Jamie was stunned, her shock coming in waves over a few sentences. "So, how did Noah become part of the family?"

"He's more like an adopted son of the Lucas family, though very few people know about it," Ben replied, his brows furrowing slightly. It was clear he had been kept in the dark about this, too.

Mr. Lucas had done it for one reason which was to give Ben a rival, a grindstone to sharpen his edge.

Jamie felt a flicker of concern. Putting herself in their shoes, she couldn't imagine discovering that someone she had been competing with for years had only been placed in her path as a tool for someone else's agenda. She would be furious. Anyone would.

The result? Neither Ben nor Noah could truly be considered the winner.

She was about to offer some comforting words when Ben spoke up, his tone surprisingly calm. "If this had happened in the past, I'd already be on my way to confront him. But now... oddly enough, I'm not angry."

"Why not?" Jamie's heart skipped a beat at his unexpected response, her curiosity slipping out before she could stop it.

gaze fixed on her, steady and unreadable, before he chuckled softly and looked away. "Because I

on Jamie. Whatever his father did couldn't shake him anymore, unless it involved her. But Ben had resolved not to let that happen. A charged silence fell between them, so quiet that Jamie could almost hear the rhythmic beating

heat, she opened her mouth to say something but Ben spoke first. "That night at the hotel, do you remember what I said? I've given you

Jamie, it felt

idea, but the world's harsh realities and the one million dollars Mrs. Lucas had

reentering her life after

felt at a loss for words.

answer," Ben interrupted, his voice firm but calm. "I'm not asking for much, just the truth.

bird trapped in a cage, unable to fly away. She stammered, "I really don't know. ff this means that

plenty," Ben said, his

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