Chapter 46

Serena's POV

As I watched Nina's retreating figure. She clutched a bouquet of pink carnations, their pristine petals a stark contrast to her reddened eyes. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she walked away, each step echoing against the sterile floor.

My mind drifted back to our college days. Nina had always been the center of attention, surrounded by admiring faces. She'd perfected that wide-eyed innocent look, coupled with a delicate laugh that drew people in like moths to a flame. I'd watched from the sidelines as she worked her magic, wrapping everyone around her little finger with practiced ease.

Even Ian had fallen for it. I remembered the day I first noticed him looking at her differently during a gala. The way his gaze followed her across the room, how he'd smiled at her vapid small talk.

But Lucas... Lucas was different.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door to his hospital room. The antiseptic smell hit me immediately, mingling with the faint scent of fresh flowers from the various bouquets dotting the room. Lucas lay propped up against white pillows, his usual commanding presence somehow undiminished by the hospital gown and setting.

"I meant what I said yesterday," I began, meeting his steady gaze. "About not letting you take a loss in this."

He raised an eyebrow but remained silent, waiting.

"The situation at StarRiver is... complicated right now." I kept my voice even. "My father still maintains significant control. I need time to handle certain elements, but in the meantime-" I reached for my checkbook.

"Money?" His voice was low, almost amused.

"I know you don't need it," I said quickly, fingers tightening on the leather cover. "But it's all I can offer at the moment to-"

"No," he interrupted, his grey eyes holding mine. "There's much more you could do."

Something in his tone made my heart skip a beat. The afternoon light caught his profile, softening his usually sharp features. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

"Like taking care of me," he finally said, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard it, "until I'm discharged."

I was a little surprised. He looked at the expression on my face with a playful note in his voice and said, "What's the matter-are you disappointed?"

I found myself momentarily captivated by his attracting smile, realizing he wasn't trying to make things difficult for me at all.

If things had been different... if I hadn't learned the hard way about trust and betrayal... maybe I could have let myself feel what was building between us. Maybe I could have acknowledged the way my pulse quickened when he looked at me, or how his smiles seemed to illuminate something long dormant in my chest.

But I couldn't. Not again. Not even for him.

I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil beneath. "It's the least I can do, given the circumstances."

I busied myself adjusting his water pitcher, straightening items on his bedside table-anything to avoid meeting his gaze. My fingers brushed against the cool surface of a glass, and I focused on that sensation, using it to anchor myself against the dangerous undercurrent of emotions threatening to pull me under.

The afternoon sun filtered through the curtains of the room, casting a warm glow across my laptop screen. I was deep in quarterly reports and acquisition proposals, my fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard. The steady rhythm of typing occasionally mixed with the soft rustle of papers from Lucas's direction, creating an oddly comfortable atmosphere.

I barely registered the sound of footsteps approaching until Miles's voice broke through my concentration.

"Boss... are you peeling apples?"

I glanced up from my screen. Miles stood in the doorway, documents in hand, his usually composed expression replaced by undisguised surprise. Lucas sat in his hospital bed, methodically cutting an apple into neat, uniform pieces.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Lucas's voice carried its usual quiet authority, though I detected a hint of amusement.

"No, sir, of course not. I just... I'll come back later with these reports." Miles retreated, but not before shooting me a meaningful look that I pretended not to notice.

I returned to my work, falling back into the familiar pattern of numbers and projections. Time passed in the comfortable silence until my hand, operating on autopilot, reached for something beside my laptop. The sweet crunch of apple registered before I fully processed what I was eating.

I froze mid-chew, suddenly aware of the nearly empty plate beside me. What remained were two small, perfectly cut pieces, each with a toothpick placed exactly in the center. The knife work was impeccable - uniform thickness, even the skin trimmed to leave just a hint of red.

"I'm sorry," I said, heat creeping into my cheeks. "I wasn't paying attention. I don't usually even like fruit that much..."

"I'm honored you enjoyed them." Lucas's voice was soft, making my embarrassment worse. "Though I notice you left the smallest pieces for last."

I stared at the remaining apple slices, searching for a response that wouldn't sound completely ridiculous. "I was distracted by work."

"You've been distracted a lot lately." His tone shifted slightly. "Particularly since my last business trip."

My fingers stilled on the keyboard. I'd wondered if he'd noticed - of course he had. Lucas noticed everything. I kept my eyes fixed on the screen, though the words had become meaningless shapes.

"I just think we need some boundaries," I said carefully. "Professional ones."

"Professional boundaries." He repeated the words slowly, as if tasting them. "Is that why you've been avoiding being alone with me?"

"I don't really believe in love anymore," I offered, the words feeling hollow even as they left my mouth. "It's better to keep things..."

I said finally, grasping at the easier explanation. Anything was better than admitting the truth - that seeing him with Eleanor had awakened something I wasn't ready to face, that the prospect of letting him closer terrified me more than any boardroom battle ever could.

His eyebrow arched slightly. "That's not an answer, Serena. That's an excuse."

"Are you wavering about my pursuit?" His grey eyes held mine, searching. "I've noticed how you tense when I get too close, how you find reasons to leave rooms I enter."

"I just think..." I paused, gathering my thoughts. "We could be friends. I could even be Milo and Stella's godmother. That would be-"

"No." The word fell between us like a stone. "That's not an option, Serena."

"I don't understand why not. It's a perfectly reasonable-"

"You have two choices," he cut in, his voice dropping to that low register that never failed to send a shiver down my spine. "You can be Milo and Stella's mother, or you can be my wife."

I blinked. "Isn't that... the same thing?"

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Exactly. You don't get to choose just one part of this, Serena. It's all or nothing."

"You'll regret this," I warned, though my voice lacked conviction.

"I've already had my share of regrets." He shifted in the bed, then said slightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

The conversation ended abruptly as he carefully maneuvered himself out of bed.

I only left the hospital after Lucas had fallen asleep.

In the dead of night, I received a call from Lawrence. He informed me that Leon Hendrix and Arthur Burton would submit their resignations tomorrow. He also said he would personally accompany the perpetrator to visit Lucas in the hospital to apologize and offer compensation.

The next morning, I received resignation letters from both men.

Lucas then messaged me, saying my father had visited the hospital and compensated him with a substantial amount.

Sitting in my office, I dialed the internal line. "Vincent, please ask Nina Sinclair to come. Also, there will be a meeting in half an hour - no one is to be late!"