hapter <b>273 </b>
After sending the message, Megan thoughtfully shared her location as well.
Lucas was in the middle of a discussion with Desmond when the message popped up.
His eyes widened the second he saw it, and his hand, resting on the table, clenched into a fist.
Those two were at <b>a </b>bar again?
The image of a group of men <b>crowding </b>around the two of themst time was still burned into his <b>memory</b>.
And now they had gone back? Had they learned nothing?
Desmond noticed the shift in Lucas‘ expression and instantly realized the message had to be about Aurora.
Nothing else ever triggered this kind of reaction from him.
“Sir… is it something about Mrs. Carter?” he asked cautiously, not daring to push too hard.
“Get the car,” Lucas said through gritted teeth as he stood up and headed straight for the address Megan had sent.
This <b>time</b><b>, </b>he didn’t waste a second.
Just thinking about those men from thest bar <b>made </b>his face darken even more.
Why couldn’t these two women learn from their mistakes?
They’d already gone once and now a second time?
His chest felt tight, a pressure he couldn’t shake off.
When <b>he </b>arrived, there was no sign of Aurora. All he saw was Megan, still perched on a barstool in a mini skirt, her cheeks flushed
deep pink, clearly very drunk.
Lucas strode toward her, his face like thunder, his entire presence radiating a quiet but terrifying fury.
Megan hadn’t even realized he was there.
She <b>had </b>no idea when Aurora left or how much she’d had to drink.
Seeing her still drinking like nothing had happened made Lucas even angrier.
“Megan, where’s Aurora?”
The voice jolted her, but at first, Megan didn’t react.
Her mind was still hazy–at <b>least </b>she pretended it was.
“Aurora?” She <b>nced </b>around, eyes ssy. “She was just here… where’d she go?”
+25 Bonus
Looking perfectly serious, Megan began searching for Aurora, drifting further and further from Lucas as she staggered <b>toward </b>
the entrance.
Watching this, Lucas immediately saw through it.
His eyes darkened, and he gave Desmond a quick look–a silent order to bring her back
The moment Lucas spoke, Megan snapped out of it.
She had been faking the whole thing.
She’d sobered up the second she sent Lucas that message and regretted it almost immediately.
She’d tried to recall it, but with her fingers fumbling from the alcohol, she hit “delete” instead of “unsend<b>.</b><b>” </b>
When Aurora realized what happened, she quietly stood up and walked out of the bar, leaving Megan to face the consequences on
her own.
1, Megan was the one who contacted Lucas, so it <b>was </b><b>only </b>fair she deal <b>with </b>the fallout,
After all,
As Megan watched her best friend disappear through the door<b>, </b>she cursed her silently.
“Seriously? Some best friend you are. I only called him for your sake!”
<b>She </b>had braved the one man she’d been nervous <b>around </b><b>since </b><b>childhood </b>for friendship and Aurora’s <b>happiness</b>.
And now here she was, left behind to face her terrifying cousin <b>alone</b>.
When Desmond brought her back over, Megan was still in full performance mode, doing her best impression of a drunk girl
<b>barely </b>holding it together.
“Let me go! I need to find my Aurora–she’s all alone out there!” she cried, voice high–pitched and dramatic.
“She’s my best friend! I can’t just let her wander off like that!”
She clung to emotion, clung to theatrics. Maybe, it would get her out of this mess.
?