CHAPTER 370

Leigh clicked her tongue. "She's vicious!"

Hearing that, Lucas merely smiled without saying a word.

She tilted her head to look at him. "Do you plan on going back to them?"

"Of course not." He replied, "Sebastian took me in, so I'm going to work for him for the rest of my life and repay him. Why would I go back to the Griffins?"

"Wow!" she exclaimed exaggeratedly. "You're quite selfless, aren't you?"

"Well," Lucas shrugged and continued, "If you want my frank opinion, it's because life's great with Sebastian and he's there to hold the fort regardless of what happens, so I can just chill and enjoy life."

"You're quite ambitious, huh?" Leigh gave him a thumbs up.

However, he responded with a snort. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

She chuckled. "If you say so."

"Don't you think that it's awesome to be able to relax and do nothing every day?" he asked.

Leigh considered his question and said, "I think it's acceptable. My motto in life is to be happy. As long as I'm happy, I wouldn't mind slogging hard. However, if I feel unhappy, even if someone promises me a goldmine, I wouldn't accept a single dime."

"Oh," Lucas mentioned, "I feel extremely happy doing odd jobs for Sebastian. He dotes on me very much and I get to do whatever I want."

She studied him carefully. "You've been going on and on about Sebastian. Do you have a brother complex? He belongs to Maddie, so stay away from him!"

"Bullsh*t!" He chided her, "What sort of nonsense are you on about? I would have slapped you across the face if you weren't drunk."

She revealed a silly grin and went back to the topic earlier, "Do Mario and Old Mr. Griffin accept your refusal to go back?"

"No, they don't," Lucas replied, "but regardless of their opinion, they can't do anything about it. If I was an ordinary man, they might be able to force me to go back, but I'm the adopted child of the Hart Family, so they wouldn't dare to cross my father and Sebastian. Despite their plans, they can't execute any of them at all!"

"What about your step—no, I mean Martha. Why isn't she afraid of offending your father and Sebastian?" Leigh piped up, "She bribed a driver to kill you, right? That's a huge offense!"

"Perhaps she was in a frenzy out of anxiety?" Lucas swirled the wine bottle in his hand and replied, "She was worried that I would inherit the Griffin Family's fortune upon returning. Old Mr. Griffin is wary of her and Mario, so he controls the family fortune. If I become the heir to the family, then Martha and her five daughters will end up as paupers. She's unaware that I'm not interested in being the heir, so in her mind, she's fixated upon having one of her daughters inherit the family fortune. That's why she has to get rid of me. However, she was afraid of facing the wrath of my father and Sebastian, so she did not

get involved in the matter of bribing the driver. She instructed her eldest daughter to handle everything so that she wasn't involved at all. That was her way of avoiding being implicated by the matter if it was ever exposed."

Leigh lifted her brows. "So, she sacrificed her daughter to safeguard herself."

"Yeah." Lucas replied, "She's got five daughters anyway. If she succeeds in getting rid of a potential trouble like me, then she would have her happily ever after; even if she fails—and has to sacrifice one of her daughters—she still has four others. She reckons that this is the best option for her."

"How did Mario and Old Mr. Griffin react to that?" Leigh asked, "Did they intervene and seek leniency for Martha's eldest daughter?"

"No, they didn't." Lucas took a sip of wine and chuckled lightly. "Not only did they sit and do nothing, but they were furious! Mario had a huge fight with Martha and slapped her on the face. He also warned her threateningly that he would hold her and her daughters accountable if anything untoward happened to me in the future. Old Mr. Griffin also reprimanded her sternly and took back the ten percent worth of bonus allocated to her each year from the company."

Leigh could not help clicking her tongue. "She's somehow made a mess of the situation without gaining anything. She's suffered a tremendous loss!"

"Yeah." He smiled. "Mario also assigned a few bodyguards to keep guard of me secretly. I lost my temper several times and insisted that he stop those annoying men from trailing after me, but he refused to listen. Now, he instructed them to guard from a distance. I couldn't be bothered to fight with him, so I allowed him to do whatever he wanted."

Leigh tilted her head and kept her eyes on him for quite some time before saying, "Tell me the truth… Do you actually harbor hopes for your father?"

"What do you mean by harbor hopes?" Lucas met her eyes.

She responded, "Based on your father and Sebastian's influence, you could easily get the Griffin Family to lie low and stop bothering you, but you didn't get them to settle this matter. That's because you actually yearn for your father's love, don't you?"

"My father certainly loves me very much, but I don't lack fatherly love at all." He took a sip of wine and shook his head with a smile. "You're wrong. You're very much mistaken."

Leigh snorted, "I don't think I'm mistaken. You're the one who refuses to admit it."

"You are mistaken!" Lucas rebuked, "I didn't sever ties completely with Mario because my buddies told me that my grandparents and my mom lost their lives because of the Griffins, so I should take control of their fortune. Once I inherit it, I could even donate it to charity. I shouldn't let the Griffin Family benefit from it."

He poused ond loughed out loud. "My friends ore scoundrels, so their suggestions ore usuolly nonsense. Thot's why I didn't heed their suggestions initiolly. However, ofter Mortho's ottempt to get rid of me, I chonged my mind. Originolly, I hod no intention to inherit the Griffins' fortune, but since Mortho doesn't trust me ond wonts me deod, then I won't let her get her woy. Since she's fixoted on toking my life, noturolly, I won't let her off the hook so eosily. Murder moy be illegol, but I definitely con moke sure she loses whot's precious to her!"

"Thot's o greot ideo!" Leigh cupped her chin with her honds ond turned to look ot him. "But then… You

con't deceive me. I know thot you do hove feelings for Morio."

Lucos lifted his brows questioningly. "Do you hove feelings for Bryson?"

"No!" She shook her heod firmly. "None ot oll."

He commented, "I feel the some woy."

"You're different!" Leigh pitched her fingers wide open ond pointed ot his eyes. "The look in your eyes indicotes the truth quite cleorly. I con tell from the look in your eyes thot you've got feelings for Morio!"

Speechless, he mointoined his silence for o moment ond nodded. "Alright, then. If you soy so."

"Why do you horbor feelings for him?" She osked, "He left your mother ond obondoned you, so you should hote him!"

However, Lucos did not respond to her question ond mointoined his silence for quite some time before soying, "You'll see next time when you encounter him."

"I don't wont to find out loter. I wont to know the reoson now." She frowned with o displeosed expression. "How con you stop holfwoy into your story? You're not o storyteller who needs to keep your oudience in suspense!"

Lucos wos ot o loss for words. It's o greot thing thot you've reolized I'm not o storyteller.

He shook his heod helplessly ond replied in o low voice, "I con tell thot he loves me very, very much… He would hove no quolms in socrificing his life for me if he hod to…."

"I disogree with thot!" Leigh roised her right hond os if she wos o kid onswering o question ot school. "If he octuolly loved you thot much, then he wouldn't hove left your mother! Mr. Lucos Hort! It's quite dongerous for you to hove such thinking. Don't be fooled by thot mon. If you foll for his lies ond forgive him, then your grondporents ond your mom would hove lost their lives in voin!"

He paused and laughed out loud. "My friends are scoundrels, so their suggestions are usually nonsense. That's why I didn't heed their suggestions initially. However, after Martha's attempt to get rid of me, I changed my mind. Originally, I had no intention to inherit the Griffins' fortune, but since Martha doesn't trust me and wants me dead, then I won't let her get her way. Since she's fixated on taking my life, naturally, I won't let her off the hook so easily. Murder may be illegal, but I definitely can make sure she loses what's precious to her!"

"That's a great idea!" Leigh cupped her chin with her hands and turned to look at him. "But then… You can't deceive me. I know that you do have feelings for Mario." Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Lucas lifted his brows questioningly. "Do you have feelings for Bryson?"

"No!" She shook her head firmly. "None at all."

He commented, "I feel the same way."

"You're different!" Leigh pitched her fingers wide open and pointed at his eyes. "The look in your eyes indicates the truth quite clearly. I can tell from the look in your eyes that you've got feelings for Mario!"

Speechless, he maintained his silence for a moment and nodded. "Alright, then. If you say so."

"Why do you harbor feelings for him?" She asked, "He left your mother and abandoned you, so you should hate him!"

However, Lucas did not respond to her question and maintained his silence for quite some time before saying, "You'll see next time when you encounter him."

"I don't want to find out later. I want to know the reason now." She frowned with a displeased expression. "How can you stop halfway into your story? You're not a storyteller who needs to keep your audience in suspense!"

Lucas was at a loss for words. It's a great thing that you've realized I'm not a storyteller.

He shook his head helplessly and replied in a low voice, "I can tell that he loves me very, very much… He would have no qualms in sacrificing his life for me if he had to…."

"I disagree with that!" Leigh raised her right hand as if she was a kid answering a question at school. "If he actually loved you that much, then he wouldn't have left your mother! Mr. Lucas Hart! It's quite dangerous for you to have such thinking. Don't be fooled by that man. If you fall for his lies and forgive him, then your grandparents and your mom would have lost their lives in vain!"