Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 122

When Lucian Juarez returned to his apartment after school, he was greeted by a familiar, mouth-watering aroma.

He thought he was hallucinating. Walking inside, he saw the dining table set with his favorite hearty stew and a few side dishes.

"Mom, did you cook?" he asked, astonished.

Grace was humming in her room. Hearing his voice, she walked out and rolled her eyes at him. "Do I look like I need to cook myself?"

"Son, besides inheriting my brilliant intellect, you really need to study my people skills. Arthur made this. See? Didn't I tell you? It didn't even take a day for him to come crawling back to serve us."

Grace's smile was almost unsettling. "I'm not trying to nag, but having someone wait on you is a luxury. Why are you so stubborn about arguing with me? While I'm around, your life is easy. If I wasn't here..." She looked at him pointedly. "You'd literally be begging on the streets."

She told him to stop throwing tantrums and find time to sweet-talk Amber. With the twelve years of subtle influence Grace had held over her, Amber would soften up with just a little coaxing.

Lucian didn't say a word. He walked into the kitchen, washed his hands, and grabbed a plate to eat.

He had come home for two reasons: Joanne hadn't been replying to his texts, and he was worried, and he had spent all the money his mother gave him yesterday buying lattes for Joanne today.

He was just hoping against hope that there would be food at home. Luckily, Arthur had cooked.

Good. If there was food, he'd eat. A real man knew when to yield. Even if Amber came over to mock them, it just proved she didn't have the power to drag her father away.

So, it wasn't that he lacked a spine. If someone was desperate to serve them, it was only polite to accept.

Still, since Arthur had been placated by his mother, why hadn't Amber made a move? Where exactly did she and Vance Leavitt go?

"Mom, didn't Arthur get a call from Amber while he was cooking?"

Honestly, Grace found it strange too. Given Amber's current attitude, there was no way she'd let her father come over to appease them. Yet Arthur had finished cooking the entire meal, and Amber hadn't called once.

Grace figured Amber might not know yet, or perhaps Xanthe Sutton hadn't told her, considering Amber didn't even have a phone. But checking the time, Amber was already out of school—she had to know. So... was Amber giving up on her father?

Grace thought it was highly likely. Hah, that wretched girl is getting more scheming by the day. Trying to isolate her father and force him to choose? How ruthless.

"Lucian, learn from this. Never give your true heart away. Women are just there to fulfill a need. You are meant for great things. Whether you're obsessed with Joanne or Amber right now, they are only stepping stones to your success. You need to look at the big picture."

"I've told you before, once a man is successful, he can have any woman he wants. Do you understand? Arthur is the perfect example. If you don't have money, you get manipulated by women."

Lucian smiled. His mother's twisted logic was something only she believed to be gospel.

But it wasn't entirely wrong. Still, he wasn't a player; he only wanted Joanne.

"Alright, eat up. The food is getting cold." Lucian helped her to her seat and served her some rice. After eating, he still needed to find Joanne and check on her dad.

He assumed Joanne wasn't replying because her father was being strict or because she was in trouble. He was completely unaware that the real reason she was ignoring him was because he wasn't nearly as important to her as he thought.

Right now, the most important thing in Joanne's life was getting back the scandalous video Amber had of her.

She was currently staking out a famous VIP lounge in Riverport, waiting for a specific someone.