Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 36

Vivienne reacted instantly. Her fingers paused mid-pour as genuine irritation and jealousy flashed across her face. She had noticed Willow earlier too. Sure, the woman looked a bit more polished than usual, but comparing Willow to her was a joke.

Yet, she couldn't tolerate anyone else stealing the spotlight that rightfully belonged to her. First, it was Hugo, and now Lucas. They were supposed to revolve entirely around her.

Hugo's expression remained completely neutral, giving nothing away.

Julian, on the other hand, watched Lucas with a dark, calculating smirk.

Lucas shifted uncomfortably under their stares. Annoyed by how ridiculous Seth's accusation was, he snapped, "What the hell are you talking about? You're losing your damn mind."

Seth threw his hands up in mock surrender, signaling he meant no harm. To him, Willow was nothing more than a punching bag for their amusement. He loved pushing boundaries just for the thrill of it, knowing perfectly well there would never be any consequences.

Ignoring him, Lucas walked past and dropped into the seat next to Julian, grabbing a glass. "Don't listen to him. You know how he is. Brain-dead and zero filter."

Julian chuckled, completely unfazed. He handed a plate of sliced fruit to Vivienne before casually replying, "She's not exactly capable of affecting me anyway."

"Yeah," Lucas muttered, taking a heavy swig of his drink, his mood clearly souring. "You know about my sister, right?"

"I do. What about it?" Not only did Julian know, but he had also been actively utilizing his resources to help Lucas search for her all these years.

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "I don't know, man. Seeing Willow just now... for a split second, it reminded me of her."

Julian didn't respond immediately. He clinked his glass silently against Lucas's, letting the moment stretch before finally speaking. "You're under too much stress lately. It's impossible for it to be her."

Lucas didn't budge. "It was Julian's birthday today. I had a few extra drinks."

"Oh, it was Julian's birthday?" Vanessa's demeanor flipped in a split second. "Well, then it makes sense to drink a little more. How was it? Did you have a good time? What did you get him? Did he like it?"

Lucas grimaced. For as long as he could remember, Vanessa only ever hammered two concepts into his head: "Keep your father happy," and "Stay as close to the Sinclairs as humanly possible."

He knew exactly why she was so paranoid. She had married into the Lane family as a widow with a child, and in all these years, she hadn't been able to give her new husband a child of his own. The lack of security was eating her alive, so she constantly clung to any outside power she could find.

But over time, the suffocating pressure was starting to break him. He had even abandoned his own last name for this family. What more did she want? As for the Sinclairs, he genuinely considered Julian a solid friend, and Vivienne was like a sweet little sister. That was the only reason he looked out for them.