Lucian shook his head, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable weight.
“You think I don’t understand?” he asked, his tone soft yet heavy.
“I do understand,” he continued, unwavering. “That’s why I’m not angry.”
His gaze shifted back to the General.
“But understanding doesn’t mean forgiving.”
Lucian then turned to Meleonora, who had been pointing a finger at him, her expression filled with disdain.
“Maybe he had his reasons,” Lucian admitted. “Maybe he needed his men elsewhere. I get it. But not informing me?” His voice grew colder. “It’s clear he had his own greed in mind.”
He leaned forward slightly, his arms crossing over his chest as he tilted his head.
“Hiding something that could’ve put my family in danger just because he thought I’d mind? Tell me, from which angle does that sound justifiable?” His sharp gaze flickered between Meleonora and the General, challenging them both.
Meleonora was about to argue, but the General raised his hand, stopping her.
“It’s alright,” the General admitted, his voice heavy with regret. “I was wrong. I took it too lightly.” He let out a deep sigh.
“No, sir”
“You’re such an extremist,” Meleonora interrupted, her frustration boiling over. “Even if the General got a little greedy, he protected your family for years. Shouldn’t you be at least a little grateful? Try showing some emotions instead of acting like a damn machine.”
She looked at Lucian with open disgust.
She had listened to their conversation carefully, and even though she wasn’t fully sure of the details, she could piece together enough.
Lucian scoffed.
“Me? An extremist?” A humorless chuckle left his lips. “Of course you’d say that. You know nothing.”
His cold eyes locked onto hers as he pointed at the General. Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
“Ask him first,” he said. “Ask him how much I’ve given to the military. How much I’ve personally invested. You think he helped me out of the kindness of his heart?” Lucian let out a short laugh. “No one in this world does something for free.”
Meleonora clenched her fists, but Lucian continued.
“I saved his life once,” he said, voice steady. “Even then, I treated him like a friend because I believed he was a decent man. And in return, I asked for one thing.”
His gaze bore into hers.
“To protect my family.”
He scoffed. “The government had its own security assigned, sure. But he his General told me he had better people. That the government’s men weren’t enough. That they couldn’t be trusted.”
Lucian exhaled slightly, shaking his head.
“So I agreed. And now we’re here.”
Meleonora had no words. Logically, she couldn’t refute what he was saying.
But still… she looked down at the General, who sat there in silence, listening to Lucian’s reprimand.
“Fine,” Meleonora muttered after a moment. “Maybe you’re right logically.” She exhaled sharply before shaking her head. “But morally, I still stand with the General. He did what he had to do to save his daughter.”
Lucian sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Ah, man. Don’t make me look like a villain. It’s not me who’s wrong here. And look he’s still alive.”
He glanced at the General before looking back at Meleonora. “I’m not an ungrateful person,” he continued. “And yeah, if he had come to me and told me what was happening, of course, I wouldn’t have stopped him. I might have even helped him.But he chose not to.”
Lucian’s sharp gaze flicked back to the General, who met his eyes with a quiet, knowing look.
“I didn’t ask,” the General finally said, his voice steady yet weighted.”Because I didn’t want to drag you into this world. I know how much you hate this kind of thing. I saw how much was already going on in your life this past week.” He paused, offering a faint, tired smile. “I didn’t want to add more.”
Lucian scoffed, looking away.”Tsk.”
The General could tell Lucian was irritated but not entirely unmoved. He understood the boy’s outburst. After all, one mistake had nearly cost him a loved one.
“I apologize for that, kid,” the General said sincerely.
Lucian clicked his tongue again, feeling even more irritated at the apologetic look in the old man’s eyes.
Maybe I spoke too much, he thought.
“You could have told me,” Lucian muttered, turning his head away.
The General remained silent for a moment before nodding. He’s still a gentle person at heart, he thought. He hadn’t minded Lucian’s reprimand because, truthfully, the boy was right.He had been wrong.
“I saw you and your family finally making progress with each other,” the General admitted. “Even with that girl. So I thought…I’d handle it myself.” He sighed. “Not like you would’ve helped me.”
Lucian’s expression darkened. “Even if your daughter’s life was in danger, huh?”
The General looked down.
Lucian exhaled sharply. “Well, whatever.”
The General seized the opportunity to shift the conversation. “How is she?” He finally turned his gaze toward Rose, lying unconscious on the hospital bed.His tone was careful, but there was a weight behind the question.
“She’s alright,” Lucian answered after a few seconds of silence, his voice unusually soft. “She got lucky. The bullet didn’t hit any vitals too deep. If it had, even I wouldn’t have been able to save her.”
The General let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”
Despite the stress and weight pressing down on him, his posture remained straight, his voice firm. A man who had seen the worst yet refused to bend under its pressure.
“So… what’s next?”the General asked, meeting Lucian’s gaze directly.
Lucian remained silent for a moment, eyes drifting back to Rose.”Nothing,” he finally said. “People are going to pay for what they did.”
Meleonora, who had been standing to the side watching their conversation unfold, suddenly interjected.
“Nope. General, we can’t allow this man to just walk free. We have to uphold the law. He massacred hundreds of people!” she said, her voice sharp with conviction.
Lucian blinked.”Still?” He looked at her, genuinely confused. “You still think I’m going to jail?”
Then he turned to the General, waiting for his response.
The General sighed, rubbing his temple. “Leave it, girl,” he said. “Even if I wanted to arrest him hell, even if the government wanted to we can’t do anything about it.”
—-