She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 828

Sitting nearby and enjoying a cup of tea, Zeke Shapiro paused. His hand hovered in mid-air before he slowly set the cup down. He looked at his grandson's injured leg and murmured, "Perhaps that is for the best. You've spent half your life exhausted on the front lines. It's time someone else carried the burden of this country."

Lucian smiled, his tone entirely at peace. "Part of it is my physical condition. If I stay in command, I'm afraid I'll inevitably fail the people. They expect perfection, and the pressure of never being allowed to make a single mistake is draining."

"But more importantly," Lucian said, shifting his gaze toward the adjacent rec room. His eyes softened instantly. "I have a family now. I want to take care of my home. I don't want my wife to have to risk her life to save me ever again. I just want to protect her, and be there for whatever she wants to do."

Gordon Lonsdale's face broke into a deeply relieved smile. "I haven't feared a damn thing in this life—except something happening to my granddaughter. Knowing you're stepping away from the crossfire to live a peaceful life with her... I can finally sleep at night."

Zeke was getting old. With his son and grandson locked away in prison, awaiting execution for treason, all he had left was Lucian. He just wanted his boy to be safe.

"I just want the two of you to be happy for the rest of your lives," Zeke said softly.

Lucian smiled and slid the chessboard toward the older man. "Care for a game?"

While the older men engaged in quiet, heavy conversation, the rec room was a completely different story.

Forrest had dragged Loyce and the rest of the brothers into a chaotic game of foosball.

Loyce was ruthless on the table, scoring a series of brilliant shots that had the room roaring with laughter. Every time Lucian passed by the open door, he would stop and watch for a moment, his gaze unconditionally anchored on the bright, vibrant smile she only ever showed her family.

After stepping away from the table, Loyce noticed Hank staring blankly out the window. She grabbed a drink, walked over, and handed it to him. "What's on your mind?"

Hank looked at her and let out a heavy sigh. "I want to get married."

Loyce raised an eyebrow. "To who?"

"You know exactly who," he muttered, flashing her a miserable look. But he knew damn well it was his own fault he had lost her. He lit a cigarette, taking a long drag.

"Don't play the victim with me," Loyce said, patting his shoulder. "Giselle just isn't ready to see you. The timing isn't right."

"I miss her," Hank admitted, entirely unapologetic. "I'm going out of my mind."

"I gave you the chance to fix things, but you clearly still need to work on yourself."

"I know I screwed up. I know exactly what I did wrong."

"Come talk to me when you've scrubbed every single one of your ridiculous tabloid rumors off the internet permanently," Loyce retorted. Then her tone softened. "It won't be much longer. Bloomberry needs her designs. When she feels strong enough to stand on her own, she'll come back."

"What if she falls for someone else?" Hank asked, the fear bleeding into his voice.

Loyce went silent for a moment before looking him dead in the eye. "Then let her go. If you try to force her back, I won't help you. You'll only push her further away. I refuse to let you ruin a good woman's life just because you can't handle losing her."

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