She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 549

Loyce raised the umbrella higher, tilting it over his head. Her eyes drifted down to the neat rows of body bags. "I heard things went sideways out there. I wanted to see you."

Lucian raised a large hand, gently covering her eyes. He lowered his head and whispered, "Don't look."

His warm, damp breath brushed against her cheek. Loyce reached up and pulled his hand away, instantly noticing that his skin was burning. "Your nerve toxin is acting up."

Lucian's voice was tight. "I can handle the pain. I have to debrief command on the rescue op. The families will be here at dawn."

"I highly doubt you can hold out that long. You need your medication." Loyce tilted her head up to look at him. The cold mist dusted her face, but her eyes were piercing and steady. "You know perfectly well what happens when that toxin goes unsuppressed. You'll lose your mind in front of everyone. Is that what you want?"

Lucian's Adam's apple bobbed. A sudden, vicious spike of agony tore through his chest, making him sway slightly on his feet.

But time was a luxury they didn't have.

Robert marched toward them, his face grim. "The families are arriving at the base now. The press is swarming the gates. The hawkish faction is actively whipping the public into a frenzy. Secretary Nash is preparing a live statement, but the families are demanding to speak with you directly. You need to brace yourself, sir. Someone has to take the fall for this."

"How long?" Lucian asked.

"Less than an hour," Robert replied.

Loyce's brow furrowed, her voice turning sharp. "This was not a failure on his part. Lucian made the exact right call. The problem is whoever fed falsified intel to both sides. If he had rushed the fleet in, the Eastern Isles' subs would have locked onto our ships. The death toll wouldn't just be thirty fishermen—it would be an international massacre."

Her analysis was spot on, but this was highly classified military intelligence. Robert looked at Lucian in shock. "You told her all of that?"

Lucian pressed his lips together. He hadn't told her a damn thing, but she clearly already knew everything. He simply nodded. "Yes."

Robert was stunned, but somehow, given who Loyce was, it also felt entirely plausible.

Lucian took the umbrella from Loyce's hand, then interlaced his free fingers with hers. He forced his voice to remain steady as he gave his order. "Have the XO oversee the rest of the recovery. I need to step away for a moment."

Robert saluted. "Understood, sir."

Lucian offered a self-deprecating smirk. "I'll face two options."

Looking into his dark, profound eyes, Loyce finished his thought. "Bend to the mob and endorse a war, or face suspension pending a military tribunal."

Even with the President's backing, shielding Lucian in the current political climate was impossible. The Cabinet was severely divided, and if the President pushed too hard, he risked impeachment.

Ares Global had played a masterful game of chess.

"I don't care about a suspension or a war tribunal," Lucian said quietly. "None of that scares me. I align with the conservatives because human life is fragile, and war destroys families. So many people are blind to that fact; all they want is revenge."

The true victims were never the ones moving the pieces—it was the pawns who bled for them.

As they walked into the second-floor hallway, the lone survivor of the fishing boat was just being wheeled out of recovery toward a private ICU room.

Hearing that the man had made it, Lucian immediately turned to Loyce. "You did this."