The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 577

Chapter 577: 577 | Bye, Mrs. F

Diane absolutely knew.

Diane’s Luster field pulsed slightly, the ambient warmth that made her presence feel like the center of any room she entered, and her smile sharpened in a way that I recognized from nine years of watching her close deals with people who thought they were better at negotiation than they were.

"Childhood stories," Diane repeated. "Well. Lukas was a handful. Moody little thing when I first brought him home. Wouldn’t talk for almost a month."

Felicity’s eyes went soft with concern. "Oh no. That must have been so hard for you."

"It was. He’d lost his parents. The whole world had fallen out from under him." Diane’s voice carried the weight of genuine memory, and even I felt the pull of it. "But I made him a promise. I told him I would fill his life with something good, because that’s what his mother would have wanted. And I have."

"That’s so beautiful." Felicity pressed a hand to her chest. "You’re like a total mommy figure."

Sloane choked.

Diane’s expression didn’t flicker. "Something like that."

"No like for real though." Felicity leaned in conspiratorially. "Lukas talks about you all the time. Well, not all the time, because he’s got that whole mysterious silence thing going, but when he does talk it’s usually about you or Sloane. I can tell you’re super important to him."

"Can you."

"Totally. The way his voice changes when he mentions your name? Dead giveaway." Felicity smiled like she was sharing a secret. "He clearly loves you a lot. In a family way. Obviously."

The obviously landed with the specific weight of a word doing heavy lifting, and I watched Felicity’s eyes flick to Diane’s ring finger, then back up to her face, conducting some kind of assessment that I did not want to examine too closely.

Diane caught the look. Of course she caught the look. She caught everything.

"Miss Hardy." Diane’s drawl stretched the syllables out like taffy. "I appreciate you looking out for my boy. He needs people in his corner. Especially now."

"I am so in his corner. Like, the most in his corner. If his corner were a physical location I would literally live there."

"How dedicated." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I’m a very dedicated person when I care about something." Felicity’s hand drifted to touch my arm, casual and familiar, the gesture of someone establishing physical claim. "Or someone."

Sloane’s presence in the bond went sharp and hot. I felt her register the touch, register the implication, register the fact that Felicity Hardy was currently running a campaign to establish herself as a potential romantic interest in front of the woman who had spent the last two months doing considerably more than running campaigns.

Diane’s eyes moved to Felicity’s hand on my arm. Then to Felicity’s face. Then to me, with an expression that carried nine years of complicated history and approximately zero patience for the situation unfolding in front of her.

"Lukas, honey." Her voice was sweet as sugar. "Why don’t you walk Miss Hardy to her statement appointment? I’m sure Director Park has a schedule to keep."

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