Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 176

Lucian had indeed seen everything.

But he didn't dare act recklessly because he still wasn't completely sure if Joanne was being blackmailed!

After arguing with Amber the night before, Lucian had fallen into deep thought.

He knew exactly what kind of person Miles Yates was, Amber knew, and there was no way Joanne didn't know.

Even if Yvonne Sargent had enlisted Miles to deal with Amber, he should have seen Miles taking Amber onto the yacht and dropping her off this morning, not his precious Joanne.

Yet, he still wanted to trust Joanne. In his past life, she did have a streak of vanity, but that was normal. What girl didn't like nice things?

Didn't Amber have the same vanity?

Dating him, the top student in their grade, allowed her to get free tutoring and ride his coattails.

He wasn't the richest man in the world yet, so it was completely understandable that Joanne might be slightly swayed by a wealthy heir's aggressive pursuit.

If he were in her shoes, being relentlessly chased by old money, any girl would be tempted.

Wasn't that exactly why he accepted Amber in his past life?

"Lucian, I'm so sorry. I didn't ignore your calls on purpose. The place my dad took me to yesterday was just so loud. By the time I saw your messages, I figured you were already asleep. I was going to call you back when I woke up, but my phone died."

"Lucian, you didn't see anything just now, did you?"

Joanne was incredibly nervous but tried her best to hide it. So what if Lucian saw? He didn't know Miles anyway. Besides, all she did was wave goodbye. Thank goodness waving was all it was.

"Lucian, don't be mad, okay? I swear it won't happen again. Come on, give me a smile," Joanne coaxed playfully.

Lucian's expression was incredibly dark, but faced with Joanne's sweet act, he couldn't resist.

He clenched his fists tightly. Joanne just went out to have fun with Miles, and she didn't actually *do* anything. This fell under normal social interaction. He couldn't fall for Amber's attempts to drive a wedge between them.

His Joanne was perfect. She was flawless.

He couldn't act like a paranoid freak.

"Who was that guy just now?"

She rested her head against his shoulder, looking small and fragile. "You're the best, Lucian. Didn't you say we were going to visit Grace today? Let's go right now. She must be waiting for you."

Lucian tightened his fists.

Yesterday, because he brought Joanne along, his mother had completely torn into him at the hospital. "What are you doing here? I'm not dead yet, so you can't collect my body or play the dutiful son!"

Lucian had an awful headache at the time. "If you're trying to throw a tantrum just to make Arthur next door feel sorry for you, then go ahead and scream. But even if you curse me to death, he's not going to come over and look at you."

Then, Grace erupted into a screaming fit, declaring she never birthed such a rebellious son, that Amber was right to dump him, and that if she hadn't schemed for years, he'd be begging on the streets.

Then she dragged Joanne into it. Lucian lost his temper, stating he had brought Joanne to help her save face. He warned her not to yell at or insult Joanne, otherwise, he wouldn't come back until it was time to collect her corpse.

Grace demanded he bring her back—and return the money he owed her while he was at it.

Lucian had nightmares all night. With Joanne's phone turned off, he was genuinely terrified something had happened to her. He sat outside her door all night until dawn, and she never came home.

Lucian was terrified that something had actually happened between Joanne and Miles, but he tried to convince himself it was impossible. Joanne wasn't Miles' type. He needed to stop overthinking.

If—just *if*—Miles actually laid a finger on Joanne... A murderous glint flashed through Lucian's dark eyes. Then Miles had better be prepared for the consequences.