Chapter 7

“Are you satisfied?”

Lucas’s deep voice broke the quiet inside the car. He was watching me from the opposite side of the leather seat, one leg crossed over the other and his hand resting casually on his knee. His dark eyes held that same intensity they always did, making me feel as though he could somehow read every thought running through my mind.

“I’m just getting started,” I said softly, turning to face him. “A little public embarrassment doesn’t repay seven years of betrayal, Lucas.”

A faint smile touched the corner of his lips. “Good, because if you were soft-hearted enough to start pitying him back there, this contract would have been a waste of my time.”

I sighed as I looked at him before remembering the sudden bleeding that had sent Ann collapsing to the floor. “The medical report I saw at the hospital… Ann tested positive for a severe infection. A pregnancy under those circumstances was already risky, especially considering how reckless she has been. But the way she collapsed tonight…” I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully. “She wasn’t only terrified because her lie about my parents had fallen apart.

Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her, but after everything that woman had done to me, I couldn’t bring myself to.

Lucas didn’t comment on it. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek silver access card and a small black key fob, placing both on the leather console between us.

“The primary penthouse at the Sinclair Estate,” Lucas explained calmly. “Your room has already been prepared according to the specifications you gave my secretary, and your belongings from your parents’ house have been delivered.”

I picked up the keycard and stared at it for a moment. “Thank you.”

Four months had already passed since Lucas and I secretly got married, but during that entire time, I had continued living at my parents’ house. There hadn’t been any reason for me to move in with him when hardly anyone even knew we were married. But after making our first public appearance as husband and wife tonight, things had changed. If we wanted people to believe our marriage was real, I couldn’t continue living separately from my husband.

That didn’t mean anything between us had changed, though. We still had our agreement. Outside these walls, we would behave like a happily married couple, but behind closed doors, we would live separate lives while helping each other accomplish our individual goals. I knew exactly what I wanted from this marriage, but Lucas had never told me what he wanted in return. I had asked him before, but after receiving no proper answer, I eventually stopped asking. We barely spoke unless there was something important to discuss, but there was one thing I had already figured out about him.

Whatever his reasons were, Lucas hated Damon even more than I did.

When we finally reached the Sinclair Estate, I wasn’t surprised by its size. The place was enormous, exactly what I had expected from someone like Lucas. I sighed softly as the car stopped and Lucas stepped out first. When the door opened on my side, I moved to get out, only for him to place his hand against the edge of the car above my head.

I paused for a second before realizing why.

Earlier that evening, while getting into the car, I had accidentally hit my head against the frame. It hadn’t hurt much, and I had already forgotten about it, but apparently Lucas hadn’t.

Maybe he wasn’t as heartless as he looked.

I stepped out carefully, and Lucas removed his hand without saying anything. The moment we entered the house, several maids came forward to welcome me. I acknowledged them politely before glancing around. Everything surrounding me screamed wealth, from the expensive furniture to the enormous space, but none of it particularly startled me. I had grown up surrounded by wealth myself.

“Let’s get you to your room,” Lucas said, and I followed him upstairs.

We walked down the hallway until he stopped briefly beside one of the doors. “This is my room, in case you need anything.”

I nodded, and we continued a little farther before he stopped in front of another door and opened it for me.

“This one’s yours.”

I stepped inside and looked around. The bedroom was much larger than I had expected, but despite its size, it somehow felt comfortable. My belongings had already been arranged neatly, just as Lucas had promised.

“Thank you,” I said, turning toward him.

“I’ll leave you to rest.”

For a moment, neither of us said anything. I looked away, trying to hide my embarrassment, while Lucas stared at me before finally speaking.

“Okay. You go first.”

He was about to walk away when I suddenly remembered something. “And—” “And—” We both spoke at exactly the same time and immediately stopped. “The company—” “The company—” It happened again.

I cleared my throat. “When am I going to start working?”

“Oh.” He nodded slightly. “That’s actually what I wanted to ask you too. You can start whenever you’re ready.”

Working at his company had been another part of our agreement. I wanted to rebuild everything I had lost after leaving Damon, and Lucas had agreed to let me work beside him.

Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door. A maid appeared a moment later.

“Sir, there’s someone downstairs asking to see both of you.”Lucas and I exchanged confused looks. Someone wanted to see both of us?

For some reason, I immediately wondered if it was his mother. Without asking any more questions, Lucas headed downstairs, and I followed behind him.

But the moment we reached the living room, I stopped.

It wasn’t his mother—it was Maya, standing there with several suitcases beside her, smiling from ear to ear as I stared at her in confusion, wondering what the hell she was doing here.