Chapter 25 The best news 4 ) 12 min Kaia's eyes turned cold . " Joanne , that's not okay . Once the ceremony's done , won't everyone think I'm already married ? Is it fair to a girl's name ? " Joanne said nothing . " You have five days . That's the most I can do . Figure out how to tell Sir Graves . If not , I won't show up to that wedding either . " Kaia stood up . " I've got things to do . Tell Sir Graves I've gone . " That was her final grace - dignified , but firm . Alden came down empty - handed , annoyed . Seeing Joanne alone at the table , he frowned . " Where is she ? " he asked . Joanne shot him a glare . " Your fiancée just walked out on you . Happy now ? " Kaia drove herself today , just in case she needed to make a quick getaway if things got awkward . But the moment she left Graves Manor , it hit her that she had completely forgotten to ask Lucien about the contract . Shortcuts or not , she just wanted her company to have a real 17:27 Chapter 25 The best news chance . She pulled to the side of the road and grabbed her phone , clicking on the contact marked with a little galaxy . [ Mr. Graves , are you staying at the manor tonight ? ] She thought it'd take a while for him to reply . But to her surprise , he texted back almost instantly . [ What ? Want me to walk you out ? ] Just reading that made Kaia's cheeks heat up . Lucien always looked so proper and distant , but his texts had this … strange tone . Is he teasing me ? Maybe it was just her overthinking , but something about it felt like a low - key flirt . Sitting in the car , not even seeing him , Kaia still straightened up on reflex . [ No. Already left . But if it's not too much trouble and you're okay with going out , I'm parked around the corner . ] The wait felt like it lasted forever . After a full minute , his one - word reply came through , 17:27 Chapter 25 The best news [ Sure . ] In the study , Lucien rubbed his thumb across the screen , a faint smirk tugging at his mouth . He stood up lazily . " Dad , Zane , I've got something to handle . I'm heading out . " Allen and Zane turned , caught off guard . Allen blinked . " Didn't you say you were staying over tonight ? " Lucien smiled lightly , " Can't . I forgot to feed my rabbit . Gotta head home and fix that . " He walked off , leaving the two men staring after him . Allen squinted . " Since when does he have a rabbit ? " Zane shrugged . " Beats me . Allen sighed . " Try to get your brother over more often . He's been more like a guest than family lately . " Ever since Lucien came back , Allen felt this weird gap between him and his youngest son . He couldn't put his finger on it , but something was definitely different . *** 17:27 Chapter 25 The best news Kaia had her car idling by the curb , softly humming to herself . Then , she spotted a familiar license plate . She hopped out and waved at the other car . Lucien's car stopped right in front of hers . " Mr. Graves ! " she called , voice bright . She was clearly glad to see him . Lucien chuckled silently . So much for her ducking him earlier , and now she was practically waiting with open arms . His face stayed cool as he rolled down the window and motioned for her to get in . Kaia wanted to talk outside - being stuck in that small car space with him made her nervous . But they were right near Graves Manor , and hanging out on the sidewalk would've looked sketchy too . Lucien's eyebrow went up , all amused . " So … you were waiting for me , huh ? " Kaia fought the urge to roll her eyes and forced a fake smile . " Well , I just wanted to talk about that agency contract . " 17:27 Chapter 25 The best news As soon as she said that , Lucien's smile dropped . " That's why you were waiting here ? " his voice went a bit colder . Kaia nodded sheepishly . " Yeah . But I'm not asking you to pull strings . I just want Jude to have a fair shot . " Lucien kept his cool . " Hmm . Sounds like you think someone's being unfair to him now . " Kaia hesitated . She didn't know how to explain the whole mess between Jude and Miles . She stammered , " Mr. Graves , please don't take it the wrong way … " Seeing her discomfort , Lucien dropped it and said softly , " Look , there used to be all these shady deals and connections pushing clients around . When I took over , I shut that down . If you want a fair shot , that's exactly what you'll get . " Hearing that , Kaia lit up . " Thank you , Mr. Graves ! " She had no doubt he meant it . If he gave his word , it wasn't for show . As long as the case came to Vanguard Law Firm , her team ld 17:27 Chapter 25 The best news take the lead . 11 min Lucien's lips curled into a smirk . " Business aside , how about something more personal ? " Kaia's stomach did a small flip . She forced out an awkward laugh . " What kind of personal stuff , Mr. Graves ? " Lucien's eyes grew darker . " You told them you're breaking off the engagement with Alden ? " " You heard about that ? " Kaia blurted out . Lucien arched an eyebrow . " Overheard it while passing the bathroom . " Since he knew already , Kaia didn't bother hiding it . " Yeah , I'm not going through with the marriage . I told Joanne . She said Sir Graves might need some time to process it . " Lucien nodded . " Makes sense . But … the wedding's only a few days away . " Kaia bit her lip . " I know . " Five years of holding on , crumbling in the final stretch … " You sure about this ? " Lucien asked again . Chapter 25 The best news A sharp glint of determination flashed in Kaia's eyes . " Absolutely . " Lucien's voice remained steady . " Alright . " Kaia stared at him , confused . " You're not trying to talk me out of it ? " He's a Graves . Why isn't he pushing back ? " Of course not . " Lucien's gaze slowly traced her lips , his throat bobbing as he spoke in a deep , dangerous purr, " Actually , Kaia … this is the best news I've heard in a while . " The realization hit Kaia like lightning . She froze . What did he … mean by that ? Write your comment tr Gifts