Sweet Flash Marriage with the Restrained Tycoon (Isabelle and Damien) novel Chapter 566

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Chapter 566 An Unexpected Homecoming

Chapter 566 An Unexpected Homecoming

Lynn stared at him, completely lost.

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Before she could process what was happening, Lucas reached over and unbuckled her seatbelt/Then he slid his arm around her waist and lifted her easily onto his lap.

Startled, Lynn grabbed his shoulders, instinctively trying to push back, but his hands were firm on her hips. She could feel the heat of him through his clothes, the solid tension in his thighs beneath her.

“I’m home,” she whispered, glancing around nervously. The street was quiet–no one in sight.

Lucas didn’t answer. His fingers traced slow circles against her side, just above the waistband of her jeans. his eyes fixed on hers with that quiet intensity she still hadn’t learned to read completely.

“Stay at home tomorrow,” he said finally. “Wait for me. I’ll come get you.”

Lynn nodded quickly, dropping her gaze. “Okay.”

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. For a long moment, he just looked at her–like he was memorizing something. Then he gave her hip a light pat. “Go on.”

“Okay.”

She’d braced herself for more–for one of those kisses that left her breathless and disoriented–but he simply let her go.

Carefully, she climbed back into the passenger seat, straightened her shirt, grabbed her bag from the floor, and slipped out of the car.

As she walked toward the front door, she could feel his eyes on her back. Every step felt awkward, self-

conscious.

Inside the car, Lucas shifted in his seat, adjusting his jeans, then rested both hands on the steering wheel, tapping a slow, rhythmic pattern with his thumbs.

He drove back to the villa. The house felt different without her in it.

Usually, when he came home, she’d be sprawled across the couch, some show playing on the laptop, a half–eaten bag of chips within reach.

He wandered into her room. On the desk, beside a stack of notebooks, sat a worn copy of Pride and Prejudice–the rare edition, the one with the original cover art.

He opened it carefully. Inside, tucked against the spine, was a small card. “Happy wedding.”

No name.

But he knew. It had to be from someone important to her. Those old collector’s editions didn’t turn up just anywhere.

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Chapter 566 An Unexpected Homecoming

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He flipped through the pages slowly until he reached the one she’d folded down at the corner. Then he took the book to his study, sat down at the computer, and searched for Pride and Prejudice.

He watched the movie she loved.

And somewhere in the middle of it, he understood. That question she’d asked him weeks ago What do you think of Darcy?-it hadn’t been about Darcy at all.

She’d been asking–What kind of man are you?

She thought he was like Darcy. Proud, at first. Prejudiced. Quick to judge and slow to trust.

And maybe she was right. Maybe the reason she’d stayed, the reason she’d given him a chance, was because somewhere along the way, he’d let go of some of that pride. Some of that prejudice.

He looked down at the book in his hands. On the bookmark she’d left, a line stood out, clear in her handwriting.

“Pride keeps others from loving you. Prejudice keeps you from loving others.”

“You are A Dumb Deer.”

He smiled–soft, private–and slipped the bookmark into his desk drawer.

When Lynn got home, Ruben was in the kitchen, flour dusting the counter, a bowl of marinara sauce and ground Italian sausage beside him.

“Hey,” she said, pulling out a stool.

Ruben glanced up, smirking. “You’re back early.”

She didn’t answer, just sat watching him work. From the backyard, she could hear Gordon and Betty’s voices drifting in through the open window–laughing about something, the garden clippers clicking in the background.

Ruben studied her for a second. “You seem… cheerful.”

Lynn swung her feet under the chair. “You’re home. ‘Course I’m happy.”

He snorted. “Thought maybe you’d forget you had a brother, now that you’re getting married.”

“I would never!”

The housekeeper came in from the kitchen with a plate of freshly baked pizza.

“Try these.” Ruben said, nodding toward the plate.

Lynn took a slice, blew on it a little, and took a bite. She made a soft, happy sound without waiting to swallow.

Haven’t had these in forever,” she mumbled.

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Chapter 566 An Unexpected Homecoming

She picked up another, held it out to him carefully, and he leaned in and took it.

“Guess things are going well with Lucas,” he said casually.

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