Romance With The CEO

Chapter71: The Judgment 2

Ricardo tried to defend himself. In his increasing desperation, he would do anything. He tried to convince Lucas, but what he received was a smirk.

"Do you think this is about work?"

Ricardo's defense faltered. Lucas's question raised other questions in his mind.

What could have prompted Mr. Hernandez to do this if not because of work?

"Boy wouldn't end up like this if it was only about work, right, Ricardo?"

The name Boy made Ricardo instinctively turn his head. His pale, stiff figure remained in the same place. He did not move an inch, with his eyes wide open as if hinting at Ricardo's future.

Death was standing there, ready to approach Ricardo. Whether it would be equally gruesome or even worse.

Ricardo looked back at Lucas. Beads of sweat ran down the side of his face as his body grew colder. His mind groped, and there was only one thing that connected them.

"Velia."

Lucas smirked. The knife in his hand moved. Occasionally, he grazed the blade against his thumb, as if testing its sharpness.

"I've told you, Ricardo. Just do the things that are your work responsibilities. Don't do things that could be fatal for you."

Silent, Ricardo couldn't say anything as his tongue felt dry. Both the words and the aura emanating from Lucas left him powerless.

"Unfortunately, you ignored my warning."

Lucas took a deep breath, shaking his head repeatedly. The sharp gaze in his eyes faded, replaced by a helpless expression. As if he could not do anything more about what was going to happen.

"Even though I've warned you multiple times, Ricardo. It's a shame you didn't give me any other choice. Your performance was actually quite good, and I admit it."

His thumb pressed harder on the knife blade. A hint of emotion flickered in Lucas's eyes, causing his jaw to tighten.

"I gave a warning, but you didn't pay attention. You know, Ricardo, I never give a second chance."

Ricardo trembled in horror. "M-Mr. Hernandez, I beg you," he pleaded softly. "I truly didn't know about Velia's connection with you. I was just following Madam President's orders."

Ricardo no longer cared about Sandra's anger. Now, it was his own life that he was concerned about.

"I was just following Madam Sandra's orders."

"I know, Ricardo, that you did this because you were ordered by my own biological mother. Do you think I'm so foolish that I wouldn't know?"

The movement of the knife continued. Lucas continued to savor the sharp sensation while Ricardo was the opposite. He swallowed his saliva with a pleading face.

"Sir, I beg you. Forgive me. I was just following Madam Sandra's orders."

"You could have refused that order, Ricardo. Don't you realize how excessive it was? It was too wicked. How many lives have you taken?"

Ricardo was stunned by the question. Just how much did Lucas know?

"Ah," Lucas murmured, nodding mockingly. "I guessed that you never expected me to know about it, did you?"

There were no words that Ricardo could utter. He remained silent, lost in the escalating sense of dread.

It seemed that Lucas knew many things. More than he should. More than Ricardo dared to imagine.

"You never thought I knew that my own mother orchestrated all of this, did you? You never thought I knew that the accident that befell Velia's family was your doing."

Lucas knew every detail. He did not miss even the smallest thing.

"I'm sure you never imagined," Lucas continued with an indescribable glint in his eyes, "that I knew about your efforts to summon Velia back to work. Including using my mother's name."

Lucas's words paused. The knife stopped moving. A fleeting memory crossed his mind.

~

"Did Ricardo request Velia's return?"

"Yes, Sir," Vlora answered, awaiting Lucas's next command. "I'm sorry, Sir. Should I find out more?"

"No. You may leave."

Vlora nodded. She excused herself, intending to leave Lucas's office immediately, but something held her back. It was Lucas's earlier statement.

"I hope you don't forget, Vlo. You work for me. I hope you remember that as best as you can."

Vlora hesitated to leave. Instead, she approached Lucas again. Her boss, who was about to continue his work, noticed Vlora's unusual behavior.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, Sir," Vlora said. "There's something I haven't told you."

Lucas looked at her. "Speak."

"It seems that Velia's summoning is connected to Madam President."

"Madam President?" Lucas asked, confirming. "You mean my mother?"

Vlora nodded once. "Yes, Sir. I overheard a conversation between Mr. Bell and Mr. Davis. Mr. Bell said that the summoning was done under Madam's orders."

Mom?

Lucas's face instantly hardened. The air felt stagnant as Vlora's information delivered an unexpected blow.

"Are you serious about what you're saying?"

"I'm serious, Sir. I'm confident I didn't mishear."

~

"W-what?"

Lucas's words revealed an unforeseen fact to Ricardo. The man had known everything for a long time. He had known it all on the day everything started again.

"I-if you knew that I wanted to harm Velia," Ricardo whispered nonsensically, "why did you still allow her to work?"

Lucas sighed with an exasperated expression. "I did it because it was the only way to draw all of you out. Ah! Do you know another funny thing?"

The turmoil that arose from his mother's name had disappeared. Lucas appeared calm again, continuing his knife play.

"I deliberately had Velia take that taxi. Your henchman who turned into a corpse was truly foolish!"

Lucas burst into laughter. It was a resounding laughter devoid of any hint of amusement, but rather the opposite.

Ricardo shivered. The sight was akin to the grim reaper toying with lives. Unfortunate! It was his life that was currently being toyed with.

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. Lucas briefly wiped them away while adjusting his slightly disturbed breathing.

"You thought the day Velia returned to work was the day she fell into your trap, didn't you? But the truth is the opposite. It was you and Boy who fell into my trap."

Unexpected consequences had ensnared Ricardo. He was trapped in a carefully planned scheme. He had not anticipated it at all, and when he finally realized it, it was already too late.

"You surely didn't know that, while unwittingly..."

Lucas took a deep breath, and his thumb pressed harder on the blade of the knife, creating a small cut. Blood flowed. Yet, he seemed unaffected.

"...you were fighting against me, Ricardo?"

*