Chapter 1593
Ben didn't back down. Instead, he lifted his gaze and said coldly, "Wasn't it you? Or are you saying you did it but don't even have the courage to admit it?"
Seeing how enraged his father was, Ben's face remained calm, though his heart was heavy.
When he first uncovered the truth, he could hardly believe it.
Though their father-son relationship had always been distant, Ben had assumed that, as family, his father wouldn't stoop to such underhanded tactics. Yet this incident slapped him in the face with harsh reality. It told him he was wrong. "You" His father was so furious he started coughing violently.
Ben's mother, caught between the two, looked panicked. She hurried to comfort her husband while trying to get Ben to stop. "Don't say any more. Your father has high blood pressure. He'll make himself ill."
Jamie noticed Ben's fists clenching tightly. Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand over his, a silent gesture of reassurance.
The tension in Ben's posture eased slightly, though the icy atmosphere between the father and son remained palpable.
After a while, Mr. Lucas caught his breath and steadied himself, but his expression was still stormy.
His eyes, filled with suppressed anger, locked onto Ben. "Did you come back just to reprimand me?"novelbin
"More than reprimanding you, I want to know what you were thinking," Ben said in a measured tone. "What could possibly drive you to do something so ruthless to your own son? Is the family business really worth this?" "You're my son," Mr. Lucas retorted, his voice sharp. "If not you, then who will inherit Lucas Corporation?"
"There are plenty of cousins. Surely one of them can take over," Ben countered, his tone unyielding.
Mr. Lucas let out a bitter laugh. "You think I'd entrust the empire I built with my own hands to someone else? Never."
Mr. Lucas adjusted his collar, speaking with finality. "It's done. You have no choice but to stay at Lucas Corporation now."
Mrs. Lucas looked stunned. "What are you saying, exactly?"
Ben answered for him, his voice cold
and clear. "He leaked the news about me claiming I have no professional ethics and violated legal regulations as a lawyer. He's the source of all those rumors."
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Mrs. Lucas turned to her husband in disbelief. "Is that true?"
Her husband didn't reply.
Her gaze hardened as she realized Ben's accusation was true. Anger and hurt filled her voice. "How could you do that? He's your son! Even if you don't agree with his career, this is too much!"
Mr. Lucas pointed at Ben, his frustration evident. "And what would you have me do? Let him decide for himself? Do you think he'd ever choose to stay at the company?"
Mrs. Lucas faltered, momentarily speechless.
She knew her husband was right about one thing. Ben wouldn't willingly stay. From the moment he had chosen to become a lawyer, he had stood firm, no matter how many times they had tried to persuade or pressure him.
Jamie, unable to stay silent, finally spoke up. "Even if you had your reasons, Mr. Lucas, this isn't the way to go about it. A businessman might compromise on ethics, but a father shouldn't."
Her words made Mr. Lucas turn his icy gaze on her.
Ben immediately shifted, moving slightly in front of her as if shielding her from his father's glare.
With a dismissive snort, Mr. Lucas said, "So you're Jamie. You don't understand the Lucas family. This isn't an ordinary household. Being born into this family means carrying the weight of responsibility.
Lucas Corporation is his
And
responsibility."
"But-"
"You're an outsider," Mr. Lucas interrupted harshly. "What could you possibly understand? He shouldn't have brought you here at all." Before Jamie could respond, Ben's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"She's not an outsider," he declared firmly. "Jamie is the woman I want to marry. And for the rest of my life, I won't marry anyone but her."