Chapter 165

Susan Thompson never expected to encounter Andrew Lucas in the underground parking lot.

The door of the sleek sports car swung open, revealing his long legs clad in sharply pressed suit pants. He towered over her with a gaze dark as ink.

"Susan?"

She ignored him, focusing on Daniel's shattered phone. The screen was beyond repair, its casing twisted.

"Answer me!" Andrew slammed the car door, but froze when he saw her bleeding hand. He seized her wrist. "What happened?"

"None of your business." She yanked her arm back.

Daniel bristled like an angry kitten. "Don't touch my mom!"

Andrew's icy glare made the boy shrink back.

"Hospital. Now." His grip was unyielding.

Susan raised her foot to kick him when she heard him order Leo Miller over the phone: "Pull the security footage."

She hesitated. This mall belonged to the Lucas Group - exactly where she needed evidence.

Reading her thoughts, Andrew snatched the broken phone and tossed it to Leo. "Have Ryan Lucas recover the data."

In the lounge, the monitor replayed the parking garage incident.

Candy Wilson's fake fall played in clear detail. Even Susan winced when the woman deliberately crashed into a pillar.

Andrew's knuckles turned white watching the footage. When Vincent King stomped on Susan's hand, he shattered a glass against the wall.

"Get the doctor." His voice could freeze hell.

Dr. Li fumbled through Susan's treatment under Andrew's murderous stare.

"Move." Andrew grabbed the ointment, applying it with clumsy gentleness.

The memory overlapped with reality - him bandaging her scraped knee years ago. For a heartbeat, she almost believed she saw tenderness in his eyes.

"Don't flatter yourself." He crushed her momentary weakness. "No one touches what's mine."

She lowered her gaze. "I know."

Susan and dogs - forbidden entry. That truth was carved into her bones.

After retrieving the restored recordings, she left with Daniel. Only to find Vincent blocking their path at the neighborhood gate.

"Gouge out that crippled brat's eyes!" Vincent's voice dripped venom.