24
Chapter Twenty Four
Amanda downed her fourth shot and beckoned for the bartender to fill her fifth.
“Girl, I think you should call it a night,” Tyra urged from beside her.
Amanda shook her head, the heel of her palm resting on her temple. “Make me understand, Tyra. Dad’s making no sense.” Her listless gaze shifted to her friend. “What have I done wrong? Can you tell me what I’ve done wrong? Maybe if I fix it, he’ll not give Rebecca my company.”
Tyra sighed and rubbed her friend’s shoulder. “Amanda, I’ve told you… Maybe that’s just his way of looking out for you. And he’s not giving Rebecca your company. I’m sure it’s temporary.” She shrugged. “I mean, at least he didn’t transfer the shares to her.”
That didn’t make Amanda feel any good. Yes, the shares were still under her father’s name, but he had given Rebecca the green light to call the shots—every last shot—at Lemaiyan Fits. Now, Amanda knew that whatever little bargaining power she had before was gone. She could as well sit in a corner, dance to Rebecca’s tune silently, and patiently wait for when their father changed his mind.
“You’re just like everyone else,” Amanda accused, reaching for her newly filled glass. “You don’t see how this is so unfair to me. You also think I deserve this.”
Tyra rubbed her back. “No, Mandy. Don’t say that. I’m here for you, okay? You did what you had to do with that clip. Now, no one will bother you ever again. Maybe your father will see it your way some day.”
Amanda needed her father to see things her way now, not in the future. It was bad enough that she had been forced into working on a project she didn’t favour. And now, to do that, while under her scheming sister? How would she survive?
Tyra slid from her bar stool. “I gotta rush to the ladies, then we’ll get out of here. Okay?”
Amanda nodded. “Okay.”
She finished up her last shot while Tyra was gone, her mind a whirlwind. Was there any possible way to escape her reality and pretend this day never happened?
A few minutes later, outside the bar, Amanda was convincing Tyra that she didn’t have to see her home. “I have Tom. I’ll be fine,” she claimed, hanging onto Tyra’s arm and smiling at her driver who stood by, holding the back door to her car open.
“Fine,” Tyra gave in. She looked at Tom. “Let me know when she’s home safe.”
“Sure, Ma’am,” Tom replied, stepping back as Tyra helped her friend into the backseat.
Tom drove off a short while later, casting a concerned look at his boss. She was wasted and could barely stand straight. She shouldn’t have insisted on going home alone, and Tyra shouldn’t have let her have her way so easily. Should he call Cara?
“Take me to the docks,” her voice reached him.
“What?” he asked, not sure he heard her right.
“The docks,” she replied, her voice slow and weak. “I want to see someone there.”
“On it,” he replied.
Ah, maybe she wasn’t going to be by herself after all.
***
That evening, Lucas sauntered into his family’s home. It wasn’t the place he wanted to be at the moment, but showing up was the only way his mother was going to stop bugging him over the phone.
Or appearing at his boat, with no warning.
Stepping into the foyer, he took a second to take in the grand staircase and expensively decorated living area in front of him. Looking at the stairs, he couldn’t help but recall that day ten years ago when he walked down them, backpack on his shoulder, the rest of his luggage in the car outside. That day, he must have been the happiest person ever. Leaving home was the best thing that happened to him back then. Coming back to this house wasn’t something he ever looked forward to.
It brought all the bad memories back. His dad being a horrible husband and father, his mother doing nothing about it, and his siblings comfortably settling into the kind of life their parents led when he could never make peace with it. From a young age, he had been unable to accept the kind of life many in his family’s social circle led—one filled with glamor on the outside, but utterly depressing behind closed doors. To him, no amount of money could make up for a life filled with stress and lacking authenticity.
“You finally made it!” His mother’s bright voice reached him, and he turned to see her appearing through the archway that led into the dining room. There was a time when that voice made him smile—back when he was barely ten and had no idea it was a façade she kept to pretend everything was fine. One of her many façades, actually.
He walked forward and kissed her cheek. “Did I have a choice?”
She chuckled and led him towards the dining room. “Don’t be smart with me. You’re a day late. Everyone was here last night. Today, everyone scattered. You missed your first family dinner in years!”
“I’m sorry, Mum. Something came up.”
“Something more important than spending time with family? It was Sunday, you were not at work. Don’t give me excuses. I know you don’t like home anymore.”
Before Amanda showed up at the beach, he had actually been considering going home despite his reluctance. But after he ran into her, he honestly forgot all about it. When his mother called around seven o’clock to ask why he was running late, Amanda was fast asleep in his arms and he wasn’t going to ruin it. So he made a quick excuse.
“I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“And you’re stuck with me,” she said as they walked into the dining room. The table was set for two. Lucas didn’t bother asking where his father was. But he didn’t have to ask because she was ready with an excuse for him. “Your father is on a trip this week.”
Not that he expected his father to be around, or anything. Hell, he hadn’t lived in this house for a period of more than a month in the last ten years. He had no idea what their daily schedules were like. But if things were like anything they were back when he was a teenager, his mother would always say he was away on a business trip even when he was with his mistress.
“I thought you two would leave for a vacation or something to celebrate your anniversary,” he pointed out as he took a seat on her right hand side.
She waved a hand dismissively. “We’re much too busy at the moment for that. Pleasure can wait.”
Lucas knew there was a bigger reason for it than simply not wanting to step back from work. A reason like his parents just not being able to actually stand each other. Grabbing his knife and fork, he began working on the steak before him.
“So, Saturday night, I noticed that you escorted Amanda from the party,” his mother commented a while later.
Lucas cleared his throat and stabbed a piece of steak with his fork. “I was simply seeing her off. Thought you’d like me to do that.”
“It wasn’t just that, was it? Are you two close at work?”
“Mum, we’re both busy at work.”
“What, you’ve never grabbed lunch with her?”
Lucas looked over at his mother. “Mum, I know what you’re trying to do. Don’t worry. I can find a decent lady for myself when I want one.”
Susanne raised her hands in surrender. “You got me. I’m not going to force you or anything, not like I can. Your siblings have married well, and your father and I would be very happy if you did the same. Our family has a long history with the Lemaiyans. It would be amazing if we became one.”
“Mum—”
She reached forward and covered his hand with hers. “Think about it, okay? Amanda is a good woman. She’s smart, an excellent businesswoman, and she’s gorgeous. What more do you want?” She arched an eyebrow. “It’s fortunate her marriage to that ungrateful social climber never went through. There are now going to be many young men from good families chasing after her. This time round, she might be gone for good.”
Lucas withdrew his hand from her hold. “Mum, she’s not a commodity in search of the highest bidder.”
“I’m simply telling you that, if you sit back, you might miss your chance with the most eligible spinster in this country right now.”
Lucas took a sip of his wine. “Whatever you say, Mum.”
She shook her head. “You’re as stubborn as ever.”
“You do realise that, even if I was to marry her, it wouldn’t benefit Eson Corp because I don’t want to get into the family business, right?”
Susanne frowned. “What do you mean? Why did you agree to come back, then? Your father thinks you’ll join the company after two years at Lemaiyan.”
“Don’t you remember the condition he gave me when he agreed to pay for my tuition in the States back then?”
“That when you got back, you’d have to work with him for a period.”
“Exactly. Me working at Lemaiyan Fits was his request. It’s how I’m paying back my debt. After this, I’ll owe him nothing.”
His mother frowned. “I’m surprised that even after all these years, your stance about this hasn’t changed.”
“You two haven’t changed either.”
“You’re wrong. Why don’t you come back home? Things are not how they were ten years ago.”
“Really? Are you trying to tell me that money is not the most important thing in this family anymore?”
Susanne pursed her lips. Then with a sigh, said, “Your father and me have worked so hard to ensure you and your siblings don’t lack. Don’t throw it in our faces.”
Lucas dropped his cutlery. “Not that excuse again, Mum! You do know you can live a comfortable life without throwing away your dignity, right?”
His phone buzzed right then. Amanda’s name flashed on the screen. He shot to his feet and grabbed it. “I need to take this,” he excused himself and walked back towards the living room. He accepted the call. “Hello?”
A drunken voice made the reply. “Where are you?”
His brow creased instantly. “Amanda, are you drunk?”
“I’m at your bo-boat. Open the doorrr!”
“I’m not at my boat. Are you alone? Are you okay?” He walked towards the coat closet and retrieved his coat.
His mother appeared at the dining room entryway. “Are you leaving?”
“Who’s tha-aa-aat?” Amanda slurred on the other side.
Lucas drew his phone from his ear for a second. “I have to go, Mum. Something came up.”
Susanne hurried towards him. “Is everything okay?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He kissed her cheek. “Goodnight.”
He didn’t give her a chance to delay him further as he gunned for the door.
He was aware of his mother standing at the door, watching him as he got into his car and peeled out of the compound.
He couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
