A black Cadillac pulled over in front of Lily. The car's window rolled halfway down, and she saw those piercing dark brown eyes that held her captive for a second. As usual, Lucas had that serious look on his face. He greeted, "Good morning." "I can't be seen in public," Lucas reminded her. "Do you mind getting in on your own?" "I wasn't about to get carried into a car, anyhow," Lily muttered. Prior to flying out to Rose Hills, Lily informed Lucas' assistant of her arrival. So, as soon as she stepped out of the airport, it no longer surprised her that Lucas was there. The man arrived in a caravan of three cars. All of them looked armored and brand new. As soon as Lily settled, the car drove away from the airport, with one vehicle ahead of them and another behind. "I have already ordered Uncle Kaleb to be airlifted to Rose Hills," Lucas revealed. He was leaning back in his seat, looking out the window. "I only allowed a maximum of three visitors, I'm afraid. I will tighten sec

"I don't mind if she hates me right now, but I can't let her h -" Lucas' words were cut off because his phone rang. His father was calling, and he had to answer it. "Dad?" "Son, I heard Kaleb is being admitted to the Heart and Lung Center, and you are operating on him?" Lucas’ father, Evan Thompson, asked on the other line. "Are you -" Lucas felt his father's hesitation. Eventually, Evan Thompson resumed, "Are you fixing things?" "You could say that, Dad," Lucas answered. "Uncle Kaleb needs an ascending aortic replacement." “After ten years, your timing is still off,” Evan said. “I know, but when I saw Lily back in Koplin, I couldn’t - I had to have her,” Lucas reasoned. “I married her, Dad.” “What?” Evan reacted. “I forced her to marry me,” Lucas revealed. “You are going to give us a heart attack,” Evan remarked. “I’m sorry. I want to be with her badly,” Lucas explained. “Don’t worry about this. I’ll make it work.” There was silence in the air before Evan proposed, "The

Three and a half hours later, the surgery was completed. Kaleb Wright had a new ascending aorta. After an operation, Lucas would generally leave the rest of the work to a resident surgeon. However, Lucas wanted to do everything for Kaleb. "Doctor, I can close the chest," Doctor Brown offered. "No," Lucas plainly said. "I'll do everything. Everyone can assist and learn." What Lucas really wanted to say was that he could not afford any mistakes during that surgery. This was his first step in redeeming himself. So, he would instead do everything with many eyes watching him. One by one, Lucas inserted the sternal wires, his eyes barely blinking, focused on Kaleb's open chest. After closing Kaleb's sternum, he also personally stitched the wound. Lucas observed Kaleb for a few minutes longer before finally giving the order, "We can move him to the ICU." The surgical team clapped their hands. One by one, they praised Lucas. "You did a fantastic job, Doctor Thompson," the cardiol

"Dad!" Lily exclaimed, seeing her father being moved to the private room. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she embraced him tightly. "Ouch! Lily, you sure can hug," Kaleb remarked. "Careful now. I can still feel those surgical wires pricking my flesh." Two days had passed since the operation. Lily had been at the heart and lung center with her parents. Her brother Liam occasionally left to see his wife and kids, but often, he flew in a private plane to see Kaleb, even just for a few hours. As Lucas had promised, he came to see Kaleb longer than he should have. Lucas would spend at least an hour checking Kaleb's vitals when asleep. Lucas also stayed throughout Kaleb's extubation. Naturally, since Kaleb was put to sleep, he was on a ventilator. After Lucas had confirmed that Kaleb's vitals were stable, he ordered him off the machine, and now, Lily's father was back in a standard room. "How are you feeling, Tiger?" Lily's mother asked Kaleb. That was how Scarlett called Lily's fat

"We spotted a black van speeding north of Braeton. They broke traffic lights and evaded police officers. Clearly, they had something to hide. Our officers are already chasing them, Sergeant," a local police officer updated Lily upon arrival at Braeton International Airport. "Our brothers, Levin, Kristoff, and Kayden, are also pursuing that van. They drove with the police officers that left an hour ago," Liam said. He immediately got the call the moment they landed on Braeton. Lily's colleagues from Black Hawk also arrived at the same time as them. Gunner, who led the team, said their company hacker had a lead on the black van. Major Patton was also there. He was speaking to Lucas and his men. From where Lily stood, she could tell the major was upset about Lucas' decision to fly into Braeton. "Mister Thompson, my direct order is to send you back to Rose Hills. Braeton is not prepared for your arrival. We can't risk you getting attacked here," Lily heard the major said. "If you g