Two Reborn, One Throne novel Chapter 20

Arthur frowned, realizing this was probably the fastest way to get answers. He grabbed his coat and accompanied Grace out of the apartment.

It was pitch black outside, and the alleyways were poorly lit. Arthur constantly warned Grace to slow down and watch her step.

They rushed out to the main street, only to stumble straight into Lucian and Joanne.

Grace: "!!!"

Joanne felt like she had been kissed by lady luck today.

Since middle school, she knew Lucian had a crush on her, but he had never even dared to hold her hand. Now, not only had he boldly declared his feelings, but he had also showered her in luxury goods.

She was in such a fantastic mood that she completely forgot about the shady guy she had booked a motel room with earlier, happily accompanying Lucian back for study hall.

She had basked in unprecedented envy from her peers all night.

"Lucian, thank you so much for walking me all the way to my door after study hall."

With that, Joanne stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around Lucian's neck. Her lips intentionally brushed past his cheek, lingering dangerously close to his ear.

Lucian felt a tight knot of desire pool in his stomach. Just as he reached out to pull her slender waist closer, a shrill, furious scream shattered the moment—the voice of a mother ready to break his legs. "Lucian Juarez! What the hell are you doing?!"

Grace's voice was naturally booming, and in the dead of night, her shriek caused the entire neighborhood's lights to flicker on as nosy neighbors pushed open their windows to watch.

Grace was practically vibrating with rage. Hearing the police suggest her son was suffering a psychological breakdown from exam stress was the only reason she hadn't hunted him down immediately.

But here was her 'good son,' practically making out with Joanne in the street while she had spent the entire night sick with terror over him!

While Grace was notoriously stingy with everyone except herself and Lucian, she had a sharp eye for expensive things. One glance was all it took for her to realize that the clothes and bag Joanne was wearing were incredibly high-end designer brands.

Instantly ignoring Arthur's attempts to hold her back, Grace rolled up her sleeves, charged forward, and delivered several vicious slaps across Joanne's face. "Lucian, you've completely lost your mind! Tell me right now—did you blow thirty thousand dollars on this tramp?! How could you be so stupid?! And you, you little homewrecker! Take off those clothes and give me that bag right now! I'm returning them! You and your father are nothing but a family of thieves!"

Joanne was not about to let Grace strip her naked in the street. At the first sign of danger, she ducked behind Lucian's back, using him as a human shield.

"Grace, let's talk about this calmly! It's late, you're waking up the whole neighborhood."

"Get out here, you little tramp! Lucian, move out of the way, or I swear to God I'll beat you too!"

Grace refused to go, thrashing and wailing like a banshee, screaming that Lucian should just leave her on the street to die.

Lucian frowned, trying to reason with her. "Can we just go to the hospital and get you checked out first? Mom, do you really want the entire neighborhood watching you like this?"

Grace wanted to strangle him, but she was notoriously vain. Her impulsive rage was fading into embarrassment—what would the neighborhood gossips say tomorrow?

That little tramp Joanne was truly despicable! And Amber! She had told her to keep an eye on him, and this is how she managed things?!

Amber worked steadily until ten-thirty that night. After running a final check over the brilliant proposal she had crafted for Sharif, a satisfied smirk touched her lips. She saved the file to a USB drive and planned to print it at the copy shop near Madison Group tomorrow morning.

As soon as she powered her phone back on, she was hit with notifications for five missed calls from her father, likely asking why she wasn't home yet.

Amber ignored them, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and headed back to the studio apartment. When she arrived, she realized her father wasn't there.

Just as Amber was wondering where he could have gone, her father called again. Hearing the line finally connect, Arthur frantically said, "Amber, come to Riverport General Hospital! Grace threw her back out, and the doctor wants to keep her overnight for observation. Lucian is here too. Take a registered cab, don't walk alone in the dark. I'll meet you at the hospital entrance."

Amber was floored—Lucian's mother was in the hospital?!