas’s lips parted, but no sound came out. His eyes widened, then narrowed, a sudden, hollow ache opening in his chest."Thanks to your donations, they could finally afford to go home," she explained calmly. "He’ll still need to come back for regular treatments, but he’s strong enough to be in his own bed now."Lucas forced a stiff, jagged smile. "That’s... that’s good news."He stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty space. What was he to do now? The baby had become an important part of his routine. A very important person to him. The head nurse watched him, her heart
“I’m thinking of liquidating everything. The empire. The company, the shares... all of it,” Lucas muttered.Alex blinked, the sandwich nearly falling from his hand.“Boss!” he cried out, eyes wide with alarm. He reached out and grabbed Lucas’s hand, a wave of genuine panic washing over him.“Is this... is this like a dying wish? Are you okay? Please don't give up on life yet.”Lucas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away from Alex’s intense gaze.“You said it yourself—there are people who need it more. And you were right,” he muttered. “I think I finally know what I want to do.”“And that is?”“I’m going to squander my money and Don Antonio’s on actually profitable things. The man is old; he’ll be dead soon anyway. What does he need all those billions for?” Lucas let out a small, quiet smile.“I want to leave that world. Maybe travel
“I’m thinking of liquidating everything. The empire. The company, the shares... all of it,” Lucas muttered.Alex blinked, the sandwich nearly falling from his hand.“Boss!” he cried out, eyes wide with alarm. He reached out and grabbed Lucas’s hand, a wave of genuine panic washing over him.“Is this... is this like a dying wish? Are you okay? Please don't give up on life yet.”Lucas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away from Alex’s intense gaze.“You said it yourself—there are people who need it more. And you were right,” he muttered. “I think I finally know what I want to do.”“And that is?”“I’m going to squander my money and Don Antonio’s on actually profitable things. The man is old; he’ll be dead soon anyway. What does he need all those
“I once imagined it,” Lucas admitted quietly to the evening sky.The confession was thin, nearly swallowed by the wind.After the storms had passed and the world had settled, he had allowed himself to dream of a quiet life. Of having a family. Of having children with her. He admitted it now to the empty air, the weight of the secret finally leaving his heart.He had pictured a daughter who looked like her. Had her dark hair, bright eyes, and that same stubborn, defiant little smile.The thought brought a small, fragile curve to his lips before reality came crashing back in, cold and unforgiving. He looked away, blinking rapidly at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.“Guess I wasn’t worthy,” he chuckled bitterly.“What do you think about school?” Lucas asked suddenly.Alex paused, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “For?”“Me,” Lucas replied.Alex nearly choked. He coughed v
“At least let’s check the lands,” Alex said in exasperation, rubbing his tired eyes.Grief had no reasoning. “If she survived, she’ll be out there somewhere,” Alex continued gently, lying through his teeth. He didn’t believe she was still alive, not in the slightest. But watching his boss slowly destroy himself was far worse and at least off shores would be safer. For weeks now, they had traveled from place to place with only Alex as Lucas’s sole companion. The man had refused to return to the city without him, staying by his side through every dead end, every sleepless night, and every moment of unraveling.The two men sat quietly at a small outdoor café in a small town. “I’ll get more milk,” Alex said, standing up to walk to the counter.Lucas nodded absently, staring into his untouched coffee.Then, without warning, Lucas shot to his feet. His chair clattered backward. His eyes locked onto a passing car with desperate, wild intensity.“Arabella?”Before Alex could move, Lucas bo
“LEAVE!” Lucas roared.Slowly, the room emptied until only the two of them remained. Don Antonio stood tall, even with death staring him in the face.“You kill me now,” Antonio whispered, a smirk returning to his lips, “and there is no link left.”Lucas’s grip tightened on the gun. “I’ll find her.”“You will,” Antonio said softly. “But by then, it will be too late.” He paused, savoring the moment, before sighing as though bored. “As a matter of fact, none of this matters anymore. There’s no need to drag this out. It’s already over, Lucas. Your pet is dead. She died months ago.”The words landed like a hammer. Lucas froze.Antonio chuckled, thoroughly amused. “I guess it’s better you know now, rather than waste your life on a wild goose chase.”Lucas burst out laughing, the sound jagged and unhinged. “You expect me to believe that?!”“Believe what you want, Lucas. It’s not my problem.”“I do not believe you,” Lucas growled, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble.Antonio shrugged an
Arabella “Hi, miss!”The voice was so familiar, so bright and real, that for a moment I thought I was dreaming. My head snapped up and there they were.I blinked. Once. Twice.The faces staring back at me were the staff from Lucas's manor. Sophie, Anna, and a few others.Lucas had swapped out the
“Lucas… what are you doing?” Arabella rasped, her voice breathless, trembling with a mix of confusion and need as he knelt before her, his hands still holding her thighs apart.“You’re hurt, aren’t you?” he asked, his tone laced with concern, his eyes searching hers for the truth. She shook her he
Arabella Lucas was walking sin, a vision so bloody sinful it stole my breath. He moved with a predator’s grace, I just couldn't pull my eyes away from him. The morning light catching the red claw marks and hickeys scattered across his tanned skin—marks *I* had left, branding him as mine. My hear
ARABELLA “Here. Eat.”Lucas’s deep voice snapped me out of my wandering thoughts. My eyes widened at the sight of the platter before me, a lavish spread of steaming dishes, far more than I could possibly eat A whole platter.I stared at it in disbelief. Was he planning to have me stuffed like a







![SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MARAZONA HEIR [ Series]](https://www.goodnovel.com/pcdist/src/assets/images/book/43949cad-default_cover.png)