On the freeway, there was an eerie calm before the storm. Commuters were unaware of the impending danger should they put their noses where they did not belong. Inside a black pickup truck, Bane waited impatiently, his eyes narrowing at the Lexus car ahead. "Sir, the first car in Mister Thompson's caravan had collided with the teenager's car we had paid off. The exit to the Koplin Intercontinental Hotel has been blocked. It looks like the middle car is in a panic and is driving a hundred kilometers per hour," one of Bane's men reported. A more sinister laugh escaped Bane's lips. He turned off the safety of his handgun and said, "There is no running away from me, Lucas. I'm going to catch you tonight and make you pay!" He glared at the driver and said, "Hurry up!" "Yes, Sir!" The driver stepped on the gas, and a chase ensued. "They know we are after them. Lucas, you think they can run, but there is no escaping me now!" Bane laughed at the desperation of Lucas' men. Whoever was

"No, you say your last prayers." The voice was oddly familiar, and before Lucas knew it, the man with tattoos took a blow to the head, causing him to collapse on the floor and falling unconscious. Lucas looked back in the same direction and saw Axel. He said, "Looks like you need a hand there, buddy." "Lily!" Those were Lucas' first words, and his head snapped toward his wife. Axel seemed to understand what Lucas meant. He held his gun up and shot the first man who was standing close to Lily. Axel hit the unknown man in the shoulder, and he also fired at the other man, but the latter jumped to the nearest cover. Seeing Axel, Bane yelled, "Axel Green! You come back from the dead!" In a blink of an eye, Bane took Axel by surprise. He threw Lily in his direction, and she fell on top of Axel, his gun flying in an unknown direction. They toppled to the floor, leaving it up to Lucas to protect his wife. With Bane preparing to attack Lily and Axel, Lucas jumped. He put a distance be

"Is it fine for you to look after me? Aren't we keeping us a secret?" Lily asked since Lucas was wiping her face. Lucas sighed. He said, "Honestly, I'm tired of that. Let it all out. We are in Rose Hills anyway. I just want to be with you." "Besides, it's just two more weeks, and it will be over soon," Lucas suggested. "The medical staff here have learned not to be nosy. Doctor Brown got fired because she put her nose where it did not belong. They will think twice before making conclusions about our relationship, all the more gossip about it." "Doctor Wilma Brown got fired?" Lily raised her brow. "When did that happen? Why did you fire her?" Lucas chuckled. He told Lily precisely what happened, "Mom fired her. Mom was emotional when it happened. Shauna was almost assaulted, and then she found out about you through Doctor Brown." "Oh, got it. So, Doctor Brown told on us. Well, she had it coming," Lily remarked. Then, Aiden came to her mind. Lily said, "I miss Aiden. I want to ki

All in all, the Thompson Group of Companies has twelve major shareholders who were board members. Three of them were all Lucas' uncles. They were Keith Henderson, Wendell Franco, and Sean Ross. They were best friends of his father, Evan Thompson. The other board members were Steven Ford, Warren Ellison, Alice Walton, Jane Koch, Giovanni Ortega, and Alexei Petrov. Four of them supported Walton Reed. Some took neutral grounds. Of course, Lucas and his mother, Shantelle, also held relevant shares within the company. Over the years, expansion required more investors. Evan had always explained that more investors reduced the risk of losses. In front of the long table, the board members had found their seats on the left side. The executives took most seats on the right side. Lucas and Ryan stood before them, waiting for everyone to arrive. Evan and Shantelle came and took the remaining seats on the right side of the table. "Now that everyone is here, Let us begin this meeting," Luca

"Lucas?" Axel walked into Lucas's office. "You called for me?" Ryan was standing next to Lucas. He was smiling as Axel walked in. He encouraged, "Take a seat, Axel." Behind his desk, Lucas pushed a brown envelope in Axel's direction. He said, "This is for you. I did not know when I could give it to you, but now is the time." Axel's brows met as he sat in front of Lucas' table. He opened the envelope and saw a stock certificate for Gravity Ventures worth more than two million dollars. Axel muttered, "Woah, what is this?" "Remember your death gratuity pay with Alpha Vipers? Well, Ryan and I had taken that out of their corporate account a long time ago and added a little extra," Lucas revealed. "We saved that up for you and invested in Gravity Ventures under your name."x "What? But you didn't even know if I was alive," Axel reacted. Lucas and Ryan looked at each other. Ryan was the one who revealed, "We were going to give it to your parents if we did not find you." "When the Alpha