CH 5

HIS POV ~

The second my phone buzzed, I knew it was trouble.

I glanced at the screen. Mother.

Of course.

With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and answered. "Yes?"

"Lucian, sweetheart!" Her voice was far too cheerful. Never a good sign. "I hope you're not too busy?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I am."

"Well, not anymore. You and Eleanor are coming over for lunch today."

I stilled. "No, we're not."

"Yes, you are," she countered, her tone light but firm—the same tone she used when I was a child and she needed me to behave. "Your father and I want to see both of you. And before you start making excuses, I already sent a car to pick you up."

Unbelievable.

"Mother, I have work," I said, keeping my voice calm.

"Lucian, you work every day. Surely you can spare one afternoon for your family? And Eleanor," she added pointedly. "She’s your wife, after all. It would be rude not to bring her."

I clenched my jaw. "She has work too."

"Then she can take a break. It’s just lunch, darling. Unless, of course, you want me to come to your office and fetch you both myself?"

I shut my eyes for a brief second. She would. I knew she would.

Exhaling sharply, I muttered, "Fine."

"Wonderful!" she chirped. "I’ll see you both soon."

The line went dead before I could say anything else.

I tossed my phone onto the desk, running a hand through my hair.

Just what I needed—an afternoon of forced pleasantries and my mother’s not-so-subtle attempts to meddle in my life.

And worse?

I had to bring her.

With a sigh, I stood up and strode out of my office.

Might as well break the news to Eleanor.

I found Eleanor in her office, hunched over her desk, flipping through a stack of papers with an annoyingly focused expression. She barely looked up when I stepped inside.

"If you're here to dump more work on me," she said, flipping another page, "you might want to reconsider. I'm already drowning, and I don't plan on dying in your office."

I ignored the snark. "We're leaving."

That got her attention. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "Leaving? Where exactly?"

"My parents’ mansion. Lunch."

For a second, she just blinked at me. Then, her lips curved into something dangerously close to a smirk.

"Oh," she said, drawing out the word. "So, you're taking me to meet your family? How sweet."

I exhaled sharply, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Don't flatter yourself. My mother insisted."

Her smirk widened. "Ah, so you do listen to someone. Noted."

I gritted my teeth. "Just be ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."

She tilted her head, as if considering something. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, she stood up and smoothed down her blouse. "Fine, but you should at least pretend to be happy about this. We are supposed to be getting to know each other, right?"

I gave her a pointed look. "The only thing I’ll pretend today is that I don’t regret answering my mother’s call."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "You’re insufferable."

"And yet, here you are."

She rolled her eyes, grabbing her bag. "Let’s go, boss. Wouldn’t want to keep your precious mother waiting."

I ignored the way my chest tightened at her words and turned toward the door.

This lunch was already a headache, and we hadn’t even arrived yet.

JULIA'S POV (HIS MOTHER)

The dining table was set, the staff moving swiftly to ensure everything was perfect. I smoothed down the folds of my dress, glancing toward the grand entrance every few seconds.

Lucian was late.

Not surprising, really. My son had always been stubborn, always resisting anything that even slightly disrupted his carefully controlled world. And Eleanor? She was the disruption he never saw coming.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I thought about it.

“She’s strong-willed,” my husband had commented last night when I brought up their inevitable meeting today. “That girl won’t back down easily.”

That’s exactly what Lucian needed.

A moment later, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the hallway. I straightened just as the butler opened the doors, revealing my son—tall, imposing, and wearing the same unreadable expression he always did. And beside him, Eleanor.

I smiled.

She carried herself well—confident, poised, but there was something in her eyes, a sharpness, like she was constantly prepared for battle.

Good.

“Finally,” I said, stepping forward. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

Lucian let out a sigh. “Trust me, I considered it.”

Eleanor, to my surprise, let out a quiet laugh. “Oh, I believe it.”

I turned my gaze toward her, amused. “And yet, here you both are. I suppose that’s what matters.”

Lucian muttered something under his breath, but I ignored him, gesturing toward the table. “Come, let’s eat.”

As we settled in, I took in the way Lucian kept his distance, how he barely looked at her unless necessary.

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