30
Chapter Thirty
Lucas scrambled to his feet, shielding Amanda with his body. “Mum!”
Behind him, Amanda patted her hair, which was thankfully still secured on top of her head, and stood up. “Hello, Mrs. Erikson.” Her face was burning up, but there was nowhere to hide.
Susanne closed the door and walked forward, her eyes moving from one to the other. “It really is Amanda.”
“Mum,” Lucas called in a warning tone, still trying to hide Amanda from his mother.
“Are you two together?” Susanne asked.
“That’s none of your business,” Lucas grumbled.
Susanne shook her head. “No, but it is. How long has this been going on?”
“A while,” Lucas confessed.
“A while? Looks like I didn’t have to work so hard trying to match you two, then?”
“Mum, keep this quiet, okay? We want to keep this private.”
“You didn’t have to hide it from me. I’m your mother!”
“It’s my personal life. And this is not just about me.”
Susanne’s gaze flickered to Amanda. “Of course. I understand.” Her smile widened. “I’ll leave you two, then. Sorry for interrupting.”
They watched as she walked out of the room, throwing one last smile at them before she closed the door behind her.
Lucas turned to Amanda. “Sorry about that. She probably knows the code too.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I’m just glad she didn’t appear a minute earlier.”
He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips. “We’d never have recovered from that one.”
***
Susanne Erikson closed the door behind her and walked down the hall, fanning her face with her hand.
Walking in on her son like that wasn’t something she ever wanted to happen, but…
Lucas was with Amanda Lemaiyan! How long had they been together? Lucas had been brushing her off every time she tried to sell him the idea of courting Amanda! She had no idea he was steps ahead!
“This is good,” she mumbled to herself. “This is good.”
It was too good. Her second eldest daughter had just tied the knot with the son of the man who was the favorite to win the next presidential election. And now, she had just confirmed that her hope of unifying the Erikson and Lemaiyan families was alive and kicking. With such connections, her family would be untouchable!
She hurried back to the wedding reception. She couldn’t wait to share the good news with her husband. They could as well start discussing the marriage with Charles right away.
She found her husband first. He was engaged in a conversation with three young politicians. She walked up to them and hooked her arm through his. “Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but I need to borrow my husband for a minute.”
“Of course, Mrs. Erikson,” the oldest among them replied.
“What is it?” Peter asked, his voice laced with annoyance as he went with her.
Susanne didn’t let his attitude faze her. He would be hanging on to her every word soon enough. Once she had brought him to a private spot on the edge of the room, she leaned up to whisper in his ear,
“Lucas and Amanda Lemaiyan are together.”
Peter looked at her, his brow folding up in a frown. “What?”
“Lucas and Amanda are seeing each other.”
“Didn’t you tell me he didn’t like the idea when you asked him to pursue her?”
She nodded. “He didn’t. But, it happens that they’ve been seeing each other.”
“How do you know that?”
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Saw what?”
“Saw them together, Peter! A minute ago. And Lucas confirmed they’re together.” She let go of his arm and fingered her layered diamond necklace. “We can finally start discussing the marriage. Should we talk to Charles right away?”
Peter nodded. “The sooner, the better. We’re lucky Amanda’s still available. Let’s not waste any more time.”
Within minutes, Susanne had scouted Charles Lemaiyan from the crowd and brought him with her to her husband.
“Is there a problem?” Charles asked, looking between his two long-term friends.
Susanne waved her hand dismissively. “Not a problem, no. We wanted to talk to you about marrying our children.”
Charles’s brow creased in a frown. “Marrying our children?”
Susanne rested a hand on her husband’s arm. “Peter and I were thinking it would be amazing to join our families. Lucas and Amanda are the perfect pair, don’t you think?”
“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?” Charles queried. “I had no idea you two had such intentions.”
“We’ve actually been wanting to pair Lucas up with your daughter, but he claimed disinterest. I just found out that all this time, they’ve been together!”
Charles paled. “What?”
Susanne’s head bobbed in excitement. “Can you believe it? Marrying them is now going to be a breeze!”
“Lucas cannot marry Amanda!” Charles snapped, his voice rising.
His sharp tone caught the Eriksons by surprise. They shared a confused look, then turned back to Charles.
“Why not?” Peter wondered.
“What, you don’t think our son is good enough for your daughter?” Susanne demanded.
Charles shook his head. “No, no. That’s not it.”
“Have you promised her to someone else?” Susanne pursued. “Who could be a better groom to a Lemaiyan than an Erikson?”
Charles sighed, looked around, then beckoned to them. “Step outside with me for a minute.”
