Chapter 918

Aurora felt the tightening of his embrace and assumed Lucas was shaken from the fear of losing her. She gently patted his hand in reassurance.

Lucas found it a little amusing. He understood what she meant by the gesture, but only he knew what was truly weighing on his heart. If the day ever came when the truth was uncovered, how would he explain everything to her? Maybe it would be better to find the right time and just tell her everything. Lucas let out a deep sigh in silence. Aurora, comforted by his warmth, drifted off to sleep peacefully.

At that moment, some were at peace, while others were anxious and restless.

Elsewhere.

Joseph had been busy all day and stopped by to see Judy, only to find she wasn’t at the studio. He found it odd. Lately, this woman had been avoiding him. He could see that clearly now. No matter where he tried to find Judy, she always came up with different excuses to avoid seeing him. Sometimes she’d claim she had a stomachache; other times, she’d say she’d lost her appetite – or that it was just her period. When she mentioned her period, Joseph offered to take care of her, but she flat-out refused. And at that moment, he noticed something strange in her voice. For some reason, it sounded like she was slightly out of breath. He’d asked her about it then, too. But Judy brushed it off each time, saying the heater was turned up too high and she was feeling warm, or that she’d just finished yoga and was exhausted.

Joseph didn’t understand. It was Judy who’d pushed him to go after Walton Corporation in the first place. Now that things were finally moving, why was there no one to share the victory with? The thought left him feeling gloomy and unfulfilled. He decided to head straight to Judy’s place. When he reached her door, he started to punch in the usual code, only for the keypad to flash red repeatedly, rejecting it as the wrong password. Joseph froze on the spot. Staring at the lock’s message, he didn’t know what to do or how to react.

“What the hell?” he murmured. Wasn’t the code their shared birthday? When did she change it? A wave of disappointment crashed over him, like betrayal.

Still, the recent power plays against the Walton Corporation had forced Joseph to mature. Even his father had praised his newfound composure and discipline. He wasn’t the reckless rich kid anymore – at least, not entirely. But even now, he didn’t let his guard down. He hadn’t forgotten the promise he made to Judy. He really meant to marry her. That was why he worked so hard. He wanted Judy and his father to see him in a new light and know him as more than just a spoiled brat. He’d sworn that to Judy, and he was doing everything to make it real.

That was why he targeted Walton Corporation. Whatever mattered to the Waltons, he’d take it all, one by one. And with Aurora out of the company recently, one less formidable opponent made everything easier.

Joseph didn’t knock. He calmly pulled out his phone and dialed Judy’s number.