Facade of Love

With a grunt, Lucas flungto the floor, and it was no gentle toss. These past days, | had been on the edge of breaking from being cooped up in this place Now, reeling from the fall, everything spun around me.

He crouched down next to me, then in one swift move, he tossedonto the bed. Before | could even process what was happening, he was on top of me. | froze, then, realizing his intentions, | shoved him off with a surge of panic.

The guy was like a human fortress. He was ridiculously strong and heavy as a boulder. No matter how hard | tried, | could not shove him off. He had my hands pinned above my head, his weight bearing down on me. His gaze was icy, a storm of anger swirling in his eyes, mixed with something unreadable. "Yvette, you seem pretty thrilled to seelike this, huh?" | bit my lip and stayed quiet, although my face must have givenaway.

His voice was rough, almost a growl. "Curious about what's going on outside?" Honestly, | would rather not chat with him, yet after being cooped up here for days, my curiosity was eating at me. | could not help but look up at him.

He seemed a bit pleased by my reaction. His fingers, which were long and surprisingly nice-looking, gently traced my lips. "Makehappy, and maybe I'll fill you in." | scowled, shooting him a death glare, yet he did not seem to mind. Instead, he leaned in close, and | instinctively jerked back. He paused, just watching me, a slight frown creasing his brow.

Despite the tang of blood hitting my nose, | wrinkled my forehead, asking without thinking, "Are you hurt?" He did not say a word, just stood up and put sspace between us, slouching onto the black leather armchair like he owned the place.

After a few days here, it was clear he was not out to kill or torture me. He just wantedlocked up.

With that in mind, | eyed him cautiously. "Lucas, what's your gplan?" He glanced over with a smirk. "Are you dying to know?" No kidding.

| pressed my lips together. "What's your plan? To keephere forever? If I'm gone too long, even without proof, Idris will tear Lake City apart to find me. Officer Jackson's case will not stay cold forever. The cops will catch on.

It's only a matter of time." He watched me, his dark eyes narrowing. "What? Trying to scareinto letting you go?" I did not say a word, just stared at the dark patch seeping through his black shirt—the sspot | had stabbed him before. He had shown up acting like it was nothing, and I had bought it, thinking he was okay. Now, seeing the stain grow, | realized his cool act was just that—an act. His condition had gotten worse, a clear sign that things in Lake City were going south for him.

He looked beat, shota quick glance, and dialed a number on his phone. "Bring it in," he said into the receiver, and then he hung up.

In less than thirty seconds, there was a shuffle of footsteps from the stairs, and Inch walked in, carrying something. He barely gavea look, just handed the thing to Lucas and took off.

Lucas eyedwith a lopsided grin, his face all sharp angles and wicked charm. The look in his eyes was too calculating, which madefrown involuntarily, feeling a wave of dread wash over me.

As expected, he flipped open what Inch had brought. It was a stack of papers that screamed 'contracts.' He tossed them my way with a cocky lift of his brow. "Have a look." I had no clue what he was playing at, yet | took them and gave them a quick scan. They were contracts from a decade ago, all about the sale and mining rights of Snakehead Mountain, deals with the government, and a bunch of paperwork from the Youngs' mining operations.

A chill ran down my spine as | turned to Lucas. He was not watching me. His attention was on the TV at the end of the bed. He slotted something into it, and the screen lit up with a video: Noah's video.

He had spilled everything about the Youngs from ten years back, including the cash they had funneled to him, the way he had handled the fallout from a hundred deaths on Snakehead Mountain, and all the perks the Youngs had dangled in front of him.

The catastrophe, a man-made one from the start, was spun into a mere accident. He laid it all out, every single word, even including the geological reports from back then that debunked any chance of a natural disaster at Snakehead Mountain. Noah had kept a meticulous record of everyone who had a hand in the cover-up, all those who had reaped the benefits. In the video's chilling conclusion, he declared that if he were to die, it would be at the hands of the Youngs, desperate to silence him.

The video leftwith a jolt of dread. | knew the dark tale from a decade ago. Lucas's knowledge, his possession of such damning evidence, and the legacy of proof Noah, now silenced by death, had left behind... it was all too much.

"Aren't you shocked?" Lucas's smirk was telling as he eyed me. "I thought the Youngs' bloodthirsty ways would leave you seething, struggling to cto terms with it. However, you... you don't seem surprised at all. Yvette, don't try to tellyou've known this the whole time?"