Susan moved so fast that no one even saw her hand before it clamped around Sophia’s throat.
"Sophia!"
Lucas stepped forward, shoving Susan away. "What the hell are you doing?"
Susan glared at him, eyes wide with fury. "What am I doing? I’m disciplining my daughter!"
Sophia dropped her hand from her neck, her gaze cold and razor-sharp. "What did you just say?"
"Sophia, don’t think you’re so high and mighty now! You’ve still got your father’s blood running through your veins! You think just because you’ve grown so wings, you can fly? You’re delusional! And listen to —if anything happens to my daughter Olivia, I swear I’ll make you pay for it!"
Susan’s voice echoed through the entryway, shrill and full of venom.
Sophia took a step forward, but Lucas’s hand tightened around her wrist.
He pulled her behind him, his tall fra blocking her completely. "Go ahead," he said coldly. "Say that again."
Susan’s lips trembled. "Mr. Hilton, you may have married her, but she’s still a Morgan! She’s the reason my Olivia disappeared! If I don’t tear her face off today, it’s only because I’m rciful!"
The temperature in the room seed to drop ten degrees.
"Daddy, move!"
A small voice shouted from behind. Lucas instinctively pulled Sophia aside—
—and a whole bowl of flour ca flying through the air, landing straight on Susan’s face.
Charles smirked. You dare ss with Mommy?
"Dustin!"
A splash of water followed imdiately after.
Susan shrieked, stumbling backward—only to get hit again.
"Eric!"
Eric, ard with a toy gun, aid and fired.
A puff of red chili powder filled the air.
Susan coughed violently, eyes watering. "You—! You brats—!"
Lucas’s tone was calm, almost dangerously so. "You should be grateful it was the kids who acted. If it were , you wouldn’t be standing." He took a step closer, his eyes hard. "One phone call from , and the Morgan Group would cease to exist."
Susan froze.
She’d only co here to cause trouble—to make Sophia miserable. Andrew had told her Lucas had paid them off before, helped them out, so she assud he didn’t actually care about Sophia... that he was just using her.
But seeing him defend her so fiercely—no, that couldn’t be real.
"Mr. Hilton, I—"
"If you want to take that back," Lucas interrupted, "get on your knees and apologize to her."
Susan’s whole body trembled. Kneel? Apologize? Never!
"Mr. Hilton, you may be powerful, but you should still respect your elders. I’m older than you—don’t you believe in showing so respect?"
Lucas’s expression turned to ice. "Respect? Funny. Because I think Andrew’s no longer fit to stay in business. Now get out of Blackstone Manor before I have you arrested for trespassing."
Susan’s fists clenched tight, hatred blazing in her eyes. "Don’t think that denying it makes it go away! You can’t erase what’s in your blood, Sophia! You’re Andrew’s daughter—I’m your stepmother!"
"Get. Out." Lucas’s voice was low and lethal.
Susan’s bravado wavered. She knew Lucas was powerful—but she’d underestimated just how powerful.
"Mr. Hilton..."
The head of security finally arrived, breathless. Lucas turned on them with a glare sharp enough to cut. "You—out."
"Sir, but she—"
"I don’t care. I said get out. All of you. I don’t keep useless people on my payroll."
He’d made it clear long ago: no unauthorized visitors in Blackstone Manor.
Everyone wanted a job there—the pay was legendary—but apparently, vigilance wasn’t part of the deal.
The guards exchanged nervous glances and turned toward Susan.
So this was the woman who’d driven right through the gate.
Susan straightened, sneering. "What are you staring at, you pathetic wage slaves? Do you even know how much this outfit costs? You couldn’t afford a sleeve in ten years!"
She tossed her hair and stord out, her dignity long gone—but she didn’t seem to care.
"Mommy, are you okay?"
The kids clung to Sophia’s hand, worry written all over their little faces.
Lucas shut the door and turned back—his eyes imdiately caught the red mark on her neck. Susan’s sharp nails had left a long, angry scratch across her skin.
"Mrs. Wilson, bring the first-aid kit."
He frowned, disinfecting the wound with alcohol. Sophia sat still, expression calm, but her eyes hardened in the mirror’s reflection.
"If it hurts, say sothing," Lucas murmured.
"Oh sure," she said dryly. "You want to pass the pain on to you instead?"
Her gaze lingered on the mirror, tracing the cut. "That psycho woman really didn’t hold back."
Lucas’s tone dropped. "Sothing feels off."
"Off?"
He nodded. "When she ca, she kept bringing up Olivia. Even after being humiliated like that, when she left... I don’t know if you noticed—but she was smiling."
Sophia froze, replaying the scene in her mind. Susan had been smiling when she walked out. Subtle, but real.
A chill went down her spine. Was that woman plotting sothing?
"I’ll have soone keep an eye on her," Lucas said quietly, placing a bandage gently on her neck.
...
Susan stord into the house, her face still blotched with flour and fury.
She had barely made it to the stairs when—
"Where have you been?"
Andrew’s cold voice cut through the silence, making her jump.
"I just went out for a walk," she said quickly.
"A walk?" He stepped closer, eyes narrowing at her disheveled state. "Where on earth have you been?"
"I told you, nowhere special. I’m going upstairs."
But before she could take another step, Andrew’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, surprised. "Mr. Hilton? Well, that’s rare—what a surprise call."
His expression shifted mid-sentence. "Two hundred million? Wait, what? Mr. Hilton—hold on, what are you—terminate the contract?!"
Susan froze, her stomach dropping.
Andrew’s face drained of color. "Her? That’s impossible, Mr. Hilton, she’s at ho—"
He went silent. The line went dead.
"Stop right there!" he barked.
Susan turned slowly. "What is it now? Don’t start shouting, the maids will hear! I only went to check on Sophia. She’s a backstabbing little brat—don’t I have the right to see her? God, you’re overreacting."
She reached out to pat his shoulder.
Andrew’s eyes, dark and shaking with rage, locked onto hers.
Then—
SMACK!
The slap cracked through the house like a gunshot.
Susan staggered back, hand clutching her cheek. "You—You hit ?!"
"I sure as hell did!"
Andrew’s temper almost never flared, but today—because of her—
"Do you even know how much this is going to cost ?!"
"It’s just money! You hit over that?!"
"Just money?!" He was shouting now. "That’s a billion! A billion, Susan! Do you get it? A billion dollars! The company’s total assets barely reach a few billion!"
Susan stood frozen, eyes wide, the words catching in her throat.
"What... what did you just say?"
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