Lucian only looked away from Estella when the teacher picked her up. He then said to Cayden, "Let's go."

Cayden nodded and drove toward Farwell Group's office.

Lucian arrived at his destination and hurried to the executive meeting. The meeting lasted over an hour.

He returned directly to his office, where Aubree greeted him, "Lucian, you're back."

Her voice caused him to frown. He saw Aubree, in a black suit, standing smiling before his desk; she appeared to have been waiting.

"When did you come?" he asked.

Lucian crossed to the other side of his desk, his gaze skimming the documents before settling on Aubree's face. She sat down as he did, her smile unwavering. "Not long ago. I heard from Cayden you were in a meeting."

She noticed a scab on the corner of his lip, and her heart lurched. "Did you hurt your lip?"

A flash of displeasure crossed Lucian's eyes, reminding him of the previous night. His tone grew colder. "I accidentally bit it. There's no need to freak out."

Aubree nodded hesitantly, consoling herself that she had been the only woman in Lucian's life for years. Her suspicion, she decided, was paranoia. This eased her slightly.

"So why are you here?" Lucian asked flatly.

Aubree recomposed herself, smiling again. "I have some work matters. The project our families are working on only needs the contract signed. I've come to ask if there are any other terms. Also, my parents want to invite you to dinner tonight. Your parents will be there too. Are you free?"

(The following parenthetical thought is awkwardly placed and should be integrated more smoothly.) (They invited my parents too. Without a doubt, they must want to urge us to hurry up with our wedding.)

Lucian glanced at her and muttered icily, "Please tell your parents I have another engagement tonight."

Her smile froze. For a moment, she was speechless. Their true aim for the dinner was to urge a quicker marriage—something that should have happened years ago.

She had waited until Roxanne was gone, but Lucian kept delaying things with work, then used Estella as another excuse. Six years had passed.

Aubree had waited so long, and the conclusion was still elusive. How could she not feel anxious? Even now, Lucian was postponing the matter.

Her lips turned down as she looked at him bitterly. "Lucian, I've been waiting for six years. How many six years can a woman have? I don't mind waiting, of course, but if we're fated to be together, why won't you have the wedding? At least the elders would be reassured."

She watched his expression carefully. Seeing no change, she steeled herself. "We've been planning this wedding since the beginning, so why?"

"I did promise to marry you," Lucian coldly interrupted, "but you, of all people, should know why I made that promise."

Aubree felt a surge of fear.

"I think the Farwell family has more than compensated the Pearson family over these years. In fact, the compensation far exceeds the worth of this engagement. Even if we didn't proceed, no one would say anything."

Lucian's voice remained neutral, suggesting a long-prepared speech.

Aubree's eyes widened in disbelief, fresh terror rising. It was clear: Lucian wanted to break off the engagement.