CHAPTER 30: HE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND HIS OWN HEART

Sophia picked up a wet wipe and slowly, elegantly cleaned her hands before setting it down on the table.

"Well? What’s wrong? Weren’t you all so good at talking a minute ago? Cat got your tongue now?"

"Is it because you finally think I’m right—or because you just don’t have anything left to say to me?"

"Looks like my showing up at this reunion has completely ruined your mood. Fine. From now on, let’s pretend we’ve never known each other."

She pulled out a black card, beckoned to the waiter with a smile.

"Charge only for my seat and my kids’. That’s all."

A black card for just the cover charge—every slap of the card felt like a slap in the face.

Around the table, faces darkened. She’d managed to make a petty gesture look like the height of class.

"Who would’ve thought, Sophia—rich now, but stingy as ever."

Sophia stood, lips curving. "Babies, let’s go. Mommy’s taking you for French cuisine."

Angela picked up her bag as the kids fell in line. They all put on their sunglasses at the same time, heads turning as they left—every passerby staring.

"Mommy, where are we going?"

"Lunch. Then home. Time to try on a wedding dress."

Lucas had had one sent over—how he’d managed to have a custom gown finished in just a day or two, she didn’t know.

But when she got home, something felt off. The front door was already open.

Her expression sharpened. She pushed the kids behind her and pressed the hidden switch by the doorframe. A concealed compartment slid open.

She grabbed the baseball bat she kept there and stepped inside.

On the sofa, Lucas sat elegantly reading a magazine.

"You? How did you get in here?"

Lucas turned his head, his gaze landing on her, then flicking past her to the six little figures behind her.

His eyes lingered for a beat, then his voice dropped low. "You’re back."

"Shouldn’t you answer my question first—how did you get in?"

"A little lock like that? Nothing I can’t handle."

In front of him sat a huge box. "Your wedding dress is inside. Go try it on."

The gown was so heavy she couldn’t lift it herself. Alex and one of the guards came in and carried it upstairs.

Silence fell over the living room.

Lucas’s eyes followed the six children. His voice turned cold. "Come here."

Faye, the youngest, pouted, her eyes filling with tears.

"I’m marrying your mommy. That makes you my kids too. Shouldn’t you come over?"

"It’s not official yet," Billy said, shielding Faye with his arm. "And even if it were—it doesn’t mean anything."

One by one, the six children walked past him without even looking at him.

"Mr. Hilton, you..."

Lucas gave a low, humorless laugh. "No wonder. They’re mine. They’ve even got my attitude."

Just then, the upstairs door opened.

He looked up, and for a moment, even his icy expression cracked with astonishment.

The strapless gown glittered with diamonds cascading from the hem, embroidery fine enough to belong in a museum. Impossible to make in just a couple of days—what trick had she used?

"Mommy!" one of the little ones called out. "Marry me instead! Don’t marry the creepy uncle!"

Creepy Uncle Lucas: "..."

"Four days from now, I’ll come for you."

With that, Lucas left quickly, his words lingering in the air like a promise—or a warning.

Once inside the car, his mind betrayed him. He couldn’t help but think back to that night six years ago—Sophia in a perfectly fitted evening gown, standing by the window, moonlight wrapping around her like a halo. She had looked like a creature out of a dream, a vision he couldn’t shake.

Something about her was different. Even now, each time he saw her in a wedding dress, his heart beat a little too fast.

Illusion. It had to be.

For years, his heart had been ice, untouchable. He had fallen once—only once—and it had cost him dearly. He wasn’t going to fall again.

He wasn’t marrying her out of love. This was revenge. Pure, cold revenge.

She needed to learn the lesson: some men weren’t the kind you could sleep with and then just walk away from. And those six children—each and every one of them—were his.

He shoved down the unsettling stir of emotions in his chest, burying them deep.

"Mr. Hilton, where to tonight?" Alex asked from the driver’s seat.

"Ryan’s back. I’ll see him first."

"Mr. Wright’s been abroad nearly half a year. I imagine the overseas branch has been running smoothly."

"Don’t underestimate the Wright family’s power," Lucas said coldly. "Ryan may be a bastard son, but his own family has targeted him for years. I sent him overseas to handle YL... Tonight, I’ll hear how it went."

Alex nodded, then hesitated. "Mr. Hilton, I... I think Miss Morgan is stunning."

Lucas shot him a look, sharp enough to cut glass.

Alex swallowed. "What I mean is, she’s... different from the others. Maybe you should think twice. If the truth ever comes out, whatever’s between you and her might never be repairable."

"Alex," Lucas said flatly, "go to Finance, collect your last paycheck. You’re done here."

Alex nearly slammed on the brakes. His face crumpled in panic. "Mr. Hilton, I was wrong!"

"One more word out of place," Lucas warned, voice like ice, "and you already know the consequences."

Alex nodded frantically and kept his eyes on the road.

...

At Silver Lake Villa, Sophia was on the phone.

"When will you be back?" her uncle’s voice asked.

"Uncle, you’ve probably already heard—I’m marrying Lucas Hilton."

A pause. Heavy silence. Then: "Sophia, I don’t want you to go through with this."

"Don’t worry, Uncle. I know what I’m doing. Please keep an eye on the company for me. Once I settle things with the Morgans, I’ll come back."

"I believe you. But be careful. Word is, Ryan Wright just returned to City A. The Wright family is restless. If you get the chance—crush them completely."

Sophia’s uncle Marcus wasn’t her blood uncle, not exactly. Years ago, when her mother had been thrown out of the family, her mother’s brother Frank married into the Wrights. Everything—the wealth, the property—had ended up in their hands. Aurora, her mother, had been left with nothing.

Marcus, though... Marcus had loved Aurora in silence all his life. He had never married, and after Aurora’s death, he treated Sophia like his own child.

Sophia tightened her grip on the phone. "I understand, Uncle. Don’t worry."

When the call ended, the weight in the air was suffocating.

She wasn’t just facing Andrew and Ethan. Now, the Wright family was on her plate too.

Most of the Wrights were nothing but vultures—but Ryan Wright was different. Maybe it was because he was illegitimate, but he had something to prove. In a way, he and Sophia shared a similar fate. Only his was even crueler: his own mother despised him and had ended up institutionalized.

Maybe... maybe she could pull him to her side.

In a battle like this, one more ally meant one more weapon.

Her phone buzzed with a new message. It was Harper, inviting her out to a bar that night.

And as luck would have it, Ryan Wright was going to be there too.

Perfect.