apter 624


    When she was little, Lucas could scare Megan into eating an entire te of pasta.


    The adults loved it.


    Not only could he keep Megan in line, but he also excelled in academics and everything else.


    And on top of everything else, he’d been effortlessly good–looking since he was a kid–the kind of boy adults naturally adored without even trying.


    In the eyes of the grown–ups, Lucas was the golden standard and fabled “perfect kid” they never stopped praising


    As the years passed, the shadow he cast over Megan only grew deeper.


    Which was why, in her mind, Aurora was practically a hero.


    Marrying someone like Lucas and managing to keep him in check?


    That took guts.


    Sometimes Megan genuinely wanted to ask her best friend for tips.


    Lucas‘ expression remained cold, barely acknowledging Megan’s greeting with a curt “Mm.”


    Just one nce, and he could already figure out how Leonard ended up here.


    It was obvious–he’de trailing along with Megan, who clearly hadn’t thought things through.


    Lucas didn’t bother softening his tone. “Why did you bring him?”


    Megan was instantly flustered,pletely at a loss for words.


    Why did he have to sound so fierce? How was she supposed to exin?


    Leonard stepped in before she could answer. “I asked Miss Quinn to bring me. There’s no need to take it out on her.”


    Lucas didn’t even spare him a nce. “I was talking to her. Who said you could speak?”


    Megan, seeing Lucas’s attitude turn so hostile, suddenly found a burst of defiance rising in her chest.


    She didn’t know where it came from, but it rushed up before she could stop it.


    “He’s my friend, and he came to see Aurora too. She’s my best friend. What’s wrong with that?”


    She stepped in front of Leonard, her protective stance making her point clear.


    Lucas looked even more amused now.


    “What, it’s only been a few days and already your loyalty’s shifted?


    Megan’s face turned bright red at his words.


    Before she could say anything, Lucasunched another verbal attack. “You’d better behave yourself, especially if you insist on bringing along your so–called ‘friend.”


    He put extra weight on thest word.


    Megan’s eyes welled with tears.


    311


    What did her cousin even mean by this? Why was he treating Leonard with such open hostility?


    Poor Megan had no idea what had happened between them.


    The two men had once gone head–to–head in front of Wendy and the others, practicallying to blows.


    Ever since then, tensions had only grown, especially with everything surrounding Aurora.


    Each saw the other as the problem.


    And Megan,pletely in the dark, had been shielded from it all.


    She knew Leonard had feelings for Aurora, but with Aurora still unconscious, no one had told her anything else that had happened.


    Now, faced with Lucas’s hostility, Megan didn’t even dare speak.


    Leonard nced at her and felt a pang of guilt.


    She’d been cheerful the whole way there, excited to finally see Aurora again.


    And now? All of that had been crushed by Lucas‘ presence.


    He was unbearable.


    Aurora didn’t belong to him–what gave him the right to guard her like some possession?


    “Lucas, I just want to go in and see Aurora. Is she awake?”


    The question struck a nerve in Lucas like a de.


    He shut it down immediately.


    “No. If you have nothing important to say, you can leave.”


    Aurora was far too fragile right now.


    He wasn’t going to let people crowd around her and strip her of dignity.