CHAPTER 48: THIS ISN’T A BANK!

"Boss, Aiden’s here."

Lucas frowned. Almost noon already—he hadn’t even made it into the office this morning, and the second he shows up, Aiden comes barging in. What timing.

"Let him up."

"He brought Richard with him."

Lucas’s lips curled into a cold smile. "Fine. Tomorrow Grandpa’s will expires. If they don’t stir up trouble now, they’d be letting me down after going through all that effort to cripple my legs."

Aiden and Richard walked in together.

Lucas didn’t even lift his gaze. He remained calmly flipping through the file in his hands, treating them like air.

They stood there for a long time, silent—like a ridiculous standoff.

Finally, Aiden broke first. "Lucas."

Lucas blinked as if just noticing them. "Oh, it’s Uncle. Why didn’t you say something when you came in?"

"We’re two living, breathing people. Are we really that invisible to you?"

"If Uncle insists on humiliating himself, there’s nothing I can do."

Aiden’s jaw tightened. Every time he locked horns with Lucas, he ended up the loser.

"Fine. Let’s talk business."

"Go ahead."

"Richard’s wedding should’ve taken place two days ago. But because you insisted on choosing the exact same date for your own wedding, his had to be postponed. Tomorrow he’ll finally marry—surely you’ll attend?"

Lucas finally looked up, eyes glinting. "Postponed because of me? You could’ve gone ahead as planned. Who stopped you?"

"With your wedding on the same day, who would bother showing up for Richard’s?" Aiden snapped.

Truth was, back then Aiden had actually wanted to compete head-to-head with Lucas, steal the spotlight. But the Taylor Family refused to gamble their daughter’s reputation and demanded the wedding be delayed.

Lucas smirked. "So because you can’t rally enough guests, that’s somehow my fault?"

"Don’t twist my words. Like it or not, you owe Richard’s wedding some responsibility. I’m planning a grand affair—one hundred helicopters for the bridal procession."

Lucas leaned back leisurely. "And?"

"Roads lined with flowers, fleets of luxury cars, and invitations to the top names in business and media. The works."

"How much are you expecting that to cost?"

"Three hundred million."

Lucas let out a low chuckle. "Impressive. Quite the spectacle. Well then, Uncle, I’ll give you some face—I’ll show up."

Aiden’s smile froze. Showing up? He needed Lucas to foot the bill.

"Lucas, if you could cover ninety percent of the expenses as a gesture of goodwill, I’ll handle the rest."

Lucas laughed outright this time. "Uncle, you must not have brushed your teeth this morning—the stench of your greed is overwhelming."

"I’m your uncle!" Aiden barked, his voice cracking with frustration.

Lucas’s face hardened. His patience vanished. Moments ago he’d been thinking about how to make the old fox regret his schemes—and here the man was, shamelessly begging for money.

"Uncle, I’m Lucas Hilton. That makes me your nephew, not your personal ATM. You want money? At least learn where to draw the line."

Richard finally tried to speak. "Cousin, don’t listen to my father. The truth is—"

"Shut up!" Aiden roared, shooting his son a glare that could kill.

"Lucas, since your parents aren’t around, it’s my duty as your uncle to discipline you!" Aiden declared, puffed up with self-importance.

Just then, a mocking voice drifted in from outside the office.

"Well, well. I’ve seen plenty of people beg for money, but never anyone so shamelessly bold about it."

The office doors swung open.

Sophia strolled in with all six children at her side, bold as ever.

"Sophia—you dare show your face here!" Aiden’s eyes burned with loathing.

A woman who couldn’t be bought off with a hundred million dollars was no ordinary woman.

"Why wouldn’t I dare? I’m not some rat scurrying in the gutter. What’s funny is how someone here keeps bossing my husband around—treating him like a bottomless ATM."

Aiden’s jaw tightened, but Sophia cut him off before he could speak.

"What do you think Lucas is, some kind of money-printing machine? If you’re that desperate for cash, Uncle, why not just rob a bank?"

Every other word out of her mouth was "husband," and Lucas’s eyes flickered with a dark gleam.

"You—"

"I’m perfectly fine, thank you very much. Oh, and what a coincidence—I just saw Jessica downstairs. Playing lady of the manor again, handing out her little wedding favors to the staff. Pity no one would take them. Mr. Hilton—no, Uncle—tell me, maybe she just has too much money to burn?"

After the last punishment, who at Hilton Group would dare curry favor with Jessica? No one wanted to risk their own head.

Sophia dropped a file onto Lucas’s desk, her expression all innocence.

"You rushed out so quickly this morning you forgot this. I thought I’d bring it up for you. Hope I’m not interrupting."

"You said Jessica’s downstairs?" Lucas asked, voice flat.

"Yes. She came in before me. If I’d known you and Richard were here too, I would’ve invited her up for a chat. Oh—and I couldn’t help but notice she was in flats, and... looking a little fuller. Just a few days and already a glow? Could she be expecting?"

Jessica was pregnant—that explained why the Taylor Family had so readily agreed to move the wedding date. Canceling was no longer an option.

The Taylor family had pushed Jessica and Richard into a relationship purely because of that will.

Richard stood a real chance of becoming the rightful heir to Hilton Group, so even the original wedding date had been carefully chosen—set just a few days before the will’s expiration.

The timing was no accident. They feared that if the wedding was set later and Richard inherited first, he might back out. By securing an earlier date, they also gave themselves an escape hatch in case Lucas managed to marry and fulfill the will’s condition—then they can just call off the engagement.

After all, without Hilton Group, neither Richard nor Aiden meant anything to the Taylors. But fate had its way. Their precious daughter got too involved, actually fell for Richard, and even ended up pregnant. At that point, the marriage couldn’t be stopped.

Aiden’s face darkened. "Sophia! Don’t you dare slander my future daughter-in-law’s reputation!"

"Reputation’s a nice word, Uncle. But usually, it’s something earned, not begged for. You sit here spouting big talk as if you’re untouchable. Tell me, how long can that last? You hold a fat chunk of shares, sit on the board, but the projects you’ve touched... well, your record speaks for itself."

Aiden sneered. "Spare me the lecture."

"Oh, I wouldn’t dare. I just find it impressive that every single project you’ve touched—every last one—ended up capped at only fifty million in losses. Quite the talent, Uncle! Such precision in failure. I’m honestly in awe. Lucas told me to practice ’squandering money’ anyway. Maybe you could teach me?"

Charles piped up from the sofa. "Mommy, stop joking. You’ve made billions in investments before. No way you could ever squander money like him."

"Exactly, Mommy! You even bought Silver Lake Villa outright in cash!" Dustin added.

That villa alone was worth over a hundred million.

Aiden’s face turned an ugly shade, green then white. No wonder she’d scoffed at his "offers." A mere designer, sitting on assets like that? Unbelievable.

Lucas’s lips curved, pulling Sophia into his arms. "So my wife’s been more capable than I realized."

"Of course. If I’m going to stand beside you, I can’t be some leech. I have my own brain, my own strength. I refuse to be simple-minded and... crippled."

Her barbed words hit their mark, and Aiden was left speechless with rage.

Sophia patted Lucas’s chest, rising gracefully. "Lucas, I’ve delivered what you forgot. I’ll leave you to your meeting—I’ve got an appointment with the CEO of SH Group about a collaboration."

"SH Group?"

She nodded, a sly smile curving her lips. "They’re paying me twenty million just to plan one show."

"Drive safe," Lucas said simply.

Sophia gave him a little nod and sauntered out, slow and elegant.

Lucas turned his gaze back to Aiden with a faint, mocking smile.

"So, Uncle—what was it you came here for again?"

Aiden’s fists clenched at his sides. "Richard, we’re leaving!"