CHAPTER 193: DID SHE HURT YOU

Nathalie slowly picked herself up from the floor, her tear-filled eyes gazing at Lucas with disbelief, still clinging to the faint hope that he might spare her another glance—or show even a shred of pity.

But Lucas didn’t so much as acknowledge her.

Instead, he turned and strode toward Beauty, gripping her arm protectively.

"Did she hurt you?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

Beauty shook her head, the color finally returning to her cheeks.

Without thinking, she tightened her grip on his rough, calloused hand, the corners of her lips curling into a small smile.

Nathalie’s heart shattered.

Her eyes, red with fury and despair, locked onto Lucas as she spat out each word like a dagger: "You’re protecting her now, but mark my words—you’ll regret it one day.

She’s not worthy of you!"

With that, she turned and bolted out of the room, wiping furiously at the tears streaming down her face as she ran.

Beauty watched her go, her almond-shaped eyes widening in shock.

She turned to Lucas.

"She’s devastated.

Doesn’t that bother you at all?

You used to be so gentle with her."

Lucas’s dark eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion, his lips quirking into a faint smirk.

Without a word, he swept her off her feet, cradling her in his arms.

His voice, deliberately pitched to carry across the room, was firm.

"The only woman I care about is mine.

Anyone else means nothing to me.

Right now, there’s only one woman who occupies my thoughts."

Beauty scoffed.

*As if.*

Had he forgotten how he’d treated her before?

She wasn’t about to be swayed by his sweet talk again.

Nearby, Laura slammed her glass down onto the table with a sharp *clink*, her face twisted in anger.

Without another word, she spun on her heel and stormed off.

Before ascending the stairs, she paused just long enough to throw a cold remark over her shoulder.

"Don’t bother calling me for dinner.

I’ve lost my appetite."

Lucas ignored her tantrum, gently settling Beauty onto the sofa.

He took her slender, pale legs into his hands, carefully examining the scrape on her knee.

"You’re bleeding," he murmured, his expression darkening.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed softly at the wound, his touch unexpectedly tender.

Beauty’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she murmured, "I must have pulled too hard just now, so the wound reopened.

But it’s nothing serious—it wasn’t even bleeding when I checked earlier."

Though the pain in her knee throbbed insistently, she forced a faint smile.

"It doesn’t really hurt that much, just—" Her words were abruptly cut off as someone gripped her shoulders and sealed her lips with a kiss.

Beside them, Sarah tactfully lowered her head, pretending to be engrossed in her phone to spare Beauty any embarrassment.

Taking a deep breath, Beauty felt as if she might suffocate every time Lucas kissed her so boldly.

Her cheeks flushed from lack of air, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest.

"Sarah’s right here!

You’re so shameless!"

Blushing furiously, Beauty shot a glance at Sarah before burying her face against Lucas’s chest, wishing she could disappear entirely. Sarah smirked.

"Don’t mind me—just pretend I’m not here.

I didn’t see a thing."

The teasing only deepened Beauty’s mortification.

Pressing her lips together, she shot a reproachful look at Lucas.

"This is all your fault!

Now Sarah’s going to laugh at me..."

"Kissing my own wife is perfectly natural.

Right, Sarah?"

"Absolutely!

Maybe I should head home first and come back after you two are done?"

Sarah chuckled, meeting Beauty’s gaze with amusement before making a move to stand—only to be stopped.

"Sarah, don’t tease me like that," Beauty protested, her cheeks still pink.

"I’m so happy you came to see me—happier than seeing *someone* else, that’s for sure!"

Lucas’s lips curled into a cold smirk.

"You two chat.

I’ll go upstairs to check on Laura."

Beauty nodded.

"As her brother, you really should go comfort her. But the way she spoke was way too aggressive.

I didn’t want things to turn this unpleasant either."

"Hmm."

Lucas responded with nothing more than a cold hum before striding upstairs.

Only after he had left did Sarah finally shift from the other side of the sofa and scoot closer.

She playfully slapped Beauty’s shoulder and grinned.

"Damn, girl, you’ve got skills!

You actually managed to put our mighty CEO Marson in his place."

"Me?

Please.

If anything, he’s the one who’s got me wrapped around his finger. I’m the victim here, okay?"

Beauty pouted, plucking a tissue to dab gently at the wound on her knee, her delicate brows furrowed in discomfort.

Sarah gave her shoulder a light squeeze, teasing, "Skills or not, Lucas’s completely smitten with you now.

Doubt he’ll even glance at another woman.

So just relax and enjoy being Mrs. Marson."

"If only it were that simple!

But I have a feeling Nathalie isn’t just going to let this go.

Who knows what tricks she’ll pull next to lure him back?

He might just fall for it all over again."

Beauty lowered her head, her voice tinged with unease.

The words Nathalie had spat before leaving still gnawed at her, filling her with quiet dread over what schemes might come next.

"Eh. If he’s truly mine, no one can take him.

If he’s not, no amount of clinging will keep him. I’ve made peace with that.

If he ever stops loving me, I’ll walk away without a fight.

No begging, no drama."

"Now that’s the spirit!

With a man like Lucas, you’ve got to hold onto your dignity.

If he ever strays, you march out without looking back."

A faint, bitter smile flickered across Sarah’s face as she spoke.

Beauty knew she was thinking of Drake again and quickly changed the subject.

"So... how’s it going with that Ryan guy?

Sure, he’s Nathalie’s brother, but their personalities are night and day.

Honestly, I think you two would make a great match."

At the mention of Ryan, Sarah’s expression visibly darkened.

Initially, she had sought his help just to prove to Samantha and Drake that her life wasn’t as miserable as they imagined.

But now, it all seemed utterly unnecessary.

From the very beginning, she had made it clear to Ryan that she only wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend.

Yet, to her dismay, he had grown increasingly invested—so much so that he had actually confessed his feelings to her.

The unexpected turn of events left her uneasy, prompting her to seek advice from her closest friend.

"Oh?"

Beauty’s eyes sparkled with mischief, her curiosity instantly piqued.

"Judging by that look, has our dear Mr. Ryan made his move?

Did he confess?"

Sarah pressed her lips together nervously, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He did ask me to consider being his girlfriend.

But I don’t like him that way—he knows that.

I regret everything now.

I never should’ve asked him to play along in the first place."