Chapter 10 Candid Photos

Luke's POV:

The interior of my car was silent except for Amelia's occasional shaky breath. In the fading sunlight, I could see the redness around her amble eyes, the slight tremor in her hands as she clutched her purse. The confrontation with her father had clearly shaken her more than she wanted to admit.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice still rough from crying. Despite her obvious distress, she was trying to maintain composure. "About my father causing trouble at Ivy Club. And I haven't prepared dinner as we agreed..." A tear escaped, rolling down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.

Something in my chest tightened at the sight. I had witnessed her father's drunken tirade through the security feed - his cruel words, the way he'd publicly berated her, calling her worthless, a disgrace. The memory made my jaw clench.

"How did you know?" she asked suddenly, looking up at me with those red-rimmed eyes. "About my father being there?"

I allowed a slight smile, hoping to distract her from her pain. "No need to apologize. Ivy Club is one of my properties. I'm notified of any disturbances."

Surprise flickered across her tear-stained face as she processed this information.

Her fingers nervously twisted the tissue in her hands. "I never meant to bring such trouble into your life," she said softly.

As we stepped out of the elevator into our penthouse, rapid footsteps echoed across the marble floor. Lucas came running from his room, his face lit up with pure joy.

"Mr. Carter!" he called out, wrapping his small arms around my legs. The warmth of his embrace sent an unexpected surge of emotion through me. When had I started looking forward to these simple moments?

I placed my hand on his head, ruffling his hair gently. Looking at Amelia's still-distressed face, I made a quick decision. "How about we all go out for dinner?"

La Maison's soft lighting created intimate pools of warmth around each table. I'd requested a corner spot, partially secluded but with a commanding view of the city lights beginning to twinkle in the growing darkness.

As the waiter approached, I ordered Lucas's favorite pasta without consulting the menu. The boy's face brightened, and I felt a surge of satisfaction at knowing this small detail about him. Amelia had calmed somewhat, though her eyes still held shadows of her earlier distress.

The elegant lines of her neck caught the light as she turned her head, and I found myself watching her more closely than usual.

The appetizers had just arrived when my phone vibrated. Landon's name appeared on the screen:

"Need to discuss something important tonight."

I frowned slightly, typing back: "Having dinner with my wife."

His response was immediate: "Come to my study now. It's about her."

I glanced up from my phone, my eyes drawn to Amelia across the dining table. She was leaning over Lucas, her gold hair falling forward as she carefully guided his small hand on the soup spoon. The crystal chandelier cast a soft glow across her exposed neck, highlighting the graceful curve there.

"I need to stop by the company after dinner," I said, catching Amelia's attention. "Something urgent." I lied. I didn't know why, but I didn't want her to know my grandfather wanted to talk to me about her.

She nodded, understanding in her eyes. "Of course. Lucas and I can head home first. Right, sweetheart?"

Lucas looked up from his pasta, sauce smeared adorably around his mouth. "Can we watch a movie when we get home, Mommy?"

"One short one," Amelia smiled, wiping his face with a napkin. "It's almost bedtime."

The heavy door of my grandfather's study closed behind me with a solid thud. The familiar scent of leather and old books filled the air, but tonight it brought no comfort.

Landon sat behind his massive oak desk, his face grave in the warm light of the desk lamp. Without a word, he pushed several photographs across the polished surface.

The first photo stopped my breath. Amelia and a man stood close together at the bookstore. His hand gripped her elbow intimately as they talked, their bodies angled toward each other in a way that spoke of familiarity.

The second image showed them at what appeared to be an upscale restaurant. He was cutting her steak, the domestic gesture making my jaw clench involuntarily.

The third - my fingers tightened on the edge of the desk. The man helping Amelia into a car, their faces close enough to...

"Are you sure she can be trusted?" Landon's voice cut through the roaring in my ears."First, you marry a stripper from Ivy Club—"

"Former stripper," I corrected automatically, my voice carrying a warning edge.

"A stripper nonetheless," he continued, unmoved. "And she's meeting secretly with some man right after your wedding."

I maintained my silence, but I could feel something dangerous awakening inside me. The carefully constructed walls of control I'd built were beginning to crack. "You had her followed?"

"I protect this family's interests." Landon leaned back in his leather chair, studying me with the same calculating gaze he used in board meetings. He sighed before going on, "Our investigation shows this man, Adam Clark was her college boyfriend."