Chapter 164

Lucas POV

After my father's latest request, I decided that Victoria and I needed to meet to discuss our plan further.

I had a feeling she would be just as surprised as me, and I hoped she wouldn't want to call off our agreement. It was already a lot to ask of her and now, we had to speed up the process.

I was thinking of visiting Victoria at her house but decided it would best to go somewhere away from prying eyes. Her parents weren't my biggest fans.

Victoria suggested meeting at a small coffee shop on the other side of town. It would be the best place for us to go talk without someone we knew finding out.

As we sat at a booth near the back corner, sipping our lattes, the weight of the situation weighed on on me.

"I'm guessing you don't have good news since you wanted to meet so urgently," Victoria said as she stirred her latte with a spoon.

"No really," I blew out a breath. "My father had made some recent... adjustments to our original agreement?"

"You mean, he's making his own rules? That isn't surprising."

Victoria knew my father well, but she saw more of his business side than his fatherly one.

My father's demand for the engagement party to happen so soon left me feeling anxious to break the news. But I knew that I couldn't back down now. There was no room for hesitation when it came to helping Shana.

"He's made some changes to our original agreement because he thinks it's for the best."

Victoria fidgeted with her coffee cup, as she gave me a quiet snort. "The best for him, I'm assuming?"

"Well, yes," I said. "Of course, he's only thinking about himself and what he can gain."

"Okay, give it to me straight, Lucas." I couldn't help but notice the unease in her eye which probably reflected the same storm brewing within me. "What does he want?"

"The engagement party... my father wants it to happen this weekend," I confessed.

Her brows rose significantly. "This weekend? But that's so soon. How is that enough time to plan anything?"

My voice was laden with a sigh as I said, "He wants it to be a small gathering of Alpha elite families and companies. And in his eyes, money can solve any problem. Timing and planning aren’t an issue."

Victoria's eyes met mine and the uncertainty in her gaze was chilling. "Okay... what does this mean then?"

"We announce our proposal at the engagement party," I said carefully. "Our close circle will know first."

"You mean our parent's close circle?"

I nodded, unable to hide the guilt I was feeling. "I know how it sounds. Believe me, this is not what I wanted."

She glanced away, her lips pursed with tension. "I just hope it won't end up like the last time," she muttered, almost to herself. "My parents did not take it well."

The thought of the last disastrous dinner where Victoria and I called off our engagement replayed in both of our minds. It had been a daring and bold on both of our parts. We had been able to stand up against our parents’ wishes.

And now here we were, going back to the way our parents wanted things to be.

I could still visualize the chaos that had come from that dinner. The way our parents had shouted at us for staining our reputations.

Victoria and I had never fought, not really. She was upset that I had blind sighted her, but ultimately, she wanted our engagement over too.

The fact that she was agreeing to this now showed what a great friend she was for wanting to help. Good, genuine people were hard to find in Alpha society. I was grateful that she was my friend.

Now, as I glanced at Victoria, I could see that this situation was making her uncomfortable.

"It won't be like last time, I promise."

"So, we get engaged and then what?" Victoria asks, sipping her coffee.

"We just pretend. Once Shana's debts are paid and I'm certain that there's no way for my father to reverse it, we split up again," I explained.

Victoria nodded just as her phone buzzed on the table. It lit up, showing a text message.

The name that flashes on my screen shocks me.

James?

Before I can fully process what I've seen, Victoria snatches her phone from the table, obscuring my view of the screen.

We stare at each other for a long pause, both of us not knowing what to say.

Coming to the realization that Victoria wasn't going to say anything, I decided to start talking first, "Did I just see what I think I did?"

"What did you see?" Victoria asked, feigning ignorance. So, that's how this was gonna be?

"I noticed James's name on your phone just a second ago," I said cautiously, my gaze steady on her to catch any lie. "Is that the James I think it is?"

Victoria stiffened, her eyes darting away from my face. "What James?"

"C'mon Victoria." I gave her a pointed look. "You know exactly who I'm talking about."

She hesitated as if debating whether or not to tell me any of her private information with James. I found it odd. Really odd.

Shana and I had been making jokes that the two of them didn't secretly hate each other like they wanted everyone to believe. Was this a sign that we were right?

"Fine. We've been talking," she admitted finally. She was being very short with me which made me think she didn't want to give me any more details.

"What about?" I pressed as my curiosity only grew.

Victoria's pause to share made me wonder if there was more to their conversations than she was willing to reveal to me.

Oh wow, maybe this was more serious than I thought. The thought nagged at me. Should I be concerned about their sudden closeness? Or should I be happy for them?

She glanced at me, her expression conflicted. "We've just been talking. He's been checking up on me ever since my accident."

That was right. James had been the one to carry Victoria out of the woods when she had fallen unconscious. He helped save her.

As I stared at Victoria I wondered if that was all it was. Was James just being friendly and making sure she was okay? Or was it something more?

I wanted to ask, but I couldn't bring myself to pry any further.

Then Victoria turned the conversation back to us, as if to change the subject. "Lucas, what if Shana or James find out about our engagement, about us keeping it a secret?"

The truth was, I didn't know how Shana would react once she found out about all of this. I didn't want to think about it.

As if she could sense my refusal to acknowledge the situation, she continued, "What will you do if Shana gets upset with you for keeping this from her?"

So, I gave her the answer that I had been telling myself for the past week.

"I don't think Shana will be upset, Victoria. I'm doing this for her. She'll see that. Everything will be fine."