She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 852

Even with all his restraint, Lucian woke up with a clear head only to be greeted by a chaotic bed. A torn pillow had sent feathers fluttering down over the naked woman in his arms, her porcelain skin marked with a scattering of bruises and love bites.

He had still hurt her.

Sensing his darkening mood, Loyce slowly opened her eyes. Meeting his heavy, guilt-ridden gaze, she slipped an arm around his neck and pressed a reassuring kiss to his tense jaw. "Relax. The baby is perfectly fine, and so am I."

Only then did the rigid tension leave his shoulders. He held her in silence for a long time before speaking. "I remembered something."

"What is it?"

"Us," he said softly. "I bought an island for you once. We spent an incredible vacation there. It was... wild."

Loyce smiled, her lips curving upward. "Yeah. That did happen."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to fix all of this soon. Trust me."

He wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up in bed with her, but his time with Sigrid was almost up. Nathan Huxley needed him back in place.

By the time the early morning light broke, Lucian returned to the luxury hotel. In the long corridor outside the suite, Nathan was crouched by the door, his clothes rumpled and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Lucian stopped in front of him, his voice cool. "You got the girl of your dreams. Why the long face?"

Nathan looked up, his expression a toxic mix of revulsion and heartbreak. "She screamed your name in my ear all night. It got so annoying I slapped her."

Remembering the moment, Nathan let out a dark, bitter laugh. "First time I ever hit her. She thought it was you. Kept screaming about how good it felt. Pathetic."

Lucian knew this was the sound of a man watching his illusions about a woman shatter. "So, did you get the item?"

Nathan exhaled a cloud of smoke, stood up, and tossed a ring in the air. "I swapped it for a fake. She won't notice right away, but to avoid any slip-ups, I need the details of your plan."

Lucian handed him a sealed folder. "My show of good faith. Where's yours?"

Flipping through the first few pages, Nathan spoke with begrudging respect. "No wonder you went after my biggest clients. You're ruthless. It took you barely any time to dig up the fact that they're laundering money through Stellar Trust."

"Those are just educated guesses based on paper trails. The real proof of the cash flow needs the key." Lucian rubbed the ring now sitting in his palm. "Tonight, you're working overtime again."

Inside the suite, Sigrid genuinely believed the man giving her the best nights of her life was Lucian. When she woke up, her legs felt like jelly, and the memories of the night left her flushed with utter satisfaction.

Just looking at her made Lucian's stomach churn with disgust, but he maintained his flawless facade. By day, he took her shopping and to exclusive parties; by night, he swapped places with Nathan, letting the other man scramble her senses.

Two days later, Lucian tossed the original ring back to Nathan.

"The chip inside has been cloned," Lucian stated. "Once she puts it on, every financial transaction authorized by her fingerprint or iris scan will instantly back up to my servers."

Nathan's pupils contracted. He stared at the ring in his hand, a sudden chill creeping down his spine.

Just how many steps ahead was this guy playing?

Gripping the ring tightly, Nathan lowered his voice. "I've been asking around. You're lucky. The surgeon who operated on you is an old classmate's wife. Sigrid had a microchip implanted in your frontal lobe. But from what I hear, it's a knockoff. It's not as stable as the real deal. It won't detonate if someone tries to forcefully remove it, but it carries a massive risk of paralysis. You need to find a world-class neurosurgeon to take it out. Opening your skull twice in such a short window is practically a death wish."

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