Theodore Lucas threw a formal reception at the Lucas headquarters, ostensibly to celebrate a new partnership, but in truth, it was a showcase for his new protégé. Robert was forced to wear a tuxedo that felt like armor, the chest binder pressing painfully tight beneath the crisp white shirt.
He stood rigidly by a marble pillar, watching the crowd of wealthy figures. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and quiet ambition. He saw Charlotte gliding through the crowd, radiating power, and Ethan sulking by the champagne fountain.
Then, Robert's gaze snagged on David Richard. David was talking business, relaxed and confident, but something in his posture—a slight stiffness—told Robert he was still battling his own internal conflict.
It was the perfect moment for Amelia to strike.
Amelia, Charlotte's daughter, was now twenty-two and possessed a polished, classical beauty that was impossible to ignore. Unlike her mother, Amelia was deceptively sweet on the surface, a social weapon refined by years in the Lucas mansion.
She walked directly to David, her pink cocktail dress and easy smile offering the very picture of conventional femininity.
"Mr. Richard, I hear you are single-handedly keeping the diamond market afloat," Amelia charmed, her hand lightly touching his arm.
David, desperate for a reprieve from his own "weirdness," responded instantly to her dazzling, expected attention. This felt normal. This felt right.
"Amelia Lucas," David replied, a genuine, easy smile reaching his eyes. "You flatter me. I just move a lot of high-quality goods."
"High-quality goods need high-quality connections," Amelia purred, lowering her voice. "My grandfather holds immense influence in the financial sector, just like your father. It seems inevitable that our two families should… connect."
She wasn't subtle. She was offering herself as a strategic asset, a beautiful, valuable prize to be won.
Robert watched the entire interaction from the side. A sharp, ugly jealousy pierced through the thick wall of his control. He saw David laugh, his gaze lingering on Amelia's face with a look of relief. This is what David wants, Robert thought bitterly. A beautiful woman who confirms his world is straight and simple.
Amelia, emboldened, leaned in closer to David. "I have a challenge for you, Mr. Richard. Come to the Lucas Charity Gala next month. Prove you can conquer the social scene as well as the market. If you show up, I promise to introduce you to all the right people—and perhaps buy you a drink afterwards."
It was a dare, a clear invitation to integrate into her high-society world.
David's smile broadened. "A challenge? I always accept a challenge, Amelia. Especially when the prize is so enticing."
Robert felt a cold, miserable certainty settle in his gut. The unspoken tension between himself and David had been a confusing, painful illusion. Amelia was the safe, conventional route, and David was clearly ready to take it.
As David turned his head, his eyes met Robert's across the crowded room. Robert kept his expression deliberately blank, projecting the aloof indifference of Robert Williams Lucas.
But David paused. He saw the coldness in Robert's eyes and felt an immediate, jarring confusion. Why did seeing Amelia flirt with him feel so natural, yet seeing Robert look away feel like a punch to the stomach?
Just then, James walked up beside Robert, a glass of water in his hand. He hadn't missed a single beat of the exchange.
"She's very effective," James murmured to Robert, nodding toward Amelia. "The kind of social weapon a man like David should be smart enough to recognize."
Robert flinched slightly at James's sudden intimacy, his awareness of the situation. "And you think David isn't smart enough?"
James took a slow sip of water, his gaze lingering on Amelia's predatory smile. "I think David is running from something that confuses him. And Amelia is the clearest escape route he's ever seen."
Robert looked at James, feeling a wave of gratitude for his protective insight, and a terrifying realization: James was the only person here who saw the war for what it was. And James, unlike David, was dangerously close to seeing the woman fighting it.