She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 655

Lucian stopped walking and turned to face her under the massive canopy of the Sky-Gazer Tree. "I've been giving Corinne's grandmother the prescription you wrote. I also hired specialists to give her daily massages. She's still paralyzed, but she can vocalize basic sounds now. She told me..."

He paused for a beat. "She told me her son-in-law is a traitor to the country."

Loyce wasn't surprised in the least. "With her testimony, the investigation into The Providence can finally be reopened."

Lucian gently cupped her face, his calloused thumb brushing her cheek with infinite tenderness. "If Corinne's scandal hadn't caught Coleman completely off guard, I wouldn't have been able to extract the old woman so easily. This is all thanks to you."

"It was nothing. Just killing two birds with one stone."

"It wasn't just 'nothing,'" Lucian murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. His gaze was deep and intense. "From the moment you suggested bringing your staff to Serrania for a 'vacation,' you had this entire operation planned. You knew people were monitoring your movements, and using a company trip was the perfect cover to lower their guard."

"Ayla was an unexpected variable, but also a catalyst. Your real target was Corinne all along." Lucian's voice dropped. "You did all of this for me. You wanted to smoke out the traitor trying to have me killed. You wanted to clear my name, get justice, and sweep away every obstacle in my path."

Held tightly in his arms, through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could vividly feel the rapid thumping of his heart and the hard, coiled muscles beneath his tailored suit.

She lowered her eyes, her gaze trembling slightly, before looking back up, refusing to shy away from his burning stare. "You're mine. Protecting you is exactly what I'm supposed to do. Is that a problem?"

Lucian leaned down, his forehead resting against hers, their warm breaths mingling.

A low, rumbling laugh vibrated in his chest. "Loyce... I'm supposed to be the one saying lines like that."

"Are you being sexist right now?" she retorted softly. "Can't I be your hero? Is the knight the only one allowed to save the princess?"

"You are absolutely my hero," he breathed heavily. One large hand slid to the nape of her neck, tilting her head back slightly as he crushed his mouth against hers, tasting faintly of wine.

Shielded by the massive trunk of the Sky-Gazer Tree, the intensity of their connection flared.

Between breaths, Lucian nipped gently at her lower lip. "I missed you."

Her heart skipped a beat. The hands that had been resting quietly at her sides finally moved, wrapping securely around his neck.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify