Chapter 62

Kendrick turned so quickly if I wouldn’t have blinked, I would’ve missed it. His mouth opened and closed in shock as he processed Lucas’s question.

The tension in the room was palpable, and I almost wanted to laugh at how enraged he looked. It was obvious that Lucas never questioned his father—

let alone challenged him.

The tables were turning, and I couldn’t be prouder of Lucas for finally growing a backbone and saying something to his father.

But honestly, I was just as surprised as Kendrick. I never thought Lucas would be capable of talking back to his father.

I shot a glance at James who was looking back and forth between Kendrick and Lucas with wide eyes.

His eyes locked on mine, and he mouthed, “Did he actually just do that?”

I nodded slightly, mouthing, “I think he did. Oh my God!” equally shocked by Lucas's boldness.

The only thing missing from this moment was a bag of popcorn to enjoy the scene that was about to unfold.

As bad as it was to say that, there was an undeniable sense of satisfaction in seeing Lucas stand up for himself.

I didn’t think he had it in him, but maybe having James and I by his side, he felt more confident.

“What did you just say to me?” Kendrick’s voice was low and intimidating.

It could’ve made little children cry in fear.

“You heard me,” Lucas spoke with as much courage as he could muster. His voice was just as frightening as his father’s. “I don’t need to repeat myself.”

Kendrick let out a deep laugh, lines crinkling around his eyes in amusement. “Boy, do you know who you’re talking to like that?”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Lucas said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I asked you a question that you still haven’t answered.”

“The answer is yes,” Kendrick growled, his voice raising louder, drawing even more attention from other people at the restaurant. “That is not up for discussion.”

“Guys, guys,” James stood from the table, taking a step closer to Lucas to try and calm him down a bit. “People are starting to stare at us.”

At the mention of gathering negative attention from others, Kendrick cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and plastered a fake smile on his face as he looked around the room, attempting to save face.

Typical.

Lucas also seemed to remember where we were and glanced at me with an apologetic look on his face.

I could see the internal conflict in him— on one hand, he was glad he stood up for himself, but on the other hand, he didn't want to cause a scene that reflected negatively on him.

I shook my head, hopefully hinting to him that I was happy he stood up for himself against his father, no matter where we were.

I wanted him to know that he didn't need to apologize for being true to his feelings.

After Kendrick made sure that nobody thought a fight was about to take place at our table, the anger returned in his eyes as he looked at Lucas.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Lucas started to say, his voice softening. “I just wanted to know if it had to be Victoria that I married out of all people.”

“What’s wrong with Victoria?” Kendrick argued. “She comes from a respectable Alpha family. They have a successful business just like us. That’s exactly the kind of girl any guy would strive to be with.”

“Not me,” Lucas said firmly. “I don’t want to be forced into a relationship. I want to choose who I marry."

“How do you know what you want?” Kendrick rolled his eyes at Lucas.

It was clear that he didn’t understand where his son was coming from, and he didn’t care to try to understand.

When Kendrick wanted his way, he usually got it. Hearing someone go against his word wasn’t normal for him.

He didn’t take kindly to rejection.

“You’re just a boy,” Kendrick spat. “You don’t know what’s good for you.”

“I’m not a child,” Lucas argued. “I can make my own choices.”

I couldn't stay silent any longer, not when I saw my best friend suffering like this.

"Mr. Busch," I interjected, my voice laced with determination and caution. "Lucas has the right to make his own choices, especially when it comes to his future and who he wants to spend his life with."

“Is it because of her?” My father pointed an accusatory finger at me. “Isn’t it?!”

I couldn’t help but let my face fall. It felt as if all the color drained out of my face, and I was a sheet of white.

He was about to come for me now… What did I do?

“This girl has gotten into your head, hasn’t she?” Kendrick wiggled his pointer finger in my face like I was a dog he was disciplining.

“Shana’s done nothing, leave her out of this.” Lucas raised my voice, bunching his fists at his sides.

“Stay out of our family business, little girl. You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” Kendrick warned. “You think you know what’s best for my son? You know nothing.”

“Stop,” Lucas urged his father.

“This is what happens when you hang around the wrong crowd?” Kendrick chuckled. “You think you’re better than me? You think you can challenge my authority over you?”

“If anything, James and Shana are the right crowd of people to be around,” Lucas defended us. “Everyone else only cares about money or power.”

“And that’s supposed to be a bad thing? Those are the people you want to build connections with,” Kendrick retaliated. “That’s who you should be hanging around…”

He looked at James and me in disgust. “Not these random peasants.”

“Respectfully, I’m not a peasant,” James declared. “And neither is Shana. We’re actually the opposite of peasants.”

James tried to butt into the conversation and give his two cents, but Kendrick wasn’t listening to him. Instead, he completely ignored him and kept his eyes on his son.

“Stop disrespecting my friends!” Lucas ordered.

“Stop disrespecting my orders!” Kendrick ordered back.

“I wouldn’t disrespect your orders if they were reasonable, but all you ever want from me is the impossible.”

“I’m trying to prepare you for the real world, Lucas. You think this is hard? You think listening and following my orders is hard?” Kendrick let out a low belly laugh. “If you’re having trouble now, you’re less prepared than I thought.”

“I’ve tried to do nothing but prove my worth to you!” Lucas shook his head in aggravation. “Nothing ever seems to be good enough for you!”

“Enough of you raising your voice at me, son! I won’t tolerate it for a second longer. You’ve not only embarrassed me personally, but you’ve embarrassed me in public.”

I wanted to laugh at that. If anyone had embarrassed anyone in public, it was Kendrick himself.

“You’re going on vacation with Victoria to that beach house, and there will be no further discussion on this topic. That’s final!” Kendrick’s face turned red as he said the last two words.

When I glanced at Lucas, he looked completely and utterly defeated.