Chapter 166
She thought, “They have always told me to be sensible and know my place, to stop showing up where I am not wanted. Now I am following their advice, keeping to my place, and suddenly they aren’t happy about it.’
Lucas grabbed her arm and snapped, “How can there be nothing to talk about? We grew up together. Out of everyone in the Bennett Family, we were the closest-we used to tell each other everything.
“I’m furious that you deliberately put on an act with Austin. I know you only did this to get our attention. I can overlook it, but you have to cut him off, right now.”
When Lucas brought up Austin, the hostility in his eyes was obvious. He continued, “A guy like that, taking advantage of your vulnerability, definitely isn’t up to anything good. I won’t let him succeed.”
He thought, ‘How dare Austin talk back to me like that, and right to my face? I am not going to let that slide!
Emily knew all too well how Lucas never let a grudge go.
As the most notorious troublemaker in Cloudridge, anyone who caught that look in his eyes was doomed-nobody ever came out of it unscathed.
Emily had been planning to ignore Lucas and just walk away, but her steps suddenly halted. She shot Lucas a frosty, furious glare and said coolly, “I know exactly who the real snake is. I’d appreciate it if you stopped meddling in my business.”
That look in her eyes made Lucas freeze on the spot. His grip on Emily’s arm tightened unconsciously. He asked, “Are you calling me a snake? Are you taking the side of some outsider over me?”
Emily’s arm throbbed from his grip, but she didn’t say a word or try to pull away. Instead, she met Lucas’s eyes with a fierce, unyielding glare.
She said, “To the Bennett Family, I’ve always been an outsider. So what I do is none of your business.”
All the color drained from Lucas’s face as he stared at her in shock. He asked, “Why do you keep saying you’re not part of the Bennett Family? Is that something Austin taught you?”
Like he’d just figured it all out, he snapped angrily, “I knew that guy was trouble. He’s just trying to come between us so he can get close to you. Don’t tell me you’re actually falling for such an obvious trick?”
His face twisted with contempt and suspicion, like he thought Emily was clueless and he was the only one who ever cared enough to worry about her.
But Emily just shot him an irritated look. She insisted, “Even if I get played, that’s on me. It has nothing to do with you, Lucas.”
Lucas got even more pissed. He snapped, “How did I never realize how stubborn you are? I keep telling you, Austin’s bad news-he’s got all kinds of schemes.”
Emily cut him off coldly. She said, “That’s none of your business. I know exactly what kind of person he is-better than you do.”
Lucas was stunned. He stared at Emily for a long while before finally asking, his voice uncertain, “You trust him that much?”
Emily didn’t say a word. But her silence said everything.
Lucas felt a sharp pain in his chest, like a needle had jabbed straight into his heart. He demanded, “Why? No one even knows where he came from. He spends your money on everything, and he’s useless except for his face.
1/2
Chapter 166
What makes him so worthy of your trust?” He just couldn’t understand. Emily used to trust him without question. When did that change to Austin?
Emily had no interest in comforting Lucas’s hurt feelings, but she knew exactly what kind of person he was. She was certain he’d go and cause trouble for Austin because of this. So she fought the urge to pull her arm away.
She looked Lucas straight in the eye and said, “You really want to know why he’s worth it? Fine, I’ll tell you.”
