Chapter 2: Relief

Angeline’s voice was loud. Lucas panicked, terrified that she would wake his mother.

Rather than getting caught undressed and trying to explain the unexplainable, Lucas scrambled to put all his clothes back on before hurrying out of the bedroom.

Sure enough, his worst fear had come true. His mother was already standing right outside the door.

Did she hear? What if she knows?

"Mom?" Lucas's face paled with anxiety.

His biggest fear wasn't for himself; it was the toll the shock would take on his mother's fragile health if she found out what he had just done to Angeline. A year ago, he had received the devastating news that his mother was gravely ill. That was the day he had given up his title as the Capital's Mafia King, walking away from immense wealth and absolute power just to take care of her.

"What's going on? Why was Angeline screaming? And why are you sweating like that? What exactly were you doing in her room?" Rose interrogated, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Without waiting for an answer, Rose pushed past him and walked into the room.

I'm dead, Lucas thought.

"Miss Angeline, is everything alright? Why were you shouting earlier?" Rose asked worriedly.

Angeline shot Lucas a lethal glare before answering.

"Ah, no, Auntie. I was just freezing. Thankfully, Lucas was quick to bring me some extra blankets."

A massive wave of relief washed over Lucas.

"Oh, I see. I thought something terrible had happened. I was afraid Lucas had tried something funny with you, Miss," Rose said, visibly relieved herself.

Angeline merely offered a tight, polite smile.

"Well then, please get back to sleep, Miss, so you can fully recover by tomorrow," Rose said gently.

Angeline nodded.

"Thank goodness," Rose murmured as she left the room.

The Next Morning

Angeline ordered Lucas to call in sick to work so he could drive her home.

On the way, Lucas felt the need to clear the air about the misunderstanding from the night before. He tried to broach the subject.

"Ms. Angeline. About last night... I apologize. But honestly, I didn't have any other choice. It was all—"

"Shut up!" Angeline snapped, cutting him off. "Don't ever bring that up again. Just hearing about it disgusts me. As soon as I get home, I'm taking a milk bath soaked in antibacterial and antiviral wash."

She checked her watch; it was 10:00 AM.

"Take us to the jewelry store on V Avenue. There's something I need to buy," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Lucas promptly drove to the requested destination.

They arrived shortly after. Lucas parked the car by the curb, right in front of the sparkling jewelry boutique. As he stepped out of the car, he noticed an antique shop across the street that immediately caught his eye.

"Welcome! Please come in!" a security guard greeted warmly from the boutique's entrance.

Angeline gave a brief nod and walked inside.

But as Lucas moved to follow her, the guard threw an arm out to block his path.

"You can't go in!" the guard barked.

Lucas frowned. "I came with Ms. Angeline. Why can't I go in?"

"Drivers wait outside. Only the bosses and people with actual money are allowed inside. Broke trash like you don't belong in here!" the bald guard sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

Lucas scoffed. "You're just a security guard, yet you've got the nerve to call someone else broke? Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Angeline stepped back out to see what was going on.

"You bastard! Are you insulting me?" the guard flared up.

Lucas simply shrugged.

"What's going on? Why are you two arguing?" Angeline demanded.

The guard forced himself to calm down. He couldn't afford to lose his temper in front of a VIP client; his job was on the line.

"I apologize, Madam. I politely asked your driver to wait out here, but he started throwing a tantrum," the guard lied, smoothly twisting the facts.

Angeline took a deep breath and glared at Lucas.

"Stop causing trouble! Just wait here!"

"Yeah, fine."

Angeline turned on her heel and went back inside the store.

The security guard let out a mocking laugh.

"Yeah, fine. Hahaha..."

Lucas's eyes narrowed at the taunt. "What's so funny?"

"I told you not to go in. Now you're getting scolded by your boss. What if she docks your pay? Your miserable life is gonna get even more miserable, hahaha..." the guard mocked.

"Stop laughing, or I'll rip your mouth open," Lucas warned, his voice dead serious.

The guard hadn't expected Lucas to fire back so aggressively.

"You threatening me? Come on then, let's see you try to rip my mouth open," the guard sneered, stepping up to challenge him.

Lucas took a breath, reeling his temper in. He needed to hold back so he wouldn't draw unnecessary attention. Honestly, wiping the floor with a thousand security guards would have been a walk in the park for him, let alone just one.

Deciding it wasn't worth his time, Lucas chose to walk away.

"I'm in a good mood right now, so just get back to your post," Lucas said, turning his back on the man.

He decided to head over to the antique shop while waiting for Angeline to finish her shopping. But the guard wasn't going to let it go. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't done putting Lucas in his place.

"Running away, huh? If you don't have the balls, don't talk big," the guard scoffed.

Seeing Lucas completely ignore him infuriated the guard even more. He lunged forward and grabbed Lucas roughly by the shoulder.

In a fraction of a second, the guard was flipped and slammed mercilessly onto the concrete floor. The sickening sound of his spine cracking echoed in the air.

"I told you to get back to your post, but you just had to push it," Lucas muttered, looking down at the guard who was now sobbing in excruciating pain.

Lucas casually turned and resumed his walk toward the antique shop.

But just as he stepped into the middle of the street, a speeding SUV came out of nowhere and slammed right into him.