Too many people addressed him with such respect—it had become something Lucas was already used to. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to deal with any of it either. But since the weight was already on his shoulders, he had to carry it.

In the outside world, a certain presence was necessary. Only then would others stop seeing him as someone easy to push around. After all, business was like war. The moment he showed even a trace of weakness, others would notice. And in the business world, that meant getting devoured without even a bone left behind. It was precisely because he understood this that Lucas made himself stronger.

Only then could he protect the people he loved, the people he wanted to protect. Otherwise, what was the point of him at all? Especially after everything he had been through, Lucas understood more than ever how crucial strength was. If he couldn’t even protect the one he loved, then what use was he?

Hearing the chief’s voice on the line, Lucas gave a soft grunt.

“If there’s any update on Julian, let me know right away.”

“You can count on it, Mr. Carter. No problem at all—leave it to me.”

Truth be told, the chief felt a bit pleased to be given that task. After all, being trusted with something like this meant he had some value. And someone like Lucas—he was a big fish, with who knew how many people were watching him. If he could get Lucas to owe him a favor, wouldn’t that be a huge win? Just thinking about it made the chief secretly delighted.

He wasn’t stupid. With someone like Lucas, earning even a small favor wasn’t easy.

So now, the chief was even more eager to help however he could. Opportunities like this didn’t come around often. Besides, all of this—if nothing else—was paving the way for his future. He couldn’t afford to be naive.

Lucas didn’t say much more after hearing the chief’s response. He simply added, “Also, if Julian wants to make any calls or do anything else, let him. Whatever he tries to do, just let him go through with it as much as possible.”

The chief had been agreeing smoothly up to that point, but this particular instruction left him puzzled.

“Mr. Carter, are you serious?” He scratched his head. “Hasn’t he been shouting about having someone powerful behind him? What if…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but both men were smart enough to understand what he meant.

Lucas’ voice came through low and steady. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it handled.”

That reassurance finally put the chief at ease. He let out a hearty laugh.

“Alright, Mr. Carter. I was overthinking it. You’re right, of course.” He chuckled awkwardly at his own lapse in judgment. How could he have forgotten? Among so many power players, who could even compare to Lucas? He was practically the godfather of the business world.

Lucas prepared to end the call. “Alright. That’s all for now.”

“Yes, Mr. Carter. You can leave the rest to me.”

Lucas gave a brief “Mm” and hung up.

By the time he returned to the hospital room, he saw that Aurora was already dressed and ready to be discharged.